Pathfinder- Explores relevant climate arenas to identify and prioritise innovation opportunities
Pan European, co-ordinated from the Netherlands
The restoration of riparian areas and green space in flood prone urban spaces increases their capacity for water retention and flood prevention. As well as producing a more pleasant environment, green infrastructure also delivers long-term storage of emitted carbon, and is therefore a useful tool for climate change mitigation. The Green Infra project aims to develop a globally applicable framework for stakeholders that makes them rethink ‘from grey to green’ and thus catalyse the development of green infrastructure.
Flooding causes devastation to urban and rural areas if it is not managed properly. Green infrastructure aims to boost the restoration of flood prone areas and provide an alternative, or at least a valuable addition to orthodox, ‘grey’ methods of flood prevention such as the raising of dykes. Green infrastructure assists climate mitigation and results in a greener environment which is more attractive for living, recreation and tourism, boosting local economy. However, the social and environmental advantages of green infrastructure are often limited by a misbalanced cost distribution, land use regulations and unawareness about the potential benefits.