EFUF 2014 : Lausanne Green Streets an innovative partnership project designed to enhance and extend the urban forestry associated with the public transport routes in the Leeds City Region Research into Action Alan Simson Professor of Landscape Architecture + Urban Forestry Leeds Metropolitan University Green Streets Task Group
Outline of Presentation... Introduction what is Green Streets? The Green Streets Partnership The Economic Rational The Scope of Green Streets Case Examples / Precedents The Programme On Site... Conclusion - What makes Green Streets a distinctive brand?
What is Green Streets...? Green Streets is part of a wider green infrastructure programme that is tied into major changes to project financing and delivery through the UK Government s Localism Agenda; The Leeds City Region has created a new Transport Fund initially of about 1 billion targeted specifically at increasing employment and economic growth across the LCR.
Research has shown that a well-targeted 10- year programme of investment in transport will help to create and sustain a substantial number of new jobs by enabling new and existing businesses to be more efficient [reduced commuting time] easily expand their workforces [ easier communing] Encouraging / facilitating cross-boundary commuting
Traditional Transport Investments have resulted in standard highway solutions, which address transport issues adequately but provide little in the way of broader social and environmental returns... A Green Street approach will...
Change the design emphasis to see roads as streets which serve as arteries and centres for communities; Develop creative green design solutions to address engineering issues eg rain gardens etc. to accommodate highway drainage; Develop creative and high visual impact planting [urban forestry] instead of municipal landscaping ; Involve imaginative cost-effective design of key transport infrastructure features, instead of standard off the peg solutions;
Incorporate measures to improve biodiversity, reduce costs and improve management; Insist on the minimization and efficient grouping of standard transport infrastructure features, such as signage and lighting; Use design competitions to drive innovation in the design of high profile or sensitive transport infrastructure features.
The Green Street Partnership... White Rose Forest Community Forest Trust Yorkshire West Local Nature Partnership Leeds City Region Combined Authority METRO Leeds Sustainability Institute [Leeds Metro Uni]
Green Streets will include... Street Trees [the right tree planted in the right place in the right way for the right reasons] Other Tree Planting Rain Gardens Green Roofs and Walls Urban Orchards Natural Habitats Green Ways
Retro-Fitting the Urbs...
Not all straight lines...
Case Examples / Precedents What They want to know Has is been tried before? Did it work? What did it cost? Were there any management implications? What s the economic added value [code for how many jobs will it generate / retain?]
Rain Gardens / WSUD...
Leeds
Tramways...
Street Design...
Green Roofs / Walls...
Lausanne
Orchards / Production...
Community Involvement...
Green Streets Locations...
Green Streets Project Plan
Estimated Economic Outputs, assessed in terms of jobs growth.. Rail and Rapid Transit : 2150 jobs More efficient Highway and Bus Networks : 2960 jobs Multi-modal corridor improvements : 4535 jobs Other Targeted Improvements to support Employment Growth : 614 jobs Improving the Highway Network to support growth : 5933 jobs.
A M S C P B P l o t B D P l o t C B T B u i l d i n g C K P M G A V i a d u c t P l a z a B R a i n G a r d e n C S o v e r e i g n S q u a r e D S w i n e g a t e L i n k
Sovereign Square, Leeds
03 Response to Plans Panel Questions
What makes Green Streets a Engagement distinctive brand? During the design phase, all affected households and businesses are engaged directly to secure long term buy in from the Local Community Use of both 2D and 3d software to aid the consultation process Wider stakeholders are involved into the design process Community Skills and Apprenticeships Delivery and management of Green Streets offers the communities to be involved in skills training and apprenticeship opportunities.
Evidence and targeting Through partnership collaboration, Geographical Information Systems will be used to help target where and what type of cost effective greening project should be delivered. It is essential that Green Streets avails itself of the most up to date urban design expertise and water sensitive urban design, and that this information is shared amongst all the Partners. Quality and Innovation There are many examples of where GI projects have failed through poor design and sub-standard materials. Green Streets is about implementing the latest thinking in design, informed by good practice and research. Green Streets is also about innovation and opportunity, delivering bespoke projects to meet individual circumstances and finding unique solutions to deliver the urban forest in difficult circumstances.
As Urban Foresters, we should remember that the future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating; the paths are not to be found but made, and the activity of making them changes both the makers and the destinations; the Green Streets Partnership is very much trying to subscribe to this view Very roughly after John Scharr
Thank you for listening