Green infrastructure leadership

Local authorities have a crucial role in improving the green infrastructure network.

They are the only organisations with influence over all the elements necessary to effect change, particularly public parks and open spaces and the public realm.

How can we lead on green infrastructure?

Develop green infrastructure strategies covering key aspects of the green infrastructure network like green spaces, trees, food, flood risk, walking and cycling and urban heat island management.

Work with local strategic partnerships including all green infrastructure stakeholders like planners, regeneration officers, parks and leisure, tree officers, education and health officials, the police, landowners and countryside managers.

Create local area agreements with embedded climate change mitigation and adaptation indicators. These provide useful levers to implement green infrastructure within cities.

Use the planning system to influence new developments and urban restructuring and obtain funding to help maintain new spaces. Green infrastructure should provide and underlie green print for development.