Blue/Green Infrastructure Projects

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Blue/Green Infrastructure Projects

Current research projects

Biurbs

Funded by: UKRI (NERC)

SRI theme: Blue/Green Infrastructure 

SRI role: Work package lead

Biurbs 

Biurbs is co-led by a multi-disciplinary team of leading researchers from across the country collaborating with innovative architecture and green infrastructure practitioners to improve understanding of the economics of biodiversity as part of urban redevelopment. The research engages with key decision makers and stakeholders, to assess their experiences of evaluating biodiversity as part of urban redevelopment, and uses this to understand the challenges and opportunities in recognising and realising biodiversity in development and planning.  

The overarching objective is to improve the understanding of the economics of biodiversity within the built environment of the UK, and how urban developments can best be designed, managed and delivered to support biodiversity conservation and enhancement.

UEL is leading a Work Package evaluating spatial planning/valuation tools, to understand the synergistic role that biodiversity can play in meeting the competing demands of different policy objectives and land uses/users at different spatial scales. This work will help inform the development of practical, well-grounded tools and guidance for assessing the economic value of biodiversity for different land uses at different scales.  

Bumblebee Conservation

Funded by: Greater London Authority

SRI theme: Blue/Green Infrastructure (invertebrate conservation) and Sustainable Society

SRI role: Research lead

Bumblebee conservation

SRI researchers are leading two bumblebee conservation projects in Thamesmead and Beckton to help protect two rare UK Biodiversity Action Plan species: the shrill carder bee (Bombus sylvarum) and the brown-banded carder bee (Bombus humilis).

Building on earlier research in South Essex, the projects focus on creating and managing habitats for these species. The work is supported by Rewilding London funding and includes community engagement activities to help create new habitats for bumblebees.

London Strategic SuDS Pilot Scheme

Funder: Thames Water Ltd

SRI theme: Blue/Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) and Sustainable Society

SRI role: Lead

London Strategic SuDS Pilot Scheme

LSSPS is a collaborative programme to mainstream small-scale urban Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) across London.

The SRI is working with Thames 21 on a research programme to explore the barriers to mainstreaming SuDS and to develop evidence and processes to support others in addressing these barriers.

This includes exploring stakeholder experience and designing and implementing monitoring programmes for SuDS schemes implemented in inner and outer London boroughs through the LSSPS scheme.

The Pilot Project

Funder: Universities UK

SRI theme: Sustainable Society

SRI role: Co-lead

The Pilot Project

In this project, funded as part of the Universities UK’s “twin for hope” initiative, the University of East London have twinned with Cherkasy State Technological University (ChSTU) to assess whether communities and civil groups could be trained in the use of drones to collect building damage data using small drones and whether the data collected could be assessed by volunteers across the world.

Learn more about the Pilot Project

Plantlife International's Munsary Peatlands Reserve

SRI theme: Blue/Green Infrastructure (peatland conservation)  
SRI role: Lead on-site monitoring

Plantlife International's Munsary Peatlands Reserve

Following an initial extensive baseline review undertaken in 2002, the SRI has carried out two 7-year repeat cycles of a long-term monitoring programme at Plantlife International's Munsary Peatlands Reserve in Caithness, northern Scotland since its initial establishment. This represents one of the most detailed long-term monitoring programmes for a peatland site in the UK and is designed to pick up responses to restoration management and climate change.  It is now in its 21st year, with plans (delayed in 2023 due to Covid) to complete a third repeat in 2024. 

GGR peatland

Funder: UKRI

SRI theme: Blue/Green infrastructure (peatland conservation)

SRI role: Work package lead

GGR peatland

This project, funded by UKRI, is showcasing techniques and technologies aimed at transforming deteriorated UK peatlands into reliable, long-term greenhouse gas removal (GGR) systems. It has created three GGR demonstration sites, each featuring customized interventions to suit local conditions, and rigorous environmental impact monitoring is in place. The project's objectives include quantifying the GGR advantages and exploring cutting-edge land management approaches.

The GGR-Peat project leverages natural processes to restore and, where feasible, enhance the environmental conditions conducive to peat formation. Concurrently, it aims to pioneer innovative strategies for accelerating CO2 absorption and ensuring its secure storage for centuries.

Our GGR Demonstrator project possesses the potential to revolutionise peatland research. It challenges the presumption that UK peatlands inevitably act as net greenhouse gas emitters except in pristine conditions. Instead, we suggest that through active, science-based management, even severely degraded peatlands can become net greenhouse gas sinks.

Our primary goal is to illustrate how we can convert the UK's largest terrestrial greenhouse gas emissions source, which is degraded peatlands, into one of the most efficient greenhouse gas removal (GGR) systems. Our approach involves testing a combination of 'nature-based' solutions like high water level management, high-yield wetland agriculture, and accelerated Sphagnum reestablishment, along with 'geoengineering' strategies including biochar production and application, the use of non-native biomass species, and the application of amendments to mitigate methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

The project is also designed to explore the trade-offs and co-benefits of peatland restoration and suitable mechanisms to regenerate peatlands in the most holistically sustainable way.

Peatland Progress

Funder: National Lottery Heritage Fund

SRI theme: Blue/Green infrastructure (peatland conservation)

SRI role: Scientific advisors, paludiculture and materials science expertise.

Peatland Progress

Peatland Progress: A New Vision for the Fens is a 5-year National Lottery Heritage Fund project bringing hope for wildlife, the climate, farming, and communities in the Cambridgeshire Fens. The project takes place at the Great Fen, where we are providing paludiculture advice and guidance, and designing a robust monitoring programme, for the delivery phase of the Peatland Progress Project. We will also be working on the monitoring programme over the next 5 years, supervising a PhD student on bio-based building materials and encouraging additional real-world research on-site.

Peatland Progress provides a rare opportunity to increase the connectivity between two separate peatland nature reserves. This will most importantly lead to enhanced long-term sustainability for both areas but also provide the space and funding to expand research into paludiculture beyond the initial trial plots that we have already undertaken at the Great Fen.

This is hugely exciting as paludiculture, as a nature-based solution, offers real ecosystem benefits through carbon emission reductions, biodiversity gain and water chemistry improvements. Paludiculture also opens opportunities to develop new products and markets in areas such as bio-based building materials, peat replacement and much more. Peatland Progress comes at the perfect time, as wet farming is in its infancy here in the UK, so the project will have a timely and positive impact.

Clean Air Gardens  

Funder: UKRI-funded RECLAIM Network Plus grant (EP/W034034/1)

SRI theme: Blue/Green infrastructure and air pollution

SRI role: Lead

Clean Air Gardens  

Domestic gardens are the most common type of greenspace in many cities, yet their value in enhancing the health of urban areas is often overlooked. In many cases, domestic gardens are being replaced by artificial surfaces or overlooked in new developments, and their contribution to local air quality and temperature regulation is undervalued. This project is investigating how domestic garden design can impact local air quality and temperature regulation and aims to increase the understanding of the value of domestic gardens for creating healthy, resilient cities. 

Wild West End - Green Infrastructure audit

Client: Arup in partnership with London Wildlife Trust

SRI theme: Blue/Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure)

Wild West End - Green Infrastructure audit

Wild West End – green infrastructure audit: the Wild West End is a unique partnership of nine of central London’s largest property holders, to create a network of connected green spaces and nature-based solutions that will support local biodiversity and deliver environmental, social and economic benefits for local communities, businesses and visitors.

The SRI’s ecologists carried out a green infrastructure audit of public and private parks and gardens, green roofs and green walls in the West End to evaluate their ecological and environmental value and provide knowledge transfer to key stakeholders to enhance the biodiversity value and ecosystem services delivery of their sites. Bird and pollinator surveys were also undertaken at a sample of sites, to monitor their relative performance for supporting these key groups. Deliverables included a technical report for the project partners, summarising the results of surveys in their property portfolios, along with detailed recommendations for enhancement measures. Knowledge transfer activities included a presentation to the partnership and a representative from the Greater London Authority on the audit findings, and a chance to discuss opportunities for best practice for the project.

Previous research projects

Buglife

The SRI has worked with Buglife on a range of invertebrate conservation initiatives. This has included supporting the installation and monitoring of a series of green roofs as part of the Living Roofs for Bugs programme and carrying out GIS spatial analysis of conservation priority invertebrates as part of the Stepping Stones for Wildlife programme. SRI has also partnered with Buglife in the delivery of the Thames Terrace Invertebrates component of the Greater Thames Marshes Nature Improvement Area programme and has provided guidance for the national Urban Buzz and London B-Lines projects. We have also collaborated on a series of CASE PhD studentships, the latest being a CASE PhD studentship investigating how to build resilient wooded landscapes for saproxylic invertebrates.  

Funded by: Buglife, Natural England 
SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (invertebrate conservation) 
SRI Role: Research expertise, advice and monitoring 

UEL Green Roofs

A project which is trailing a range of treatments to enhance plant species richness and abundance on existing brown roofs sited on the UEL Docklands Campus halls of residences. The effectiveness of treatments deployed, including substrate mixes, top dressing and microbial treatments, are being monitored over two years.

Funder: UEL Facilities and Estates 
SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 
SRI Role: Project lead 

Transitioning Towards Urban Resilience And Sustainability

TURAS is a five-year project developing visions, feasible strategies, spatial scenarios and guidance tools to help cities address the urgent challenges of:

  • climate change adaptation and mitigation
  • natural resources shortage;
  • unsustainable urban growth.

TURAS is enabling adaptive governance, collaborative decision-making and behavioural change in order to facilitate local authorities and communities in the transition process. Bringing together a wide variety of partners and stakeholders the project aims to demonstrate and disseminate transition strategies and scenarios to enable European cities and their rural interfaces to build vitally needed resilience.

Working in collaboration with local authorities, SMEs, statutory agencies, NGOs and local communities, SRI staff are leading TURAS research in the areas of Urban Green Infrastructure, Community Interest Companies and Adaptive Governance.

Funded by: EU Framework Programme 7 
SRI Theme: Urban Green Infrastructure and Adaptive Governance 
SRI Role: Work package lead on urban green infrastructure and research lead on adaptive governance 

View Dr Stuart Connop's presentation from TURAS' final conference in Dublin.

Renfrew Gardens

The SRI is leading a monitoring programme in partnership with the Environment Agency, Newham Council, Thames Water, Bob Bray Associates and Groundwork London, to assess the hydrological performance of three rain gardens. The rain gardens are situated in Renfrew Close, in the London Borough of Newham. The project has been running for over two years and aims to capture the rainwater attenuation efficacy of channelling roof runoff through a rain garden system. The project aims to highlight both the ecological and hydrological benefits of such a system.

Funded by: Environment Agency 
SRI Theme:  Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure), Sustainable Society (Governance) 
SRI Role: Lead on ecosystem service monitoring

Find out more information about Renfrew Gardens.

Connecting Nature

Coordinated by Trinity College Dublin, Connecting Nature was a collaborative partnership of 31 organisations including local authorities, communities, industry partners, NGOs and academics. The partnership worked across 16 European countries, Brazil, China, Korea & The Caucasus (Georgia and Armenia) which are investing in large-scale implementation of nature-based projects in urban settings. We are measuring the impact of these initiatives on climate change adaptation, health and well-being, social cohesion and sustainable economic development in these cities. Innovative actions to foster the start-up and growth of commercial and social enterprises active in producing nature-based solutions and products is an integral part of our work. 

The European Commission defines nature-based solutions as solutions that are "inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously providing environmental, social and economic benefits and helping to build resilience." Nature-based solutions protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems, which address challenges facing humanity (e.g. climate change, food and water security or natural disasters). At the same time, nature-based solutions bestow wider benefits to human well-being and biodiversity. 

Nature-based solutions remain a relatively new concept in urban planning and the phrase is still not widely used. Part of the project involves driving change in the understanding, use and implementation of this concept as societies seek to effectively tackle environmental issues through innovation.

SRI is the leader for WORK PACKAGE 3 in Connecting Nature - SCALING UP AND FINANCING WITHIN FRONT RUNNER CITIES.

The role in the project of SRI researchers Dr Stuart Connop, Dr Caroline Nash, and Sam Jelliman is to work directly with the local authority partners of three cities that already have established expertise in relation to different aspects of delivering nature-based solutions. These cities are Genk in Belgium, Glasgow in Scotland, and Poznań in Poland. 

Funded by: European Commission 

SRI Theme:  Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure), Sustainable Society 

SRI Role: Work Pack leads 

Climate Proofing Housing Landscapes

In a project supported by LIFE+, Groundwork London is partnering with Hammersmith & Fulham Council to work with local residents to design and implement climate change adaptation measures on three housing estates, making them fit for the future.

Climate scientists predict that climate change is likely to mean more winter flooding and summer heatwaves in the UK and this project aims to demonstrate that urban housing estates can play an important part in adapting our cities to cope better with climate change, primarily by implementing water sensitive urban design measures on the estates.

The SRI is helping to monitor the effects of these green infrastructure components through biodiversity surveys, thermal imaging, water attenuation monitoring and, photographic cataloguing.

Funded by: EU Life+ 
SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 
SRI Role: Lead overall environmental monitoring programme 

Barking Riverside Green Roofs

In partnership with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Barking Riverside Ltd and Natural England, the SRI constructed 41 test platforms at Barking Riverside to test the performance of flora and fauna as well as substrates and aggregates. The aim was to investigate ways of creating commercially viable green roofs using the principles of ecomimicry able to support locally typical, and nationally important biodiversity. The results from these trials are being fed into design and planning processes at Barking Riverside.

The urban green infrastructure design guidance document developed by the SRI focuses on how ecomimicry of the brownfield site can be incorporated into the design of roof-level and ground-level green infrastructure across the development. It is now being used to inform developers, architects and landscape architects on greenspace design.

Funders: Barking Riverside Ltd 
SRI Theme:  Green Infrastructure 
SRI Role: Site constructing, testing and monitoring

Beetle Bump

In 2012, Buglife and the University of East London worked together to showcase how urban landscaping can be designed to support rare invertebrates, without compromising on aesthetics. An unused 0.1 hectare patch at UEL's Docklands Campus was transformed into a brownfield wildlife haven, rich in wildflowers and habitat features associated with Thames Corridor brownfield sites.

The Beetle Bump aimed to produce a suitable new habitat for the Streaked bombardier beetle (Brachinus sclopeta), whose UK distribution was restricted to a single brownfield site in the London Docklands area which had received planning approval for development.

Funder: Buglife via London Pleasure Gardens 
SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (invertebrate conservation) 
SRI Role: Site development and sponsor 

Green Roof Aggregates

SRI worked with national agencies and local SMEs to support a KTP on green roof aggregates. The focus was to build the business case and establish a centre of excellence in the field of green roof aggregates design and testing including a focus on recycled aggregates as green roof substrates. The ongoing development of testing facilities appropriate for novel green roof aggregates is now part of SRI's portfolio of testing facilities at Knowledge Dock.

Funded by: Challenge Funds 
SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 
SRI Role: Project sponsor and lead

Biodiversity Hotspots - City University

Following on from the SRI's work with UEL Facilities to characterise and maximise the biodiversity value of UEL's Estate, the SRI was commissioned to carry out a scoping survey of the current and potential biodiversity interest of the City University London Northampton Square campus.

Using a combination of spatial analysis of aerial photos and ground-truthing surveys, the SRI mapped biodiversity across the City University campus, identified key areas currently supporting biodiversity 'hotspots', and made recommendations for biodiversity enhancements.

Client: City University

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 

Green Roof Industry Standards

SRI is working with the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop green roofing industry standards, including facilitating partnership trade organisations such as the Green Roof Organisation to ensure industry needs are met within the standardisation process.

Client: British Standards Institute

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 

Museum of London Green Roof Monitoring

As part of the Greater London Authority's Drain London project, a series of green roofs were installed at the Museum of London. The SRI was contracted to monitor these roofs and assess their benefits in terms of storm-water attenuation compared to standard flat roof systems.  An innovative prototype rainfall runoff gauge, capable of installation on a roof to monitor a range of flow rates, was developed and installed at the MoL by the SRI. The gauges logged rainfall volumes and rates. The results were analysed and fed back into the Drain London project.

Client: Museum of London  

SRI Theme:  Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 

Nature Improvement Areas - Nature Improvement Areas

As part of the Greater Thames Marshes Nature Improvement Area programmes, a master plan was developed for the landscape-scale conservation of Thames Terrace Invertebrates in the Greater Thames Marshes area. The project was a partnership between Essex County Council, Buglife, the University of East London and Essex Field Club. The project built on previous pioneering work, targeting eight sites and three flagship species. It outlined what was currently known and set the scene for future work, identifying gaps in knowledge and making recommendations for delivery on the ground.  

Client: Natural England and DEFRA via Essex County Council

SRI Theme:  Green Infrastructure (invertebrate conservation) 

Peatland Pavilion for COP26

Working with students from UEL’s Masters in Architecture (MArch), we designed a Peatland Pavilion for COP26 in Glasgow on behalf of the UN’s Global Peatlands Initiative and the IUCN UK Peatland Programme. This was the first-ever pavilion featuring peatlands at an inter-governmental treaty conference of parties and consisted of both a physical conference space and a virtual pavilion space. The physical and virtual pavilions ran for the duration of COP26, with participants from more than 100 nations joining the talks either physically or online, while a host of national delegations visited the physical space to learn about peatlands and the climate emergency.  The virtual pavilion remains a long-term legacy, having now also featured at COP27 and will feature again at COP28.

Client: UN Global Peatlands Initiative, IUCN UK Peatland Programme, Wetlands International, Michael Succow Stiftung

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (peatland conservation and wise use) 

Olympic Park Biosolar Roof Monitoring

The SRI worked with the Olympic Development Authority to prepare a guidance document for green roof monitoring in order to inform the legacy management of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Subsequently, SRI carried out biodiversity monitoring for the London Legacy Development Corporation on the MPC bio solar roof (green roof and photovoltaic roof combined) to assess how it was performing in relation to targets within the Olympic Park Biodiversity Action Plan.  

Client: London Legacy Development Corporation  

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (invertebrate conservation)

Initial insights on the biodiversity potential of bio solar roofs: A London Olympic Park green roof case study: UEL Research Repository 

Peatland Briefing Notes

The production of a series of Peatland Briefing Notes for the IUCN UKPP.  These online Briefing Notes are designed to provide clear guidance to non-specialists about a range of peatland topics and have since been downloaded by researchers and practitioners based in a wide range of countries around the world.

Client: IUCN UK PP

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (peatland conservation) 

Peatland Conservation Cases - Natural England

SRI provided expert witness evidence on behalf of Natural England for two major peatland conservation cases in Walshaw Moor and Bolton Fell Moss. The evidence presented by the SRI has since formed the basis of a case being led by the RSPB and is now taken up by the European Commission through the European Court of Justice.  

Client: Natural England

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (peatland conservation) 

Peatland Ecology - Training Workshops

The SRI has been involved in leading peatland ecology workshops for NGOs. These workshops allow landowners, land managers and conservation staff the chance to gain further education in the ecology and function of the peatlands under their management. These were led most recently by Shetland Amenity Trust which created a post for a dedicated 'Peatlands officer'  following the course.  

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (Peatland conservation) 

Peatlands and Carbon

SRI undertook a major review of scientific literature concerned with peatlands and carbon which helped establish the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) UK Peatland Programme and the UKPP's Commission of Inquiry into peatlands. This underpinned the importance of peatlands now recognised by the devolved administrations - with some £16m allocated by the Scottish Government to peatland restoration.

Client: UKPP

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (Peatland conservation) 

TW - Rainwater Attenuation

SRI established a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Thames Water Ltd to develop a prototype rainfall runoff gauge which could be installed at roof level (where no access to downpipes was available) and was capable of monitoring a range of flow rates, robust enough to cope with the kinds of debris that might be washed into gutter systems and equally suitable for installation in new gutter systems and retrofit scenarios. The gauge was laboratory-tested at UEL in the hydrology circulation tanks. It was then installed at the Museum of London green roof monitoring project and the TfL monitoring project.

Client: Thames Water Ltd

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 

The Royal Parks - green roof ecology surveys

The Royal Parks - green roof ecology surveys: ecologists from the SRI were commissioned to survey eight green roofs within the Royal Parks in London. The surveys were designed to generate baseline data on the vegetation, habitat structure and invertebrate communities of each green roof, to inform the Royal Parks on best practices for their ongoing management and maintenance to improve their nature conservation value and delivery of ecosystem services. We provided a technical report detailing the findings of the surveys, opportunities for increasing the ecological value and environmental resilience of each green roof, as well as guidance for the design of future living roofs for the parks.

Client: The Royal Parks

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 

Stepping Stones

A collaborative project between Buglife, Essex Field Club and the SRI. The project delivered landscape-scale invertebrate conservation for priority species in the nationally important region of South Essex. The SRI provided their spatial analytical GIS expertise in mapping and monitoring the spatial dynamics of conservation priority invertebrate populations in the region. The project aim was to inform habitat management proposals at a number of key sites within the region  

Client: Buglife

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (invertebrate conservation) 

Stevenage Pocket Park-Sunken Roundabout

The East England Development Agency and Stevenage Borough Council identified a pocket park within a sunken roundabout in Stevenage as an asset which could be used more by the public through innovative landscape design. The SRI advised on the sustainability and environmental regeneration aspects of the development.  The park was constructed using sustainable materials including the use of local recycled glass, sand and aggregate from the initial demolition site and provided an educational resource for emerging eco-technologies.

Client: Stevenage Borough Council  

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 

Suds Guidance

The SRI developed planning policy guidance that would apply regionally contextualised 'ecomimicry' UGI design principles into SuDS component design. Key challenges were to ensure that SuDS design was suitable for high-density urban areas and that biodiversity and multifunctional ecosystem service provision were central to the design and selection of components. The Derbyshire St Pocket Park has since been developed in the borough through the GLA's Pocket Park initiative as a flagship project to showcase the principles of the SuDS guidance and how the components recommended can be implemented together in high-density urban areas.

Client: London Borough of Tower Hamlets  

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 

TFL Green Roof Rainfall Runoff

As part of an initiative to resolve stormwater flooding issues at London Underground depots, Transport for London installed two green roofs on a London Underground depot at West Ruislip. One roof used industry-standard green roof construction materials, and the other used a novel experimental system.

The SRI was contracted to monitor the rainfall runoff from these green roofs and an adjacent control roof. Data from the monitoring was used to inform best practices for green roof design for water attenuation as supporting evidence for a broader incorporation of green infrastructure retrofit across Transport for London holdings.

Client: Transport for London  

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (urban green infrastructure) 

Thames Estuary 2100

The SRI worked in partnership with the Environment Agency and Natural England as part of the Thames Estuary 2100 flood defence scoping programme. The SRI carried out ArcGIS spatial analysis and assemblage analysis of invertebrates on Thames Estuary coastal grazing marsh sites to assess assemblage diversity, rarity, typicalness and habitat features supporting the populations. The project was designed to support the decision-making process for TE2100 flood defence prioritisation.

Client: Environment Agency

SRI Theme: Green Infrastructure (invertebrate conservation)