Built environment
experts from across Europe will descend on London next week for one of the UK’s
first industry-wide conferences on Green Infrastructure.
Some 16
specialists, including Peter Massini of the Greater London Authority, Dusty
Gedge, president of the European Federation of Green Roof and Wall
Associations, and Dan Cook, chief executive of The Landscape Institute, will
discuss how to establish more green spaces in urban areas at the Polypipe
InfraGreen Conference on June 28.
Among the key
themes explored at the event will be the health and wellbeing benefits of Green
Infrastructure, Blue-Green roof design and passive irrigation.
The free event,
which is being staged by Polypipe, the UK’s leading manufacturer of
intelligently engineered sustainable drainage and water management systems,
takes place at the Institution of Civil Engineers in Westminster. It is open to
all built environment and water management professionals.
Rosie Cheetham,
Polypipe marketing manager, said: “Rapid urbanisation over the last century has
come at the expense of biodiversity and clean air in many urban and rural
areas. The effects are exacerbated by the increasing regularity of flooding
incidents caused by climate change.
“This event will
enable the built environment and water management industries to combine their
expertise and discuss ways to make a real impact in the UK’s increasing urban
landscape.
“We encourage
anyone working in these sectors to join us to learn more about the benefits of
Green Infrastructure, why it is so vital and how we can work together to
improve UK living standards by transforming grey places in green spaces.”
Figures
released by the Office of National Statistics in February revealed a staggering
83% - 45 million - of people in England live in urban areas.
Polypipe
specification director Sean Robinson said: “Policy makers, urban planners and
architects are fully aware of the need to change the way rainwater is managed
in urban environments. For generations, the wisdom was to manage water away
from buildings as efficiently as possible to minimise long-term damage.
“However, with mass
urbanisation set to continue and cities contributing to a rise in localised
temperatures, there needs to be a change in mind set so that we can harness the
water as a resource to keep our cities cool, by keeping them green.”
