Blue-Green Cities

The Blue-Green Cities research project was led by Prof Colin Thorne, University of Nottingham, and ran from 2013-2016. Nine UK Universities were involved in addition to numerous academic, industry and local government partners. Blue-Green Cities aimed to recreate a naturally oriented water cycle while contributing to the amenity of the city by bringing water management and green infrastructure together. This is achieved by combining and protecting the hydrological and ecological values of the urban landscape while providing resilient and adaptive measures to address future changes in climate, landuse, water management, and socio-economic activity in the city. Designing and utilising the urban environment to manage water resources, water demand (including rainwater harvesting), and the interplay between flood and drought are key drivers. Integrating water management with urban green space provision plus the added value associated with the connection and interaction between blue and green assets are key concepts of a Blue-Green City. Blue-Green Cities generate a multitude of environmental, ecological, socio-cultural and economic benefits through integrated planning and management and may be key to future resilience and sustainability of urban environments and processes.

Blue-Green Cities aimed to reintroduce the natural water cycle into urban environments and provide effective measures to manage fluvial (river), coastal, and pluvial (urban runoff or surface water) flooding while championing the concept of multi-functional greenspace and landuse to generate multiple benefits for the environment, society, and the economy.

Visible water in cities has massively declined in the last century and many areas are facing future water scarcity in response to changes in climate, landuse and population. The concept of Blue-Green Cities involves working with green and blue infrastructure components to secure a sustainable future and generate multiple benefits for the environmental, ecological, social and cultural spheres. This requires a coordinated approach to water resource and green space management from institutional organisations, industry, academia and local communities and neighbourhoods.

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