Multi-functional street-scale blue green infrastructure - translating potential into actual ecosystem services delivery

The traditional “grey infrastructure” delivery of urban services is a missed opportunity in the drive to deliver sustainable cities and communities.

By restoring natural processes within cities, the use of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) may contribute to this goal including contributing to achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG).

Besides technical/environmental benefits, BGI has the potential to offer significant socio-economic benefits / ecosystem services (ES).

However, knowledge gaps remain in relation to how these multiple benefits are perceived by local communities and professionals.

Further, as an approach developed under temperate climates, there is a need to reconceptualise BGI to include the ‘white’ element introduced by Sweden’s cold climate (i.e. blue-green-white infrastructure; BGWI) and to evaluate the ES they provides.

In keeping with SDG17 (partnership working), this ambitious project is co-developed to identify when, how and why the delivery of ES by street-scale BGWI can contribute to achieving sustainability objectives.

It is framed around three topics: development of a BG(W)I baseline for Sweden, exploring public and municipal perceptions, economic assessments and data integration within multi-criteria analysisResearchers from Luleå University of Technology and Ohio State University (USA) have a strong collaborative track record and provide the complimentary competences necessary to achieve the comprehensive goals identified.