MSc Thesis Project - Aisling Mannion

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MSc Thesis Project - Aisling Mannion
Green Infrastructure in Birmingham city centre
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Aims

• The aims of this project are to
• Map the existing green infrastructure (GI)
• Plan potential future GI
• Assess the benefits of GI

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The study area
Birmingham Cathedral
Millennium Point
Canal
Town Hall
ICC
Canal
Canal
New Street Station
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The need for GI

• Predicted climate change
• Summer mean temperature in the West Midlands is
  predicted to increase by 3.7C by the 2080s.
• Urban Heat Island effect may add an extra 3C.
• Winter precipitation in the West Midlands is
  predicted to increase by 17 by the 2080s.

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The need for GI

• Risks from climate change
• High temperature increases air pollution
• Higher risk of flooding flood damage
• Urban areas exacerbate temperature and flood
  risks
• Damage to health higher healthcare costs
• Higher energy use for cooling energy costs

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The need for GI

• Air quality in Birmingham
• GI can help to meet EU standards
• Air quality needs to improve for health reasons
• Image and investment in Birmingham
• GI can improve Birminghams reputation
• GI can increase visitor numbers and revenue in
  rundown areas.
• GI can make Birmingham more attractive to
  investors skilled workers

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Existing GI in Birmingham city centre
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Existing GI in Birmingham city centre
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Existing GI in Birmingham city centre
Grass, shrubs, flowerbeds 21 ha
Water 4 ha
Trees 1,120
Green roofs 0.2 ha
Total roof area 99.5 ha
Green roofs ( of all roofs) 0.2
Impermeable surface area 90
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Potential GI in Birmingham city centre

• Birmingham city centre is densely urbanised.
• Suitable methods for increasing GI here are
• street trees
• green roofs
• green walls
• improving existing parks
• SuDS
• restoring existing water courses
• linking existing green spaces

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Plan for potential GI
The focus is on a route for pedestrians, to
connect areas of existing GI
Birmingham Cathedral
Millennium Point
Canal
Town Hall
ICC
Canal
New Street Station
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Potential GI in Birmingham street level
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Potential GI in Birmingham street trees
Curzon Street
Chamberlain Square
The Bullring
Victoria Square
Square by the REP
Centenary Square
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Potential GI in Birmingham green roofs
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Potential GI in Birmingham green roofs
Extensive green roof, Canary Wharf, London
Semi-intensive green roof, Chicago
Brown roof, Fire Rescue Authority, Birmingham
Intensive green roof, Kensington Roof Gardens,
London
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Potential GI in Birmingham green walls
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Potential GI in Birmingham green walls
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Potential GI in Birmingham
Grass, shrubs, flowerbeds 26 ha
Water 4 ha
Trees 2,090
Green roofs 32ha
Total roof area 99.5 ha
Green roofs ( of all roofs) 32
Impermeable surface area 70
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Benefits of Green Infrastructure

• Mitigates the Urban Heat Island effect
• Improves air quality
• Reduces surface runoff
• Improves health
• Reduces energy usage for cooling and heating
• Improves image and investment
• Improves ecology and biodiversity
• Provides economic savings

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Benefits of Green Infrastructure - Indicative
results

• Air quality
• Potential green roofs cover 32 ha
• All extensive removes 2700 kg/yr of air
  pollutants.
• All intensive removes 3500 kg/yr of air
  pollutants. (Yang, 2008)
• Trees Pollution removal rate 10.8 g/m2/yr.
  (Nowak, 2006)
• 2000 trees may remove over 112kg.

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Benefits of Green Infrastructure - Indicative
results

• Energy savings
• Potential energy savings from green roofs of
  4.15kWh/m2/yr. (Banting, 2005)
• 32 ha of green roofs may save 1.3GWh/yr.

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Benefits of Green Infrastructure - Indicative
results

• Reduction of surface runoff
• A typical medium-sized tree can intercept 9000
  litres of rainfall per year. If the tree canopy
  spans 9m2, then this represents an annual
  rainfall depth of 1 m.
• Green roofs have a water storage capacity of 30
  140 litres/m2
• Total potential water storage of 9.7 million 45
  million litres on green roofs in Birmingham city
  centre.

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• Thank you for listening!