A Green Vision for a Sustainable Urban Future
Sourced from Euractiv
I want you to take a minute to visualise the ideal urban landscape of the future. How does it look? Full of flying cars and soaring glass skyscrapers?
I doubt it.
Jure Šumi is the Representative and Spokesperson of the European Business Group at the World Green Infrastructure Network, President of the Slovenian Green Infrastructure Association and Green Solutions Advocacy Lead at Knauf Insulation.
I imagine your ideal vision is similar to mine, cities and towns where grey concrete is replaced by parks, gardens, green roofs and green walls. Places that are climate resilient, energy efficient and carbon neutral. Places where communities and biodiversity can thrive in naturally beautiful surroundings.
In other words, urbanscapes inspired by green infrastructure.
It sounds like science fiction, but I believe we are now closer than ever to creating solid foundations for this future. Green infrastructure is increasingly playing an important role in European policy-making from climate change, energy efficiency, biodiversity and building renovation to post-pandemic recovery, waste water management and even building aesthetics.
The European Chapter of the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) was created to help transform all these green infrastructure ambitions into one holistic reality.
Green Infrastructure Day
On May 27 we are holding the first ever European Green Infrastructure Day with representatives of the European Commission, green infrastructure companies, architects, academics, financial institutions and MEPs. The event will be a catalyst for expertise and experience showing how to successfully implement and finance green infrastructure across Europe. There is a lot to discuss, because now more than ever, momentum for green infrastructure is growing.
For example, Member States have been able to apply for a portion of €750 billion in NextGenerationEU funding to help their post pandemic economic recovery. A key consideration of countries applying for this support is that 37% must be allocated towards climate action. Green infrastructure provides a wonderfully effective and aesthetically attractive carbon sink.
From the Living Architecture Academy
