Quick-wins and blue-sky solutions for urban greening

Micro gardening is not a new concept but is a rapidly growing niche. It’s the intensive cultivation of a wide range of vegetables, roots and herbs in small spaces, such as balconies, patios and rooftops.

We relied on work in Dakar, Senegal for our blue-sky case study. Micro gardens were introduced to the city’s master plan to provide space for people to grow their own vegetables. The city’s intensive growth was causing health vulnerabilities; the micro gardens offered green lungs for the capital and proved to be a sustainable food system for the population facing poverty and food insecurity.

We used the lessons from Dakar to suggest that the council introduce micro gardens into their Urban Masterplan. They would need to budget for a maintenance service; this could be through the community via subsidised initiatives or via an established company. Either way, this would be the most time consuming and the most costly option but would offer long-term results for the area.

Adults in neighbourhoods where at least 30% of nearby land was parks, reserves and woodlands were 26% less likely to become lonely compared to their peers in areas with less than 10% green space. (source)

Guerrilla gardening

For the quick-win case study, we focused on a movement, rather than a set location. Guerrilla Gardening was started by Richard Reynolds over 15 years ago where he began planting underused, ’shabby’ pockets of urban space at night in his London neighbourhood.

There is already a well-established Guerrilla community in London. We recommended that the council members continue to encourage these acts with funding for equipment and positive recognition on their online and offline platforms.

There are many definitions for Urban Forestry. I prefer Sand’s description in Forestry in a Global, Context which states that “The urban forest is the ecosystem containing all of the trees, plants and associated animals in the urban environment, both in and around a city.”

With this in mind, we use the Moscow Million Trees as our blue-sky case study. In 2013, Russia’s cosmopolitan capital set out to plant one million trees to promote the growth of greenspace in the city. The intent was to lower greenhouse gas emissions while creating a pleasant urban environment for its people.

The uniqueness of the project lay in the involvement of citizens in the process of identifying and developing the urban green spaces across the city. People were able to choose the plants and species of trees, which led to an increase in people walking and cycling, improved air quality and a rise in permeable land aids. Our team recommended that the council develop policy that drove the uptake and increase of green space in the area.

Another quick-win solution we recommended was to invest in TetraPot, an instrument for sea defence that also functions as a giant plant pot. TetraPot is designed to protect the initial development of the native mangrove tree while preventing soil erosion. Although Ealing does not have any coastal areas, it does have a high number of waterways. A similar design could help prevent soil erosion and flooding for high-risk areas.

Milan’s Vertical Forest sets a precedent for what can be achieved through architectural biodiversity in restricted urban spaces. Finding planting space in urban areas like Milan was almost impossible so architect Stefano Boeri designed two residential tower blocks that would also be home to an urban forest. Large balconies overhang the external façade upon which 800 trees, 4,500 shrubs and 15,000 plants are housed, equivalent to the area of 20,000 sqm. of forest.

The city saw a dramatic increase in biodiversity and habitat available for insects and birds, reduction in the heat island effect, reduction in the likeliness of flooding and improved air quality. I am particularly in awe of the impact that the Vertical Forest had on residents mental health.

Mood and anxiety disorders, as well as schizophrenia, are up to 56% higher in urban environments when compared to rural locations. (Source)

My team recommended that the council use policy to establish green walls for all new builds. We already know it’s achievable in the UK. The Rubens Green Wall is home to over 10,000 ferns and herbaceous perennials in 16 tonnes of soil. The design captures rainwater from the hotel roof and stores it in tanks, which is slowly channelled through the green wall.

Lastly, our quick-win recommendation was to replicate the popular Energy Gardens programme.

The programme was established in London by the London Parks and Gardens Trust and encourages communities to participate in planting above London’s Overground stations.

The programme received accolade for its accredited training courses. In total, 67 community groups manage 30 gardens in London’s densely populated areas.

Stations in Ealing are a key part of many people’s daily lives. The greening of stations would have a noticeable impact on the borough’s community. We suggested that council members engage with London Park and Gardens Trust to establish a wider scheme to increase the visible greening in the area.