More Than Open Space! The Case for Green Infrastructure Teaching in Planning Curricula

Bibliographic Data

ID22018240
AuthorsAndrea Frank (0000-0002-0507-0310, University of Birmingham), Andrew Flynn (0000-0001-5728-1569, Cardiff University), Nick Hacking (0000-0003-2219-7724, Cardiff University), Christopher Silver (0000-0003-3952-0161, University of Florida)
Year2021
Volume6
Issue1
Pages63-74
Publication date2021-01-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueUrban Planning (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2183-7635 • E-ISSN: 2183-7635
PublisherCogitatio (PUBLISHER • PT)
DOI10.17645/up.v6i1.3518
OpenAlexW3123363438
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited25

Since the mid-1990s, the concept of Green Infrastructure (GI) has been gaining traction in fields such as ecology and forestry, (landscape) architecture, environmental and hydrological engineering, public health as well as urban and regional planning. Definitions and aims ascribed to GI vary. Yet, agreement broadly exists on GI’s ability to contribute to sustainability by means of supporting, for example, biodiversity, human and animal health, and storm water management as well as mitigating urban heat island effects. Given an acknowledged role of planners in delivering sustainable cities and towns, professional bodies have highlighted the need for spatial planners to understand and implement GI. This raises questions of what sort of GI knowledge planners may require and moreover by whom and how GI knowledge and competencies may be conveyed? Examining knowledge and skills needs vis-à-vis GI education opportunities indicates a provision reliant primarily on continued professional education and limited ad hoc opportunities in Higher Education. The resulting knowledge base appears fragmented with limited theoretical foundations leading the authors to argue that a systematic inclusion of green infrastructure knowledges in initial planning education is needed to promote and aid effective GI implementation

Business · Civil engineering · Curriculum · Environmental planning · Geography · Green infrastructure · Pedagogy · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Sustainability · Sustainable development · Urban planning · Engineering · Land Use and Ecosystem Services · Urban Green Space and Health · Urban Heat Island Mitigation · Ecology

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