by Brianna Crandall — May 28, 2014—A new paper has been released that discusses the connection between green infrastructure and health and resiliency, whose findings will be presented more fully at Grey to Green: A Conference on the Economics of Green Infrastructure in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in August.
“Exploring Connections Between Green Infrastructure and Healthy and Resilient Communities ” was written by Steven W. Peck, GRP, Honorary ASLA, chair, Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition, founder and president, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, to provide an overview of the literature that illustrates the connections between living green infrastructure and human health.
According to the report, living green infrastructure technologies cover a wide range of strategies from active and passive turf to trees, wetlands, bioswales, structural soils, green walls and green roofs. These technologies are becoming recognized by engineers, designers, health care advocates, developers and policymakers worldwide as proven and effective ways to solve many urban problems.
However, the contributions of green infrastructure to public health, the environment, building energy management and resilient communities are not yet fully reflected in public policies related to infrastructure planning and operations, says the report.
The Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, and the Green Infrastructure Foundation work to strengthen public policies that develop and protect living green infrastructure. The organizations hope the paper will help to raise awareness of the important benefits of green infrastructure, particularly as related to human health, and identify some opportunities for further research, public policy development and building design practice improvements.
