The EEA briefing ‘Building a Trans-European Nature Network’ analyses the potential of using green infrastructure to connect protected Natura 2000 sites with other natural and semi-natural landscapes.
International News
Some 60% of the planet’s expected urban area by 2030 is yet to be built. This forecast highlights how rapidly the world’s people are becoming urban. Cities now occupy about 2% of the world’s land area, but are home to about 55% of the world’s people and generate more than 70% of global GDP, plus the associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Global Emissions
What is natural capital?
Natural capital can be defined as the world’s stocks of natural assets which include geology, soil, air, water and all living things.
Image: SYDNEY GREEN ROOF by VERDANT SOLUTIONS AUSTRALIA
LONDON TRIAL_SMART PILLAR
A number of lampposts in Belgravia have recently been fitted with plant columns running up their length. It’s a trial to see if the green columns can help reduce pollution along the streets.
The Smart Pillar, which has been developed by Scotscape and Greenwich University, takes the concept of ‘vertical greening’, as seen on living walls, one step further.
Rain can fall through a cut-out in the concave roof of this London house extension by Tonkin Liu, animating a shallow pool of water beneath.
The lobby and main entrance of the St. Charles Methodist Church in St. Charles, Missouri looks out over a small flat roof area, below. Like many white membrane roof owners, they quickly learned how fast they can get ugly.
As this roof is highly visible to every visitor, they turned to Green Roof Blocks to it spruce up last summer 2019.
AMSTERDAM SHOWS CC RESILIENCE
MVRDV has revealed a renovation scheme for the Tripolis office complex in Amsterdam, originally designed by Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck. Entitled Tripolis Park, the proposal that will accommodate the offices of Uber, will also enlarge part of the existing space, add an office block and a new park.
Sea levels are rising around the world, but as they rise, Bangkok is sinking. The low-lying megacity, built on marshland, is also now so covered in concrete that during heavy rains—the type of storms that are becoming more common because of climate change—streets can quickly flood.