BlueGreenDream Project Kick-Off Meeting 17/10/2012

BlueGreenDream is a new Climate KIC project

The BlueGreenDream Project kick-off took place in the Department, on Wednesday the 17th of October 2012. BlueGreenDream is a new Climate KIC project which explores the potential of "blue" (water related) and "green" (urban vegetation related) infrastructure as a means to support Urban Adaptation to Climate Change. The adverse effects of intensifying climate extremes (floods, droughts and extreme heat) combined with increasing urbanisation call for a new paradigm for efficient planning and management of the urban environment: one that maximizes ecosystem services, minimizes environmental footprint and increase the cities' adaptive capacity to changing climate, demographic and socio-economic conditions.

The new paradigm calls for rethinking existing ways of planning, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining urban water systems (blue assets) and urban vegetated areas (green assets), not as separate systems as is the case today, but in combination. The Blue Green Dream project will enhance the synergy of urban blue and green systems and provide effective, multifunctional Blue Green Solutions (BGS) to support urban adaptation to future climatic changes. Inter alia the project's multiple benefits include: increased amenity and urban health, enhanced resilience to drought and flood risk, reduced air pollution, noise and energy requirements, mitigation of extreme heat and urban heat island effects and enhancement of biodiversity and quality of life. Innovative paradigms, models, tools and methodologies will be created by sharing expertise between KIC academic research and consultancy partners from 4 countries. Jointly developed project deliverables will be tested and demonstrated in selected sites which will be established in Berlin, London, Paris and Rotterdam and, if feasible, several other places to demonstrate the benefits of blue - green infrastructure for both retrofit and new developments. Associated costs, equipment, policies and practical constraints and replication mechanisms at the national and international level will be identified. The kick off event was attended by more than 100 participants including water actors (incl. Veolia, Deltares and Alterra), architects (such as Grant Associates and the Mixer Festival organizers), as well as researchers from leading universities (incl. ENPC, KTH, Delft and TU Berlin) and major policy actors and associations (incl. the GLA and the RHS). For more information about the project and its impact on London, as well as on everyday College life, contact, Prof. C. Maksimovic (Civil and Environmental Engineering, c.maksimovic@imperial.ac.uk)