Urban surveys in central London
We will be making a series of recommendations to create new habitats such as green walls, green roofs and rain gardens in central London. Read more in Ben’s article to be published in Sustain Magazine next week.
The Ecology Consultancy and the Green Roof Consultancy has undertaken an audit of Green Infrastructure on behalf of Hammersmith London Business Improvement District (BID) and will provide recommendations for enhancing urban greenspace. This is part of a London-wide initiative covering ten BIDs taking part in the Greater London Authority (GLA) ‘Drain London’ project.
This work, to be led by Ben Kimpton, will consider all elements that form the network of natural and semi-natural spaces in these districts. The long-term aim of the project is to increase the quality and quantity of green space and enable climate change adaptation, by increasing vegetated cover in the Central Activity Zone by 5% by 2030, in line with the London Plan. We will examine the contribution of trees to the urban landscape and their vital role in reducing the effects of storm water flooding, providing wildlife habitat and green corridors, minimising the urban heat island phenomena and improving the environment for residents, business and visitors.
The Ecology Consultancy is able to offer state of the art GIS services for such projects. A digital map created by the company Bluesky Ltd, called ProximiTREE, marked the exact location of public and private realm trees identified from aerial photographs, and includes measurements of tree height and canopy extent. The maps complimented data already held by project partners Southwark Borough Council and the Greater London Authority. These, and our own data collected during field surveys, were processed using in-house ArcView Geographical Information System (GIS).
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