Soil management and engineering for blue-green infrastructure

Goddard, M. A., Glanville, H. C., Comadran Casas, C. , Jorat, M. E., Manning, D. A.C., Prendergast-Miller, M. T., Stott, K. D., Washbourne, C.-L. and Wansbury, C. (2023) Soil management and engineering for blue-green infrastructure. In: Washbourne, C.-L. and Wansbury, C. (eds.) ICE Manual of Blue-Green Infrastructure. ICE Publishing, pp. 187-205. ISBN 9780727765437

Abstract

As urban areas continue to expand, the value of urban blue-green infrastructure (BGI) for increasing the social, environmental and economic sustainability of cities is increasingly recognised. However, there remains an inherent lack of knowledge and awareness around the fundamental contribution that soils make to the functioning of ecosystems within urban BGI. Urban landscapes are a nexus of environmental, engineered and socio-economic factors, which combine to create multifunctional spaces for people to live and work, all underpinned by the soil beneath us. In this chapter, we first outline the characteristics of urban soils and their importance for providing a range of beneficial ecosystem services, such as food production, flood mitigation, carbon storage and opportunities for recreation. We then highlight the key challenges and opportunities around the management and creation of soils within urban BGI. We conclude by emphasising the urgent need for better recognition of urban soils within planning policy and setting out a series of land-use specific management recommendations that will better enable urban soils to support the delivery of ecosystem services and, ultimately, enhance human health and wellbeing.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Additional Information: Hardback ISBN: 9780727765420.
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Comadran Casas, Dr Carla
• Authors: Goddard, M. A., Glanville, H. C., Comadran Casas, C., Jorat, M. E., Manning, D. A.C., Prendergast-Miller, M. T., Stott, K. D., Washbourne, C.-L., and Wansbury, C.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Infrastructure and Environment
• Publisher: ICE Publishing
• ISBN: 9780727765437

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