TOOLS FOR PLANNING AND EVALUATING URBAN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE - BICESTER AND BEYOND

绿色基础设施(GI)是为人类和野生动物提供利益的自然、半自然和可管理的绿地和水景的网络。这包括林地、公园、花园、运动场、行道树、草地边缘、绿色屋顶、河流、池塘、湿地和可持续的城市排水系统。GI提供了一系列好处，包括防洪、碳储存、降温、过滤空气和水污染、娱乐空间和生物多样性的栖息地。对地理信息系统的益处进行了大量的学术研究，研究人员开发了各种各样的评估工具，但其中许多工具不适合更广泛的使用，也没有全面的指导来帮助用户选择和应用最好的工具来满足他们的需求。这给当地规划者带来了一个问题，他们面临着随着预算下降以及住房和基础设施增长对土地的需求而发展有效的GI网络的挑战。该项目是由负责规划比斯特市GI的切尔韦尔区议会的需求推动的。该镇的规模将在未来20年内翻一番，这将给已经被填充式开发所失去的现有GI带来压力，但也提供了在新开发项目中创造大片高质量GI的机会，其中包括英国在西北部比斯特的第一个生态城镇。委员会需要工具来帮助他们计划如何将现有的GI与新的GI和更广泛的农村地区联系起来，为野生动物和人们创建连接的网络，以及如何确保GI网络在最需要它们的地区提供广泛的好处。因此，牛津大学正在与森林研究合作，编制一个现有方法的工具箱，用于规划和评估GI，并制定清晰的循序渐进的指导，帮助用户选择和应用最好的工具来满足他们的需求。这些工具和指南将允许用户绘制和评估现有的地理信息，确定增加新的地理信息或增强现有地理信息的机会，并评估这些投资的好处。我们将与当地规划者合作，将这种方法应用于为比斯特制定GI计划，我们将在其他地方当局的潜在未来用户中测试工具和指导，以确保它能够更广泛地应用。通过使规划者、开发商和绿地经理能够评估新开发对GI的影响，并确定改善GI网络的目标明确、成本效益高的选项，我们预计我们的项目将在比斯特和其他地方产生重大影响。改进的规划可以最大限度地实现GI每个领域和整个网络所带来的好处。评估GI带来的好处可以帮助制定投资的商业理由，使更多的GI改进能够在实地实现。一个由精心设计的GI组成的高质量网络可以将一个地区转变为更具吸引力的生活、工作和投资场所。除了改善居民的健康、福祉和生活质量外，这还可以通过在维持GI或经营相关企业(S咖啡馆、户外健身班等)方面创造新的商业机会，促进就业和经济发展。通过提供防洪、遮阳和降温，GI还可以提供最具成本效益的方式来适应气候变化的影响。它还可以为社会参与、当地粮食生产和教育活动以及保护生物多样性提供机会。关键词：绿色基础设施；生态系统服务；生物多样性；空间规划；估值；连通性。持有者：切尔威尔区议会；生物区域；牛津郡议会；牛津郡地方企业伙伴关系；比斯特镇议会；野生牛津郡；野生动物信托基金；A2Dominion(比斯特生态城镇开发商)；生态系统知识网络；绿色基础设施伙伴关系；环境机构；南唐斯国家公园管理局；默西森林。

Green Infrastructure (GI) is the network of natural, semi-natural and managed green spaces and water features that provide benefits for people and wildlife. This includes woodlands, parks, gardens, playing fields, street trees, grass verges, green roofs, rivers, ponds, wetlands and sustainable urban drainage systems. GI offers a range of benefits, including flood protection, carbon storage, cooling, filtering of air and water pollution, space for recreation, and habitat for biodiversity. There is a wealth of academic research into the benefits of GI and a wide range of assessment tools have been developed by researchers, but many of these tools are not suitable for wider use, and there is no comprehensive guidance to help users choose and apply the best tools to meet their needs. This poses a problem for local planners, who face the challenge of developing effective networks of GI as budgets fall and demand for land for housing and infrastructure grows.This project is driven by the needs of Cherwell District Council, who are responsible for planning GI in Bicester. The town is set to double in size over the next 20 years, which will place pressure on existing GI - already being lost to infill development - but provides opportunities to create large areas of high-quality GI within the new developments, which include the UK's first eco-town in NW Bicester. The council needs tools to help them plan how to link existing GI with the new GI and the wider countryside, creating connected networks for wildlife and people, and how to ensure that the GI network delivers a wide range of benefits in the areas where they are most needed.The University of Oxford is therefore working with Forest Research to compile a toolbox of existing methods that can be used to plan and evaluate GI, and develop clear step-by-step guidance to help users select and apply the best tools to meet their needs. The tools and guidance will allow users to map and assess existing GI, identify opportunities for adding new GI or enhancing existing GI, and evaluate the benefits of these investments. We will work with local planners to apply this approach to developing a GI Plan for Bicester, and we will test the tools and guidance with potential future users in other local authorities to ensure that it can be applied more widely.By enabling planners, developers and green space managers to assess the impact of new developments on GI, and identify well-targeted cost-effective options for improving the GI network, we expect our project to have a significant impact in Bicester and beyond. Improved planning can maximise the benefits delivered by each area of GI and by the network as a whole. Valuation of the benefits delivered by GI can help to make the business case for investment, allowing more GI improvements to be delivered on the ground. A high quality network of well-designed GI can transform an area into a more attractive place to live, work and invest. As well as improving the health, wellbeing and quality of life of residents, this can boost jobs and economic development by creating new commercial opportunities in maintaining GI or running associated businesses (cafés, outdoor exercise classes etc). GI can also provide the most cost-effective way of adapting to climate change impacts by providing flood protection, shading and cooling. It can also provide opportunities for social engagement, local food production and educational activities, as well as protecting biodiversity.Keywords: Green infrastructure; ecosystem services; biodiversity; spatial planning; valuation; connectivity.Stakeholders: Cherwell District Council; Bioregional; Oxfordshire County Council; Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership; Bicester Town Council; Wild Oxfordshire; BBOWT (wildlife trust); A2Dominion (Bicester eco-town developer); Ecosystems Knowledge Network; Green Infrastructure Partnership; Environment Agency; South Downs National Park Authority; Mersey Forest.