Mainstreaming green infrastructure: how to better use the green belt to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies in North East England

绿化带（GB）的最佳利用受到了公众和政策的广泛关注。一些人认为GB的目的只是为了防止城市蔓延，而另一些人则认为GB是通过谨慎和有选择性的GB发布来满足住房需求的潜在场所。另一个维度与绿色基础设施有关，强调其基于自然的解决方案的潜力。正是这个被隐藏和忽视的维度，是这个博士提案的基础。具体来说，就是如何使英国成为绿色基础设施网络的核心组成部分，从而提高其“环保生产力”。在这里，潜在的政策“钩”来自英国气候紧急情况、严重和持续的自然资本/生物多样性下降以及健康和福祉问题的汇合。这项工作建立在现有的NERC研究的基础上，该研究由斯科特负责将绿色基础设施主流化1，由沃尔什负责评估绿色基础设施和在城市中提供绿色基础设施的替代商业模式2，以及NEENP负责重新思考我们的城郊空间。该博士学位将主要在英格兰东北部工作，但可以在英国和全球范围内申请：-1。对全球绿化带政策和影响进行文献和政策回顾，特别是与环境创新的作用相关。对东北地区现有的和拟议的绿化带政策以及国家/国际政策和指导的影响进行政策评估。确定并准备英格兰东北部绿化带的自然资本评估，借鉴最新的方法并对这些方法进行批评（目前英国还没有对绿化带价值进行系统评估）。确定合适的土地用途和交付机制，以帮助应对气候、生物多样性和卫生紧急情况，并提供其他生态系统服务效益5。确定、保护和测试2-3个试点地区（包括基准数据和指标），以衡量进展情况，并在适当情况下建立一系列情景模型，例如洪水风险；林地cover6。提出新的绿化带政策和原则，展示如何更好地识别、捕捉和传递环境价值，以帮助应对气候、健康和生物多样性紧急情况

There is considerable public & policy attention around the optimal use for green belts (GB). This is polarised between those who see GB's purpose simply as preventing urban sprawl and those who see GB as potential sites to meet housing need through careful and selective GB releases. A further dimension relates to GB as green infrastructure, stressing its potential for nature-based solutions. It is this hidden and neglected dimension that this PhD proposal is built upon. Specifically, how GB can be made more "environmentally productive" as a core component of a green infrastructure network. Here potentialpolicy "hooks" arise from the convergence of the UK climate emergency, severe and ongoing natural capital/biodiversity declines and health and well-being concerns. This work builds on existing NERC research undertaken by Scott on mainstreaming green infrastructure1 and work by Walsh on valuing greeninfrastructure and alternative business models for delivering green infrastructure in cities2 and NEENP's work on rethinking our peri- urban spaces. This PhD will involve working primarily in North East England GB but with application across UK and globally to:-1. Undertake a literature and policy review of green belt policy and impacts globally with particularrelevance to the role of environmental innovation.2. Undertake a policy assessment of extant and proposed green belt policies across the North Eastarea and the impact of national/international policies and guidance.3. Identify and prepare a natural capital assessment of the north east England green belt, drawing uponthe latest approaches and providing a critique of these (currently no systematic assessment of green beltvalue has been undertaken in the UK)4. Identify suitable land uses and delivery mechanisms that can help address the climate andbiodiversity and health emergencies as well as deliver other ecosystem service benefits5. Identify, secure and test 2-3 pilot areas (including benchmark data and indicators) to measureprogress and, if appropriate, model a range of scenarios e.g. flood risk; woodland cover6. Propose new green belt policies and principles to show how environmental value can be betteridentified, captured and delivered to help respond to climate, health and biodiversity emergencies