If ‘grey infrastructure’ is the built environment of roads, buildings and energy and waste service systems, then ‘green infrastructure’ is the nature in between. It is the natural environment that provides social, economic and environmental benefits.
Some Green Infrastructure is planned and designed – like public parks, street trees and sports pitches, whereas other types are more natural – rivers, woodlands and hedgerows.
Green Infrastructure exists in villages, towns and cities, and links these places to the wider countryside and also to Green Infrastructure in rural areas – like nature reserves and country parks.
Green Infrastructure provides a range of functions or services – places for wildlife, for people to relax and exercise, for food or fuel production, or for flood protection. Green Infrastructure can perform more than one service and often the services they provide are cheaper and more sustainable than man-made solutions. Green Infrastructure should be linked together in networks to provide the best benefits for people and wildlife.
Green Infrastructure should be seen not just as an amenity that is nice to have, but as a necessity that it is important to have.