Green infrastructure : incorporating plants and enhancing biodiversity in buildings and urban environments / John W. Dover.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dover, John (John W.), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

House plants in interior decoration.

Foliage plants.

Interior landscaping.

Physical Description:

vii, 337 pages : color illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2015.

Summary:

With more than half of the world's population now living in urban areas, it is vitally important that towns and cities are healthy places to live. The principal aim of this book is to synthesize the disparate literature on the use of vegetation in the built environment and its multifunctional benefits to humans. The author reviews issues such as: contact with wildlife and its immediate and long-term effects on psychological and physical wellbeing; the role of vegetation in removing health-damaging pollutants from the air; green roofs and green walls, which provide insulation, reduce energy use and decrease the carbon footprint of buildings; and structural vegetation such as street trees, providing shading and air circulation whilst also helping to stop flash-floods through surface drainage. Examples are used throughout to illustrate the practical use of vegetation to improve the urban environment and deliver ecosystem services. Whilst the underlying theme is the value of biodiversity, the emphasis is less on existing high-value green spaces (such as nature reserves, parks and gardens), than on the sealed surfaces of urban areas (building surfaces, roads, car parks, plazas, etc.). The book shows how these, and the spaces they encapsulate, can be modified to meet current and future environmental challenges including climate change. The value of existing green space is also covered to provide a comprehensive textbook of international relevance. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 What is green infrastructure? 1

1.1 Why green infrastructure? 1

1.2 Definitions of green infrastructure 2

1.3 Why should we want to 'green' buildings and reduce the amount of sealed surface in urban areas? 4

2 Benefits of green infrastructure 7

2.1 Introduction 7

2.2 Biodiversity value 9

2.3 Direct value to humans 14

2.4 Food production/urban agriculture 24

2.5 Transport (walking/cycling) 26

2.6 Economics/enhanced building values 28

2.7 Climate control/climate change proofing 30

2.8 Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) 40

2.9 Pollution control 48

2.10 Energy efficiency 62

2.11 Summary 63

3 Indoors 65

3.1 Why vegetation indoors? 65

3.2 Noise reduction 66

3.3 Plants and illness 67

3.4 General health and comfort - and the workplace 68

3.5 Air conditioning 72

3.6 Microbial load reduction 72

3.7 Air pollution 73

3.8 Indoor green walls 88

3.9 Summary 92

4 Permeable pavements 93

4.1 Introduction to permeable pavements 93

4.2 Permeable pavements and street trees 98

4.3 Microbiology of permeable pavements 98

4.4 Permeable pavements and the heat island effect 99

4.5 Front gardens 101

4.6 Alleys 103

4.7 Roads 104

4.8 Swales and strands 104

4.9 Summary 104

5 Green walls 107

5.1 Introduction 107

5.2 Types of green wall 111

5.3 Directly greened walls: rooted directly on the wall 117

5.4 Direct greening: surface climbers 124

5.5 Indirect greening of walls 125

5.6 Specific values of green walls 141

5.7 Summary 162

6 Green roofs 163

6.1 Introduction 163

6.2 Types of green roof 172

6.3 Structure of green roofs 176

6.4 Plants for green roofs 182

6.5 Ecosystem services (or benefits) delivered by green roofs 193

6.6 Whole-life cost analysis of installing green roofs 214

6.7 Summary 217

7 Street trees 219

7.1 Street trees and city greening 219

7.2 Trees and health and safety 221

7.3 The street environment 222

7.4 Street tree inventories 226

7.5 Which tree species is best? Selection criteria 229

7.6 Getting the most out of street trees 235

7.7 Aesthetics and food 235

7.8 Trees and shade 237

7.9 Trees and gaseous pollutants 240

7.10 Street trees and particulate pollution 246

7.11 Trees and heavy metals 251

7.12 Street trees and water 253

7.13 Street trees and biodiversity 253

7.14 Societal value 255

7.15 Summary 255

8 Policy, regulation and incentives 257

8.1 Public good vs Private good 257

8.2 Creating the environment for implementation 258

8.3 Summary 266.

Notes:

"Earthscan from Routledge".

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415521239

0415521238

9780415521246

0415521246

OCLC:

904420674

Publisher Number:

40025280534