Blue Green Dream
Blue Green Dream offers a new, eco-innovative paradigm for the planning, designing, operating and maintaining of urban water systems (blue assets) and urban vegetated areas (green infrastructure) not as separate systems, as is the case today, but as a synergistic network interlinked with urban ecosystem services.
Blue Green Research
Work is underway to develop Blue Green Solutions for achieving improvements in the following areas:
- Water Balance for Advanced Urban Flood and Drought Management
- Nutrient and Pollution Migration/Management
- Microclimate and Urban Heat Islands
- Energy Efficiency by Natural Processes and Resources
- Benefits of Plants and Landscaping
- Ecosystem Services’ Interactions
One of the project’s aims is to optimize harvesting and recycling of stormwater flows through blue green infrastructure, grey water from households, and to harmonize these resources with energy consumption, waste and food networks. Using Blue Green Solutions, cities can thus progress from being mere consumers of water, energy and food to become localized providers, making efficient use of limited water resources, and hence, increasing resilience of existing urban infrastructure to climate change. The project is quantifying the benefits of BG Solutions via its monitoring work at the BGD demo sites and developing tools.
The project’s multiple urban benefits
Enhanced resilience to droughts & floods
- Reduced water, air and noise pollution
- Mitigation of the urban heat island effect
- Increased amenity, human health & well being
- Reduced operational costs (lower energy & water bills)
- Enhanced biodiversity & urban agriculture
- Enhanced aesthetics, livability and property values
- Improved governance, reduced socio-economic problems and creation of innovative jobs
The combined effects of climate change and increased urbanization call for the integrated planning of new cities, and the retrofitting of existing urban areas. This project offers new ways of developing, testing and rolling out solutions, bridging the gap between R&D and wider business development.
Participating countries and networks
Germany, England, France, Netherlands
Blue Green Dream regional centers are also linked to various countries from outside the European Union.
