3 Reasons Why Green Spaces In Cities Are More Important Than Ever

1. By 2050, 68% of the global population will live in cities. That’s 2.5 billion more people than today. In Europe, three out of four of us already live in urban areas, and the consequences of that are becoming clear.
2. Researchers estimate that nine million people die every year as a direct result of air pollution. In London, two million people – of which 400,000 are children – are living in areas with toxic air.
3. Green spaces in cities mitigate the effects of pollution and can reduce a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, which refers to heat trapped in built-up areas.

“Dr Cecil Konijnendijk is a Professor of Urban Forestry at the University of British Colombia (UBC). He studies the role of nature and green spaces in cities and towns, and how we can use the natural world to make urban environments healthier and more liveable.”

‘Research shows really clearly that we need nature in our surroundings. We need trees in our streets, plants in our gardens and flowers on our balcony. We need nature as our neighbour all the time.

‘We have a responsibility as human beings to take care of nature in our cities. In return, the benefits to our health would be huge.’

For the full article, please click here.

How can green roofs help?

Perfect for retrofit projects, our M-Tray® modular green roof system offers the ideal solution to help increase the green spaces in built-up areas.

Some of the benefits include:

• They are perfect for hard-to-access areas such as single-storey extensions, working hotels and other commercial spaces which can make installing roll-out very challenging
• M-Trays® can be handballed into even the most awkward areas discreetly and with minimum mess
• Each M-Tray® module is 500 x 500mm and can be carried by one operative and therefore installed much faster than traditional roll-out
• Our modules are conveniently packaged, palletised and delivered to site

For more on the M-Tray®, please click here.