GREEN & BLUE INFRASTRUCTURE
THE RISE OF VERTICAL
GREENING
HOW LIVING WALLS CAN TRANSFORM OUR URBAN SPACES
Kirstin Monk at Growing Revolution Ltd looks at the benefits of integrating living walls into commercial and residential landscaping schemes .
The opportunity My most profound memory of lockdown last year isn ’ t of the restrictions and worries during that unsettling time . It is of the temporary redress of power we witnessed from man to nature , when we cleared the roads , stopped pumping such large quantities of CO2 emissions into the air and simply stayed indoors .
Almost overnight , nature ’ s presence intensified . As we decreased our footprint , nature ’ s drumbeat got louder , and it slowly reclaimed its place . We heard bird song . We saw jellyfish in Venice and goats in the deserted streets of Llandudno ! We observed our rivers and coastline change colour and we smelled the freshness in the air . For the first time ever , as a global collective , we witnessed the direct correlation between our own lifestyle and our impact on the planet .
The reality of the climate change emergency was also amplified as our relationship with the natural world was laid bare before us . We gained a greater awareness and appreciation of our symbiotic relationship with nature and its impact on our own wellbeing . And of course , we saw a huge surge of interest in gardening as a result .
It ’ s clear that nature should not be reserved for weekends and holidays . Its integration into our daily lives is fundamental . The landscaping industry and green infrastructure sector have an opportunity to harness this momentum and add real value in response to these questions :
74 www . landud . co . uk Follow us @ ludmagazine