New toolkits to support green infrastructure and transport interchange investments
October 15th, 2009
Item submitted by: Northamptonshire Chamber
East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has just launched two new toolkits designed to give support and guidance to public and private sector partners when investing in green infrastructure (gi) and transport interchange (ti) projects.
Green infrastructure describes public and private green space in inner urban areas or remote rural parts of the East Midlands. In an urban setting, the role of gi may be to compliment the built environment, and make it look an attractive area in which people want to live and work. In a rural location, it tends to be more closely linked to environmental concerns such as natural ecological systems and wildlife habitats.
A transport interchange describes the way that passengers move or connect within different modes of public or private transport – such as railway, bus or tram stations and taxi ranks.
The new toolkits are based on research carried out on behalf of emda and provide information, guidance and a framework to help potential investors capture the important economic benefits of investing in gi or ti projects.
Diana Gilhespy, Executive Director of Regeneration at emda, explained: “We commissioned this research as we were keen to understand how any investment in these areas could contribute more effectively to sustainable economic development.
“The findings showed that gi investments can bring significant economic value as well as other social and environmental benefits to both urban and rural communities.
“The ti research highlighted how investment in transport-related regeneration projects helps to enhance the image of an area, improve productivity amongst the local workforce and boost surrounding land and property values.”
The toolkits, aimed in particular at local authorities, sub-regional partners and commercial businesses, offer an essential reference source for teams delivering gi and ti projects. They explain the rationale for investment, assist with application and approval of funds and offer an implementation, evaluation and assessment framework to help with decision making.
Diana added: “Our toolkits provide a step by step guide for partners to refer to when justifying and assessing investment in green infrastructure or transport interchanges. They also outline how such projects can be monitored and evaluated to best assess their economic outputs. By making these toolkits widely available, we hope to raise awareness of how important it is to invest in these key areas to ensure a flourishing region in the future.”
If you would like to find out more about the new guides, please contact the Urban team at emda on 0115 9471747 or visit the links below:
Transport Interchange - http://www.emda.org.uk/transport/default.asp?nav=09
Green Infrastructure - http://www.emda.org.uk/environment/default.asp?nav=09
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