Green infrastructure is a liberal buzzword, which often receives a positive response from environmentalists. According to Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition, “green infrastructure is defined as the natural vegetative systems and green technologies that collectively provide society with a multitude of economic, environmental and social benefits”. A simpler definition,  according to American Rivers, is “green infrastructure is an approach to water management that protects, restores, or mimics the natural water cycle. Green infrastructure is effective, economical, and enhances community safety and quality of life”. Green infrastructure is a concept which is springing up in major cities throughout the western world and it is becoming a major urban planning trope. 

Main components of green infrastructure include storm water management, climate adaptation, reduced heat stress, biodiversity, food production, better air quality, sustainable energy production, clean water, and healthy soil. Additionally, green infrastructure allows the citizens of a city or an urban center to become immersed in the natural entities that has been incorporated into their urban design. 

An accessible and manageable example of green infrastructure is the concept of a green roof. A green roof, academically known as vegetative roof or even living roof, is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier, drainage, and irrigation systems. Green roofs can reduce energy consumption for cooling because the vegetation on the roof absorbs the energy of the sun, rather than it being absorbed in the roofing tiles. Additionally, having a green roof prevents the roof from corrosion, and damage related to rainwater or extreme flooding.

Another prime example of green infrastructure is the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), the world’s only fully functional organic sewage management system. This is a large scale green infrastructure project located in one of the most densely populated areas of the world. The East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) processes waste from more than 5 million of Kolkata’s residents on a daily basis. The wetland provides a natural processing environment for the biological waste produced by humans. Additionally, the wetland sustains the harvesting of 10,000 tons of fish on a yearly basis. The process of bioremediation cleans the city’s wastewater in less than 20 days. After this, the purified, nutrient rich water is channeled into ponds, called bheries in local areas, where algae and fish thrive. Furthermore, the water in bheries is used to grow 40% to 50% of Kolkata’s market vegetables throughout the year without using additional resources such as fertilizers, pesticides, and chemical treatments. Finally, this wetland provides a natural flood defence for the low-lying city of Kolkata by absorbing the excess water, and diverting it through channels or waterways.

There are many ways to design, implement, and construct green infrastructure around the world. Some designs or ideas such as wetlands used as sewer systems might be suitable for one place, but not for another. The liberal government in Canada has created a minor framework of green infrastructure, which allows for the increase construction of transit systems, and increases monitoring of water systems. 

Transit systems in a large city do not appear to be green infrastructure because they are not surrounded by natural entities such as plants. Transit systems do not incorporate nor profit from natural entities such as fish or vegetation growth. An LRT does not run on human waste and the LRT tracks are not made out of living organisms.  However, a transit system is an integral part of a green infrastructure plan because the transit system aids the massive reduction of greenhouse gases by reducing, and ideally, eliminating the utilization of automobiles. Another reason why transit systems are considered green infrastructure is because transit systems reduce the construction of massive roadway systems in order to accommodate an ever increasing car culture. 

Finally, the biggest and most vital component of green infrastructure is water systems which transport, move, absorb, and accommodate large quantities of water. These systems usually accommodate massive amounts of water due to flooding, human waste, and climate change. Water system can be humanmade or natural such as sewer systems or waste processing plants are manmade.

Yet, wetlands are a perfect example of water systems which occur in nature. The issue with natural water systems is that they do not go well with development, as natural water systems are destroyed in order to construct buildings, condominiums or houses. This increases the chances of an area being flooded, and remain flooded for a large amount of time. Additionally, if natural water systems are destroyed or paved over it causes the surrounding area to be flooded as well for long periods of time. A perfect example of symbiosis between nature and humans is the East Kolkata Wetlands, which is designed and preserved for the purpose of waste water treatment. Additionally, this wetland becomes a perfect place for fish harvesting, farmland, and a pristine natural habitat because the local community was able to benefit from this wetland. 

In conclusion, the true purpose of green infrastructure is to create harmony between natural and urban entities as urbanization, and suburbanization, increases throughout world. As an increasing amount of people move from rural to urban places in a couple of decades, we as a society need to incorporate green infastructure into urban planning in order to create environmentally friendly cities. Green infrastructure is one of the biggest weapons we have in order to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

By Abdeali Saherwala

Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.