Birmingham City Council has signed up to full membership of the new global green cities group – the Biophilic Cities Network.Â
Making the announcement at the Institute of Chartered Foresters' recent Trees, People and the Built Environment (TPBE II) conference, the council’s climate change and sustainability manager Nick Grayson explained that the Biophilic Cities Network comprises eight ‘pioneer cities’, all of which are at various stages of a ‘transformative journey from 19th or 20th century cities to new global 21st century cities; measuring their future success on their local and global imprint, on ecosystems and well-being’.
‘One of the main purposes and principles of biophilic cities relates to equity – as the benefits of nature in cities are where people can easily access that natural environment,’ says Grayson. ‘By definition, therefore, Natural Health Improvement Zones [as set out in the LI position statement 'Public Health and Landscape'] become a delivery mechanism for a biophilic city – as they target areas of poor environmental quality, in centres of urban population that are being exposed to high levels of air pollution together with other compound factors, such as areas of higher than average health needs.'
