Cities across Europe are committed to improving quality of life and working together to protect people, the environment and support sustainable growth. They recognise the need to create resilient, adaptable environment for citizens that are both practical and address future needs.

Practical solutions to demonstrate improved climate change adaptation solutions through blue-green infrastructure (BGI) in urban areas in combination with the mobilization of self-organizing capacity of communities can be implemented together to regenerate and create resilient urban network. Citizen participation as the main driver of the implementation process of climate change adaptation is highly innovative.

Bradford has potential to make quality GBI one of its defining characteristics. Doing so will help our economy to prosper, enable people to enjoy a greater quality of life, and further enhance and utilise our natural capital. Our vision is to expand GBI so that everybody in the District is within easy reach of outstanding and well used network of BGI.

The benefits of BGI go far beyond attractive environment. They include supporting good mental and physical health (e.g. by tackling obesity and diabetes); reducing the frequency and severity of floods; bringing diverse communities together; the economy by regenerating areas of need; providing a home for wildlife; acting on climate change and enriching the quality of lives. BGI adds value to new development, attracts tourism and investment, supports businesses, jobs and training and ensures the resilience of our assets and infrastructure.

BEGIN has successfully brought projects together and enabled council officers to successfully develop detailed projects, measure/evaluate their success and develop innovative ways of involving communities and groups in the design and delivery. This enables partners to really inject GBI into these projects, giving consistent and coherent approach. This has not been apparent in other projects