Ten ways to make UK cities greener

Cities across the UK have an opportunity to unlock immediate benefits by investing in ten types of green infrastructure, most of these involving energy generation or efficiency, according to a report from the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB). The report: Smarter, greener cities: ten ways to modernise and improve UK urban infrastructure lists ten technologies that are already being used in at least one UK town or city and have the capability to be rolled-out immediately and at scale across the country.

Technologies featured include anaerobic digestion, district heating networks, LED streetlighting, combined heat and power schemes, low carbon transport and building energy efficiency. UK cities already making use of some of these infrastructure solutions include Aberdeen, Birmingham, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Reading, and Sheffield.

Nearly all of UK cities and urban areas are growing in population, says the GIB, causing greater demand on transport, energy, water, waste, and building infrastructure. Investing in new green energy infrastructure will also help cities and the wider UK to meet its environmental commitments by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, cutting the amount of waste sent to landfill, recycling more, and increasing the amount of renewable energy produced by cities. 

The GIB was established to help finance this type of green infrastructure investment, and to find innovative solutions to make sure developers have the upfront capital required to finance them.