The Climate-Proofing Social Housing Landscapes project sought to deliver a holistic package of climate change adaptation solutions in three social housing estates within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Through the project, various highly effective, affordable and socially acceptable green and blue infrastructure interventions have been implemented in all three estates. The aim was to improve the overall quality of these urban environments, addressing climate threats such as flood risk, water scarcity and overheating, and wider contributors to local environmental quality such as biodiversity, air quality and water quality. The implemented measures are light-engineering solutions, including small basins, rain gardens, and green roofs. Soft landscaping elements have been implemented through accredited apprenticeship and employment programmes for local people as part of Groundwork London’s Green Teams, many of whom have been out of work for long periods of time, therefore creating local jobs. Hard landscaping elements have been delivered by externally appointed contractors. In this way, different mechanisms for resourcing the delivery of adaptation measures have been demonstrated. Specific interventions at each site are as follows:
Queen Caroline Estate:
- Low-level green roofs
- Rain gardens
- Swales and basins
- Schotterasen (Austrian gravel lawn)
- Food growing beds
- Tree and shrub planting
Cyril Thatcher, Eric MacDonald and Richard Knight Houses:
- Residential and low-level green roofs
- Rain garden combined with tree pit
- Swale
- Food growing beds
- Tree and shrub planting
Cheeseman’s Terrace:
- Low-level green roof
- Rain gardens
- Grassy basins
- Permeable paving
- Shrub planting
- Resident planting/gardening areas
In order to raise awareness, promote the benefits of such measures, and ensure that they are properly managed, a series of training modules has been developed and delivered for housing professionals and grounds maintenance contractors, supporting them through the full process from planning through to procurement, implementation and maintenance.
Residents on the three estates have also been closely engaged throughout the project, raising their awareness of, and support for, the measures being implemented. As well as being informed of project progress through regular communications and events, they have also been actively involved in the design process and will continue to participate in the long-term maintenance of the installed measures. Residents on all three estates have been given the opportunity to become Sustainability Champions, with free training to equip them with the skills and understanding to manage their green space assets effectively. To support their on-going involvement in the initiative, residents have also been given training on the maintenance of certain measures, such as food growing beds. Some residents have also attended maintenance handover sessions with contractors so that they are informed of the maintenance activities that contractors are responsible for.
The project has sought to provide an evidence base that makes the business case for cross-cutting investment in green and blue infrastructure for social housing, by demonstrating its cost effectiveness and value for money through the environmental, social and economic benefits it offers. With this aim in mind, an evaluation methodology was established in order to monitor both the technical performance of the measures and their social and environmental value, with the University of East London appointed for the technical monitoring elements.
Through all of the above, the project aimed to develop a methodology that would be applicable and transferable to other housing estates, not only within the UK but also across Europe. Various resources have been developed in order to share learning from the project, including an Implementation Guide, training materials, a Layman’s Guide, project film and 360o virtual tour. These are available on the project’s dedicated website.