The current and escalating trend of “greening infrastructure” in urban environments is already creating new opportunities for job creation across a range of sectors, but with the main focus on provisioning services arising through the horticultural and associated industries. As we drive the market forward with the introduction of the BG synergy, a new wave of skills and equipment (hardware) will be required. One of the primary applications of the BG solutions and products will be the redevelopment and retrofitting of urban districts in order to make them more resilient for natural disasters and the negative impacts of climate changes, less vulnerable to flooding and drought, more energy efficient, better protected against noise and air pollution, with enriched biodiversity and simply healthier and more suitable human habitat.
The project will turn the existing barriers relating to non-adaptive or less adaptive urban areas into new business and job creation opportunities, by identifying solutions that can overcome these barriers using new skill sets and technologies. The lack of any real joined-up design and operation of urban water management systems with urban green spaces and parks, and the way these are integrated by urban planners is definitely one of the most significant barriers for implementation of BG solutions. BGD therefore focuses on ensuring that these technical, spatial and ecological issues are addressed in an integrated way. This integration will result in new BG products and technologies and asks for a new, integrative expertise, not yet available on the job market.
The demand for BG services will be in the following sectors: project development, urban reconstruction, urban planning & design, consultancy, auditing, monitoring, equipment and installation teams, service teams (maintenance), software and systems development, engineers, building trade, capacity building, communications and introduced BGD certification. That is why each work package will lead to market development and job creation.