World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024

https://lnkd.in/gZq2rMaq The team at Design for Nature would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and New Year! Check out our latest newsletter which has links to all sorts of nature-based solutions tools, articles and videos from the World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024!

Thank You for Supporting WGIC2024! What an incredible journey it has been hosting the World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024 with the The University of Auckland! We want to extend our deepest thanks to everyone involved for making it such a great success. The energy doesn’t stop here! Keep up with Design for Nature and our next exciting projects by following us at Design for Nature.earth. We’ll be sharing congress videos, proceedings, and updates on what we do next. Thank you for your continued support, and let’s keep the momentum going!

🏅 🌿 The WGIN Awards 2024 for best #greeninfrastructure practices were presented at the World Green Infrastructure Congress #WGIC24 in Auckland, New Zealand. 🔎 Take a look and find more information about the winners and honorable mentions across the six different categories here 👉 bit.ly/3ZtEDwp

World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024 ! Thank you Zoë Avery and team. The conference was an inspiration. I especially enjoyed māori and indigenous perspectives from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Eamon Nathan and Julia Watson (to name a few) and a no nonsense account of the impacts of increasing urban intensity at the expense of valuable green spaces in our communities from the Rt Hon Simon Upton. A great presentation from GHD's Australian Future Communities Lead, Michelle Cramer on planning for the future with an intergenerational perspective and I also particularly enjoyed the opportunity to share my passion about the wide range of benefits offered by green infrastructure in our urban environments through my presentation - "Building resilient and thriving communities - Let nature be our inspiration". To top it off - an award win for GHD's own Taralla Creek project in the Green Neighbourhood Scale and On-Grade Projects category ! Really keen to see the continued growth in green infrastructure solutions as part of our response to urban growth and water management and to be a part of the process. #naturebasedsolutions,#sustainable, #communities, #greeninfrastruture, #stormwatermanagement

Ko au ko te taiao, ko te taiao ko au. I am the environment and the environment is me. A strong start to day one of the #WorldGreenInfrastructureCongress Kia ora to Ngāti Whātua - thank you for the welcome. Privileged to hear from Merv Makoare and to hear him share the history of the gift of land and the Bastion Point resistance. Merv has set a tone of peaceful discussion and perseverance to right and oppose environmental wrongs. We need to fight silos, to koreo, and build relationships for the sake of the whenua - the land. Ngāti Whātua have been doing Green Infrastructure for generations. We need to know the history of the whenua and talk to the First Nations. Kia ora Merv, thank you so much for your koreo.

💫🌳My cup is fulleth up! 🌎🌿 The line up of keynote speakers for the first day of the World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024 in Tāmaki Makaurau was world class and did Aotearoa proud! Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei -on whose land we were hosted-talked to the impacts of decisions made without, having left them -our largest urban iwi- ‘surrounded by pollution’ (water, air, light, pests, rubbish). The vital importance of our natural systems, expressed as ‘kia tawhiwhi ki ngā atua’ (be entwined with the environment) must inform our mahi integrating green- blue- and brown infrastructure. Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson did a stellar effort of introducing the city and the multitude of council initiatives to create a ‘greener and greater city’- promoting, protecting and progressing green-nature based solutions at local/ daily and regional / monthly scales - nature based stormwater quantity and quality solutions, urban greening - rain gardens, trees, native birds and place making, active transport and blue green networks, coastal forest, dunes and cliffs adaptation - to name a few 🏆! Lyla June Johnston introduced indigenous teaching and stewardship of historically managing North America as one massive garden for sustainable and regenerative agriculture. End user sir Ashley Bloomfield KNZM CMInstD talked of ‘the mind blowing benefits of the natural environment on health and wellbeing and healing. Rob Stokes passionately talked to experience and contradictions of urban growth seperated from the natural environment. Then PCE Simon Upton talked to the realities of policy aimed at providing green space in urban developments. (Complete with image of My Tree that I pat and talk to each day on my way to work🤩). The real- not keynote- Julia Watson got her data geek speak on and explained their investigations of evapotranspiration from different stormwater approaches! Sure was the most fantastic work related day I’ve had in a long while. ⏩️ The keynotes and main auditorium have been recorded- recommended watching when the are available. The commute through the muddy bush filled gullies of Pukekawa / Auckland Domain in the spring sunshine set the scene perfectly 🌳🐦🪵🐛

The World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024 was in town this week and attended by 200+ Green Infra professionals . Thanks to the organisers for bringing this to #Aotearoa. My take aways : - The layman's definition of #GreenInfrastructure : delivers the infrastructure outcome (like flood management, erosion prevention, stormwater treatment ..) but with additional benefits such as health, wellbeing, aesthetics, biodiversity, carbon sequestrations etc.. - In NZ , we have experts who have worked on Nature Based Solutions (#NBS) and Green Infrastructure projects for 20+ years but we are nowhere near where we could be as a nation - Several NZ councils have Policy settings, strategies and targets for Green infra outcomes, such as : 30% tree canopy target for Auckland; Auckland Council prioritising Green Infra solutions for the $295 Billion (yes you read that right 💲😯💲) 30 year pipeline of Infra Capex and Opex work; Urban Ngahere (forest) strategies ; Green & blue corridor strategies , etc - A lot of the modelling work has been done : Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities have modelled how they can meet the Auckland 30% canopy targets ; urban heat modelling has been done for Auckland ; carbon sequestration benefits of different NBS has been done to show how they can help with carbon mitigation targets; Auckland Transport have looked at applying #TNFD to the Transport asset - Indigenous and community partnerships is key to enable successful outcomes . Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei coined a new term "Green, Blue, Brown infrastructure". Another speaker talked about being "early adopter of AI" (= Ancestral Insights) - Lyla June Johnston spoke from the heart about ancestral Native American connections to land and early versions of Green Infra. Recommend looking her up on Youtube - My personal favourite : Hugh Nicholson presented on Regeneration of the Chch Red Zone As NZ practitioners , we should leverage the momentum of the Congress to collectively shift the dial from here : - #Data is a big gap in NZ to show ROI of Green Infra solutions to Policy makers, budget owners and engineers. - Strong and clear Regulations are needed from Central and local Govt . Paraphrasing Simon Upton : the solutions are there - it comes down to our values and will. - As ever, #storytelling needs to be stronger for convincing all stakeholders on the incredible benefits of Green Infra Greer O'Donnell Adrien BOUZONVILLE Jenny Chilcott Sophia Olo-Whaanga Matthew Blaikie Howell Davies Cathy Bebelman Zoë Avery Katie Corner Justine Bennett Some additional links in the comments 👇

Hosting the World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024 is an important milestone for Aotearoa – and Outside In is delighted to be involved. One of our experts, David Frew, is joining the inspiring speaker line-up. He’ll share how sustainable gardening can help New Zealand retailers create a sense of place and engage communities, using Sylvia Park's sustainability initiative as a case study. We know you'll enjoy hearing a few of the heart-warming stories from the young gardeners involved in this project. At Outside In, we’re proud to have helped transform pivotal commercial spaces over the past 10 years. From workspaces to green walls, our team see first-hand how nature can transform built environments and enhance people’s lives. This event brings together global leaders in green infrastructure. We're excited to contribute to the conversation and see the opportunities that will emerge. https://www.wgic2024.org/ #WGIC2024 #greeninfrastructure #sustainability #greencities #sylviapark #outsideinnz

🌿 Reflecting on the Success of the World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024 🌿 We intended for the congress to be a catalyst for change, and the feedback we are receiving, the connections made, and collaborations started lead us to believe it was a resounding success.   The whakataukī unfolded just as we had envisioned, with indigenous thought leaders enriching our collective understanding. The feedback from many resonated deeply with the sentiment: 'Ko au ko te taiao, ko te taiao ko au' – 'I am the environment, and the environment is me.'   Dr. Lyla June Johnston shifted our perspective, helping us realise that we are, in fact, a keystone species capable of fostering immense abundance and biodiversity on the planet. The challenge lies in rethinking some of our current processes and goals. We’ve achieved this balance before with indigenous wisdom, and for thousands of years, it's time we do it again.   Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson’s call to “go greener, faster” resonated deeply, underscoring the urgency of adapting Auckland’s infrastructure to face the increasing challenges posed by climate change. Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton’s insights on the loss of urban green spaces were a wake-up call. His research reinforced the need for data-driven policies to protect and expand these critical ecosystems, which provide essential services. Rob Stokes, Chair of Net Zero Australia, cautioned against compromising environmental standards in response to the housing crisis, leading to what he called “lazy subdivisions.” He emphasized the need for more thoughtful and sustainable land use, warning that the urgency of the crisis should not justify neglecting environmental and social considerations. Author and scholar Julia Watson introduced her concept of Lo-TEK ("local traditional ecological knowledge") at the congress. Lo-TEK draws on Indigenous, ancestral technologies that have sustained communities for thousands of years by harmonizing with nature, in contrast to Western approaches focused on extraction and consumption. Julia outlined five principles—living, co-evolutionary, co-energetic, symbiotic, and cyclical. The congress included a reflection on the link between green infrastructure and public health, led by Sir Ashley Bloomfield KNZM CMInstD, who shared insights to wellbeing benefits of nature. As cities evolve, they must foster not only environmental resilience but also social and public health equity. During a panel discussion led by former PM Helen Clark, visiting US speaker and human ecologist Dr. Lyla June Johnston emphasized the need to view urban green spaces not only as beneficial for people but also as opportunities for humans to give back and support the well-being of Mother Nature. Lyla questioned: “How can we design ourselves and our systems to be regenerative and nourishing to Mother Nature?” Huge thanks to all the speakers, participants, and sponsors for making this world congress such a success!

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater has thanked all who contributed to the World Green Infrastructure Congress 2024’s success over the past two days. “The Congress has been an important event for Auckland to connect with global experts and examine nature-based solutions to create sustainable urban environments. Congratulations to Creative Arts and Industries, the University of Auckland for its vision and organisation, and its supporters who helped make it happen." Among those to share wisdom today were Professor Reid Coffman (Kent State University, US) who Zoomed in to talk tactics to help with seed dispersal into living architecture. Julia Watson, an Australian academic and author living in the US, discussed her Lo-TEK work (local and Indigenous ecological knowledge), with examples like the Khasi living root bridges in Meghalaya, India, to show how ancient technologies can address modern climate challenges. Eamon Nathan from Reconnecting Northland talked about Māori principles as a solution to biodiversity, climate resilience and value-based regenerative local economies. Later, Professor Margaret Stanley (Faculty of Science) said efforts to improve the environment could cause harm if they failed to account for local conditions or prioritise native species. Dusty Gedge, a UK expert in green roofs and living walls, also provided tips for planting in general, but wasn’t tied to native species. “And topsoil is depressing,” he announced. “When the drought comes, as it will, everything will die. You are better off getting nutrients out, keeping plants dry and stressed, and allowing them to adapt for climate change.” On 5 September, many attendees will travel around Tāmaki Makaurau to look at the city's examples of green infrastructure solutions. It's been a big few days for event champion Zoë Avery!