UK cities must respond to call of the wild to remain attractive
The improvement of nature and biodiversity should be at the heart of planning policies of UK cities if they are to remain desirable places for people to live and work UK REIT Landsec has concluded following recent research.
A survey revealed that 55% of people living and working in UK cities plan to leave them in the future and 33% will do so within the next ten years. Greater access to nature and green space was the main reason cited.
Landsec researchers polled 1,200 people across cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, and Cardiff. As well as access to more nature and green space, other reasons for wanting to depart the city included access to fresher air and a wish to be closer to family and friends.
The Covid-19 pandemic increased expectations of what cities should provide and lockdowns and economic downturn have caused many to rethink quality of life. Over half (53%) of respondents expect more to be done on such issues as air quality, affordable housing, and access to nature.
Landsec stated that the research underlines the importance of putting nature at the heart of urban developments with 94% of respondents placing at least some importance on access to nature and 39% citing green space, more trees, plants and wildlife, as the biggest priority for developers, just behind transport links (41%).
Furthermore, 84% believe their city should be doing more to prepare for climate change.
“Nature is not a luxury but a necessity for equitable, resilient and thriving cities,” said Landsec head of sustainability, Jennie Colville.
“To build the cities we need for the future, we must change our approach to urbanisation in a way that enables people and nature to co-exist, while creating jobs and fuelling economic growth. If cities don’t embrace this change, they risk losing out on valuable talent, growth, and vitality, while remaining vulnerable to the intensifying impacts of climate change.”
Landsec has launched a new nature strategy that aims to deliver a range of nature-led benefits across its urban spaces. The strategy has three core principles: Improving biodiversity; promoting health, wellbeing, and community engagement; creating nature-based solutions.
“Through our nature strategy, we’re taking a holistic approach to the way we design, develop, and manage our places to find the right solutions, ones that benefit the environment and communities, and reflect the full value of nature.”
The new strategy will go beyond current government guidelines, which requires developers to provide 10% biodiversity net gain (BNG) on all habitats within a development’s boundaries. For existing assets, Landsec has committed an additional 10% increase to its existing BNG targets and 20% for future developments with existing ‘greening’ and will develop two biodiversity units per hectare (2 unit/ha) for sites with ‘no greening’.
