Green Infrastructure and Green Grid

    Contains Options

Southampton’s designated sites and areas of open space are part of a network of green spaces which include private gardens. These range from larger areas such as Southampton Common containing a variety of habitats; the city’s greenways which provide green corridors for wildlife; to smaller local green spaces. They are linked together by informal areas such as verges along transport corridors, street trees and habitats including wildflower meadows. This green infrastructure forms an ecological and recreational Green Grid for the city.  

These spaces deliver ‘multi-functional’ benefits for the city’s diverse population including enhancing the quality of place and design, landscape, amenity, supporting attractive routes for active travel, health and wellbeing, disease control, biodiversity and nature conservation, air quality and flood risk management, urban cooling and creating space for allotments and community food growing (also reducing ‘food miles’). These benefits are also sometimes described as ecosystems services. Furthermore, many of these spaces are in areas of known or potential archaeological interest. 

The Green Grid comprises existing green spaces and corridors and strategic links with opportunities to create a greener environment to link homes with green spaces. Together these will deliver benefits for wildlife, improve access and create a healthier, more pleasant place to live.