Why creating wilder, more natural parks could unlock the future for our towns and cities

Last week, King Charles unveiled his plans to create a new biodiverse garden on his Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

Whilst the design of the garden is formal in composition, the planting design will include over 5,000 Yew tree hedging plants, lavender and thousands of herbaceous plants, with a focus on robust and hardy plants better suited to withstanding the impact of climate change and our changing weather patterns.

Creating a better, more sustainable world by enhancing the environment and finding solutions to tackle the climate emergency should be at the core of what we as Landscape Architects and Engineers should consider on every project.

As climate change becomes an ever-increasing threat, our urban streets, parks and buildings must find ways to adapt and become more resilient.

In Britain, we have a rich heritage of public parks and green spaces and they offer our communities access to fresh air and provide intrinsic environmental and recreation benefits.

But they could be so much more. We think they could serve an important ecological role in helping to enhance biodiversity and provide essential green and blue infrastructure for local communities and wildlife populations. By creating wilder, more natural parks with a greater variety of flora and fauna, our towns and cities can help promote climate resiliency as well as increase the quality of life for their communities.

The benefits of such projects go beyond climate resiliency; they also aid in reducing air pollution and noise levels, filtering water runoff from impermeable surfaces, increasing physical activity, providing food sources for humans and wildlife, as well as offering a refuge for native species to thrive. With climate change already having a major impact on many city parks, it is crucial that we start taking steps to create more appropriate green spaces now to ensure the longevity and expansion of these beneficial ecosystems.

Creating these parks of the future will require sustainable planning and management. This includes incorporating climate-resilient designs such as green and blue roofs and living walls; utilizing xeriscaping techniques to reduce water usage; creating habitats with diverse flora and fauna linked to extensive sustainable drainage networks, minimizing disruption from development activities; and ensuring that park users are respectful of the environment around them.

While these projects may be challenging to implement, the payoff is significant in terms of climate change mitigation, flood resilience, improved air and water quality, bio-diversity conservation and enhanced mental health.

The towns and cities of the future will need to prioritize green infrastructure investments and ensure these projects are effectively implemented. Only through careful planning and a commitment to climate resilience can we create wilder, more natural parks that can withstand the impacts of climate change. With this effort we can make sure our parks and open spaces continue to benefit our communities for generations to come.