Green Infrastructure 2014 Group M - Case Study 4
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BLUE NETWORK
| Name | Blue Network of Birmingham | |
| Country | UNITED KINGDOM | |
| City | Birmingham | |
| Authors | Ilona Feklistova | |
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Rationale: Why is this case interesting?
Birmingham is a metropolitan district placed in West Midlands of England and is one of the most populous and densely built-up city in the Great Britain. Similarly to many other fast growing urban areas in the world Birmingham faces pressures from increase in population with its environmental and socioeconomic consequences. Along with that it goes through structural transformation where the service sector becomes the central for redevelopment of the city and regeneration of old industrial areas. Along with the number of abundant industrial buildings the wide spreading network of canals and railroad bear evidence of great industrial past when the city was called a "workshop of the World". These arteries were efficient transportation systems and catalytic for industrial past of the city. Today, partly abundant these widely spreading networks may have an essential value for improving green infrastructure especially due to their connection to rural areas. According to the report of local municipality Birmingham’s urban structure fails to fully respond to the demand of biodiversity, recreation and flood risk services, as well as mitigate effects of climate change. Thus I want to research if formal industrial infrastructure can increase the capacity of the city to create more resilient green network.
Author's perspective
I graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Landscape Architecture and I had proceeded my studies in Estonian University of Life Sciences. At the moment I am working on my Master thesis that is explores Identity of Urban Allotments. Birmingham is an unfamiliar place for me. I have moved to UK because of the internship and I am staying in small town - Welshpool that is 86 km from the formal 'industrial heart' of UK - city of Birmingham. The amazing canal system that was developed in UK for transportation is absolutely a new element for me in a cultural landscape. Thus I am interested to explore it cultural-historical aspects and understand its potential for green infrastructure.
Landscape and/or urban context of your case
- Biogeography, cultural features, overall character, history and dynamics
- Illustrations: maps; sketches; short descriptive analyses
- Geology
Plateau. The main Birmingham plateau can be subdivided into smaller units separated by rivers. North of the River Tame is the low Sutton Plateau. On its western edge a ridge runs from North to South where it rises up to the prominent landmark of Barr Beacon. The West Bromwich-Harborne plateau is a similar low plateau lying south of the River Tame, west of the River Rea. On the low eastern edge of this plateau was founded the tiny Anglo-Saxon settlement of Birmingham. To the south is the higher ground of the Sedgley-Northfield Ridge which marks part of the main English watershed. These plateaus overlie a mixture of sand and pebbles, made up of beds of quartzite bunter sandstone and pebbles derived from the sandstone.
South of the River Rea is the Clent-Lickey Ridge which includes some of the oldest rocks in this area dating back to the volcanic times of the Precambrian period.
Land on the sand and pebble beds was formerly heathland, long tough grasses with low bushes and a few small trees. Sandstone Ridge. The Birmingham Ridge runs north to south through Birmingham city centre. This is a strip of new red sandstone (Keuper sandstone) about a kilometre wide which was formed in dry hot desert conditions during the Triassic period. The ridge marks the eastern edge of the areas of harder rock to the west and the softer clays to the east. There are outcrops of sandstone that are exposed in some places. The eastern edge of the sandstone marks a geological faultline which was particularly important to the successful development of Birmingham. Water percolated through the porous sandstone until it met the impervious red clay. Along the faultline was a series of springs which gave ample supplies of water, a factor that was vital to the town's early industrial development. Red Clay. The main part of the Birmingham plateau is separated from the East Warwickshire plateau by the wide valley of the River Blythe. This river runs northwards from Shirley to join the River Tame, and the Tame itself joins the Trent north of Lichfield. The lower-lying Solihull Plateau largely south and west of Solihull town centre is made up of a red clay known as Mercia mudstone, formerly known as Keuper marl. The Rivers Cole and Blythe drain this area on which much of north-east, east and south-east Birmingham is built. The tiny grains of clay stick together when wet and water cannot pass through. Streams on clay land flood quickly and seriously when it rains, but not for long. This clay is good for making pots and tiles; there were many claypits and brick works in the area. Thousands of Victorian houses in Birmingham are built of bricks made from Birmingham clay. River Valleys. The gently sloping valleys of the Tame, the Rea and the Cole formed important barrier to travel until modern times. The upper Tame runs south-east from Wolverhampton and cuts the Birmingham Plateau in two from west to east. The courses of the rivers owe much to the melting of the glaciers of the last Ice Age. Both the middle Tame and the Rea were subject to flooding until the early years of the 20th century when they were deeply culverted. Along their courses alluvial deposits have created marshy but fertile land Glacial Drift. During the Ice Ages huge glaciers pushed millions of tonnes of sand, gravel and pebbles from Wales and from the north of Britain to the Midlands. Glacial drifts with different mixtures of sand and gravel, pebbles and clay are found in many places on top of other rocks. Where sand and gravel drifts are found on top of red clay, trees do not grow closely together.
Sand and gravel brought down by the glaciers was quarried commercially.Gravelly Hill is named after such deposits: there were a number of gravel pits near Salford Bridge.
- Illustrations
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Analytical drawings
- Please use analytical drawing for visualising the conflicts/potentials of your site
- Analytical Drawings
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Green Infrastructure benefits for this site
Look again at the multiple benefits of green infrastructure - what could be achieved in your site and which are most relevant?
Potential for multifunctionality
Green infrastructure has typically multiple functions. What could be achieved for your site in this respect?
Projective drawings
- How would you like this case to change in the near future? (in 1-2 years)
- you may add a short explanation here
- And how could it look like in 10-15 years?
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- Projective Drawings
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Summary and conclusion
- 100 words approx.
Image Gallery
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- Image Gallery
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References
http://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-d/digbeth/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Canal_Navigations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Birmingham#cite_note-240 http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/lifestyle/birmingham-city-council-bid-triple-6396846 www.birmingham.gov.uk/greenlivingspaces https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/canals-and-rivers/birmingham-canal-navigations http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/citycentrecanalcorridor https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?msa=0&mid=z8BscB1MtUUo.kusViGZdjOHg http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/greenlivingspaces
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