Exchanging knowledge on the multiple values of urban green infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa

Over half the world's population now lives in towns and cities, a proportion that is predicted to increase to approximately 70% by the middle of the century. The majority of this future urban expansion will occur in low-income regions, with Africa urbanising faster than any other continent. Over 1.2 billion Africans will be living in cities by 2050; equal to the entire current population of the continent. While cities can be centres of social and economic development, many challenges exist in how to manage their growth sustainably to ensure human well-being is prioritised and maximised.

One key measure which is increasingly recognised as essential in urban living is the provision of high quality, accessible urban green infrastructure. However, as cities expand, the maintenance or enhancement of ecosystem services is rarely considered in planning and development processes, leading to a loss of urban green infrastructure (the network of green spaces and other vegetated features within and surrounding a city). This is particularly so in situations where there is a lack of locally relevant evidence or capacity to promote the inclusion of the values and benefits of urban green infrastructure in local policy. This is despite the plethora of research studies, including many based on NERC science, which have demonstrated the important role urban green infrastructure plays in supporting the delivery of multiple ecosystem services, such as flood risk and temperature mitigation, pollution reduction, biological carbon storage, human health, good social relations, habitat for biodiversity and cultural/spiritual value. Equally, poorly managed or located urban green infrastructure can cause/augment negative aspects of ecosystem properties (sometimes referred to as 'disservices'), such as increasing disease or natural hazard risks.

Cities will have to take a central place in meeting the United Nation's "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and addressing many of its associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Relevant goals include Goal 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities", but also directly impacting on the whole suite of 17 goals. Getting the future management of urban green infrastructure right will play a positive part in reaching these goals and will be directly relevant to Goals 2, 3, 6, 13, 15 and 15 (Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Life Below Water and Life on Land).

By working with a suite of local academics and partners across a range of low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, this fellowship will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and consolidation of evidence on the multiple benefits of urban green infrastructure. It will do this with the aim of explicitly impacting policy and urban expansion decisions, with the intention of promoting equitable access to, and provision of, urban green infrastructure as one major pathway towards sustainable urbanisation in the Global South.