Paper Sample on Green Infrastructure for Sustainability in Tbilisi: A Review

Introduction

This research project sought to investigate is the successes and failures of green infrastructure development for city sustainability. A green environment is not among the top priorities for most emerging nations. However, it plays a considerable part in the formation of harmony between city needs and livelihoods. Green Infrastructure planning is a natural environmental management approach that entails the protection and restoration of the natural environment. It is a suitable technique that fosters safety in the community by enhancing the improved quality of life (Szalavetz, 2018).

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Green Infrastructure

Green infrastructure remains a pertinent issue in today’s life. Since the last two decades, governments across the world have been creating awareness on green infrastructure and inputting various measures to ensure that cities and towns look better and become more habitable. Climate change is a global issue that has affected all people across the globe. Climate change has been accelerated by the rising emissions from vehicles as well as industrial fumes (Tyabashe, 2018). As a result, policy makers have been keen on incorporating sustainability considerations into urban as well as industrial development. Social responsibility as well as sustainable development has, in the recent past, become increasingly essential strategies for companies and businesses in almost every industry. The major known roadmap towards sustainability in towns and cities is green infrastructure. In the recent past, green infrastructure has been used as a guiding principle on towards sustainable land use.

While the approach to green infrastructure is gaining emphasis each and every day, it still remains an elusive term. One of the major reasons for the elusivity is that it employs a broadness of scale. While the term can be used to address regional and national ecological networks, it can also be used in local storm water management projects (Tyabashe, 2018). Thus, one will need to clarify on what scale he or she is using the term green infrastructure. This makes it easier to understand as well as apply.

Green infrastructure can be understood from different approaches. These approaches include integration, multi-functionality, connectivity and multi-object approach. By integration, it means that Green Infrastructure Planning is supposed to consider making the urban centres greener and also integrate urban green with other urban infrastructures (Salata & Yiannakou, 2016). This includes infrastructure such as the transport infrastructures, built-up infrastructure and water management structures. For example, in an effort to ensure that the urban centre becomes habitable and improve its sustainability, air pollution will be one of the factors to consider. In addressing air pollution, it is not possible to ignore the transport infrastructure which is a major contributor to air pollution in urban centres.

In the multi-functionality approach, Green Infrastructure Planning takes cognizance of functions such as ecological, cultural, biotic and economic functions. The combination of all these functions is essential for the success of Green Infrastructure Planning and implementation in cities.

Techniques

Some of the techniques employed for strengthening green infrastructure include planting trees and restoring wetlands. Planting trees is an effective means of restoring the natural water cycle instead of temporary techniques such as building a costly water treatment plant. In addition to that, Szalavetz (2018) defines green infrastructure as the process involving natural means aimed at improving environmental conditions, which yield sustainability.

Conclusion

The research focused on the public spaces in Tbilisi, which is the capital of Georgia. The city’s municipality is actively working on improving its infrastructure and environment. Notably, the green infrastructure project of Tbilisi is an integration of existing and operational land use. Tbilisi, just like most cities in the world, is highly congested. The city lacks enough space that could be used to develop green infrastructure hence leaving the government with no option other than integrating the Green City Action Plan in the already existing space. The city does not intend to develop the green infrastructure on new land. The research investigated the successes and failures of the plans to integrate green infrastructure elements with the end goal of improving sustainability in the city.