Stakeholder awareness-raising of multi-value of Green Infrastructure through interactive games
About this good practice
PERFECT partners and stakeholders from the Netherlands and Austria also attended as part of peer networking.
New techniques for discussion and group working were used during this two-day event including a planning ‘game’, a challenge game, expert presentations and site visits. This mix of activities stimulated discussion and broke down professional barriers.
Day 1 examined how Cornwall Council and stakeholders plan, provide and manage GI; and Day 2 took place at the proposed West Carclaze Garden Village, with highway and drainage adoption teams, plus peer support from Austria and the Netherlands to help examine practical changes needed to the way that Cornwall plans, provides and adapts GI.
The GI game, developed by the TCPA, gets participants to lay out images of a typical town centre and consider how GI can affect, say, flooding, access, or mobility by adding/removing/moving cards to improve a local area. Challenge cards are sheets of simple questions and participants are allowed 5 minutes to call out their responses. This means that no single view or person dominates.
Both techniques are non-technical and can be used across a wide audience. They can be used separately but work better when used together
Expert opinion
Green infrastructure (GI) in urban areas supports biodiversity, pollinators, carbon sequestration, flood protection and protection against excessive heat. Green infrastructure is an important element in fulfilling EU legislation, especially in the areas of biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030 and the Climate Adaptation Strategy. This practice is an interesting example of using interactive games in engaging policy-makers and stakeholders from different backgrounds to think about the multiple benefits of green infrastructure and discuss possible GI uses and solutions in different policy areas. User-friendliness and adaptability for the local socio-economic and environmental context are essential characteristics of the technique. The good practice can be inspiring for other public bodies interested to raise awareness about green infrastructure and explore new solutions with policy-makers and communities.
Resources needed
Challenge Cards, UK Government (‘Change Cards’ in the toolkit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/open-policy-making-toolkit/low-cost-tools).
Resources needed to organise training, case studies; develop questions, facilitation and site visits.
Evidence of success
Potential for learning or transfer
The GI game has already been transferred successfully to PERFECT partners in Slovakia and Amsterdam, with Graz and Ljubljana interested to develop the cards to explore new GI concepts with politicians and communities.
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Cornwall Council