Can DIY greening solutions transform your street and combat climate change?

Do-it-yourself (DIY) greening kits could help safeguard the country's most vulnerable communities from the impacts of a rapidly changing environment, according to a new project supported by UWE Bristol.

The project, DIY Greening Prescription for Climate Adaptation in Urban Streets (GP4Streets), is backed by £2 million from the Natural Environment Research Council. GP4Streets will provide tailored “greening prescriptions” for UK streets, offering communities practical solutions to adapt to local climate challenges.

At first, the GP4Streets project will equip neighbourhoods with monitoring tools to measure key environmental factors such as air quality, temperature, and water flow. Then, the community will be provided with DIY greening kits to implement in their environment. Over the project duration, sensors will track the benefits of greening efforts, such as planting trees and installing green walls, to help fine-tune climate adaptation strategies for UK streets.

Led by the University of Surrey, the project brings together experts from UWE Bristol and three other institutions - the University of Bath, the University of Sheffield, and Imperial College London. Nine local councils, charities, and industry partners are also on board to support the rollout and scaling up of these green solutions across UK towns and cities.

By partnering with councils, charities, and local groups in the South West and South East, GP4Streets will directly engage citizens, creating community leaders to champion these efforts. Workshops and user-friendly guidelines will support lasting change, helping more communities embrace climate-resilient solutions.

For UWE Bristol’s contribution to the project, Dr Issy Bray, Associate Professor in Public Health (Epidemiology), will lead research on the social, health and wellbeing impacts of street-level interventions, and co-lead the development of case studies in the West of England, and data collection from local communities. Danielle Sinnett, Professor in Sustainable Built Environments, will lead mapping of GBGI (Green Blue and Grey Infrastructure) in the West of England and DIY greening guides development, while co-leading investigation of street-level interventions' socio-economic impact, and the development of case studies and a decision-making tool for DIY solutions.

Dr Bray said: “We are delighted to be involved in this exciting project which builds on existing research at UWE Bristol and the University of Surrey. This approach to mitigating climate change will test a range of interventions targeted at households and streets, harnessing the power of change at the community level. UWE Bristol will play a strong role in ensuring that mental wellbeing is integral to assessment of climate change mitigation strategies, and that interventions are co-developed with local communities.”

Sarah Jackson, Green Infrastructure and Climate Resilience Manager at Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “The GP4Streets project will support Bath and North East Somerset Council's priorities to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies and improve health in our communities. We have a strategy to green our neighbourhoods, and this research will help us to optimise green infrastructure interventions for individual streets and identify where investment will have most impact.”

The University of Surrey’s Professor Prashant Kumar, principal investigator of the project, said: “Our country's most vulnerable need a step-change in how we adapt to volatile weather and transform built environments, like streets, where limited space restricts the scope for interventions. Working hand-in-hand with communities, charities, businesses, and local councils, we'll create tailored DIY greening solutions as a "prescription" for urban streets – from green walls to front and back gardens. With state-of-the-art monitoring, communities will see improvements in air quality, temperature, and biodiversity firsthand.”