The B.Green Handbook: how to promote green infrastructure in urban areas

The handbook introduces digital and participatory tools as solutions that can help planners overcome some of the major challenges when planning green infrastructure. These tools are presented holistically in the context of the planning process. 

The B.Green handbook is set up to provide multiple topics as entry points: climate resilience, planning challenges, digital tools, participatory methods and planning phases. Each section contains basic information linking the specific topic with the issue of the planning of green infrastructure in an urban context. 

The challenges presented have been identified in the scientific literature and experienced in the two pilot cities. The case studies and examples highlight the specific processes, methods and tools that have been used successfully across the different phases. 

B.Green project: green infrastructure solutions for northern climate

The B.Green Handbook was developed and published during the B.Green project which sought new green infrastructure solutions suitable for northern climate – and particularly for the Baltic Sea region. The project also mapped out digital tools that enable planning and implementation of these solutions.

 B.Green project launched several open calls with different themes and consequently piloted various green infrastructure solutions in close co-operation with residents and experts in Helsinki as well in Tallinn.

The material in the handbooks has been developed by the two capital cities – Helsinki and Tallinn – in the B.Green project and supplemented with experiences from various cities in the Central Baltic region. 

The B.Green project was running from 1.2.2020 to 31.12.2022 and it was coordinated by Forum Virium Helsinki. The project partners were the City of Helsinki, City of Tallinn, and the Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Center (SEI Tallinn). The project was funded by the Interreg Central Baltic Programme which supports international development projects between Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Sweden.

The B.Green Handbooks is available in Finnish, English and Estonian.