Using Green Infrastructure to Reduce Manchester’s Risk of Flooding and Heat Stress
The Challenge
Manchester is experiencing the combined effects of climate change and ongoing growth and urban development: surface water flooding has increased ten-fold since the 1950s, and the number of heat stress incidents has doubled over the same period. Without intervention, this trend is set to continue and accelerate as Manchester increasingly experiences the predicted effects of climate change: wetter and warmer winters, hotter and drier summers, and with more periods of extreme and unpredictable weather.
The Manchester Climate Change Strategy 2017-50 sets out the commitment to use ‘green infrastructure’, both existing and new, to reduce these impacts and the risks of impact over the short, medium and long-term. The term ‘green infrastructure’ (GI) describes all the city’s parks, gardens, green roofs, trees, grass verges, river valleys, and all other components of the natural environment that can be integrated as part of urban areas.
The use of GI in order to deliver the potential climate adaptation and resilience benefits outlined in Manchester’s climate change strategy is limited by a number of barriers. The Manchester Climathon 2017 will focus on one of these barriers: funding and resources, from delivery, through to long-term management and maintenance.
What Does the Climathon Involve?
Through a 1-day competition, teams will develop an area-specific but scalable Green Infrastructure project and investment strategy that enables the scheme to be delivered and managed over the long-term. Details of the proposed Manchester site for the project will be provided on the day of the competition.
The Event
What Manchester Climathon 2017: Using Green Infrastructure to Reduce Manchester’s Risk of Flooding and Heat Stress
When 9am to 5pm on Friday 27th October 2017. Lunch will be provided and the event will be followed by a celebratory drinks reception.
Who Students, entrepreneurs, big thinkers and technical experts
Why For a full day hackathon to create innovative solutions to Manchester’s challenges in the face of climate change
Where HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester, M15 4FN.
Organisers Manchester Climate Change Agency
Questions info@manchesterclimate.com
Climathon brings together the climate challenges faced by the world’s cities and the people who have the ability and the passion to solve them. Manchester’s students, start-ups, entrepreneurs, big thinkers and technical experts are being invited to take part in a Global climate change hackathon which will take place simultaneously in major cities around the world on 27 October 2017.
To register click the ‘Join this Climathon’ link above. We’re looking for teams of 3-6, but if you have more or fewer people get in touch and we’ll see what we can do. Only one person from each team needs to register the team with us.
manchester climate monthly 
Another pretend consultation. Last night discussing the TfGM consultation document about congestion which seems to lead one to giving the answers that TfGM (and Andy) want.
A lot of talk in this climate change document about flooding, yet despite a supposed 100% increase in gully cleaning equipment three years ago, I walk about today seeing pools of water everywhere and gullies completely blocked with grass and weeds growing on the blocked surfaces. We haven’t even had any intense rain ( a months rain in an hour) yet. God help us when we get it.