Last updated: October 2021
In 2013, St Davids shopping centre, which has over 200 stores and restaurants (ref 5) completed the installation of a green roof, which included bird boxes and beehives and the centre is looking to expand its green roof further. The city shopping centre has become the home of a 60,000-strong colony of bees. A second green roof was developed in 2015 in the parking garage to expand educational programs (ref 4). School children from Cardiff were involved in the planting of seedlings to create pollinator habitats for bees, butterflies and other local wildlife around the ‘Hayes’ area (ref 3). The customers and local community, with the help of this project, have been taught about the value of adopting an eco-friendly approach to public space. (ref 1)
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Nature on buildings (external)
- Green roofs
- Balcony greens
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Other
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Green space creation and/or management
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Regulation of built environment
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Project objectives
1. Reduce the surface runoff volume
2. Thermal Performance - to significantly reduce the need for air-conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter.
3. Roof maintenance: minimum
4. Air quality improvements
5. Community education
6. Beehives creation (ref 1)
7. Make an effort to prevent the decline of the species in South Wales. (ref 2)
Implementation activities
1. The roof was designed to be simple and maintenance free. (ref 1)
2. 6 beehives hosting 60,000 bees were created (ref 3, ref 2) through the BEEWORLD project in partnership with the International Bee Research Association (ref 4).
3. Bird boxes were established on the rooftops.
4. Educational activities were established in partnership with RSPB and Pollen8 to teach children about pollinators and urban biodiversity.
5. 2700 trees were planted needs a reference (ref 3)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
- Implement green walls or roofs to lower indoor temperature and provide insulation
- Implement sustainable urban drainage infrastructure (e.g. to make space for water)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Restore valued species
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Private sector/Corporate/Company
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
St Davids shopping centre, owned by the real estate development company LandSecurities, completed the installation of a green roof (ref 1). The landscape design was done by Hyland, Edgar and David (ref 5). School children from Cardiff were involved in planting seedlings to create pollinator habitats. (ref 3) , the insects are part of St David’s BEEWORLD Project, a scheme set up in partnership with the International Bee Research Association in an effort to prevent the decline of the species in South Wales. (ref 2). Educational programming is conducted by RSPB and Pollen8 (ref 4). Another research partner is Cardiff University (ref 4).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
€50,000 - €100,000
Source(s) of funding
- Corporate investment
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Reduced emissions
- Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved stormwater management
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
- Enhanced support of pollination
Economic impacts
- Increase in GDP
- Reduce financial cost for urban management
- Attraction of business and investment
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved liveability
- Improved access to urban green space
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Revo-community. (No date). Green Roof St David’s, Cardiff. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on July 6 2020].
2. Bevan N. (2014). Cardiff's a great place to bee: Hives set up on St David's with 60,000-strong colony of bees. Wales online. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: July 6 2020].
3. Clarks. (2015). Children create a buzz at St. Davids Cardiff. [Website not available in 2020].
4. Sustain Wales. (2017). Sustainable Venues 2017. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on July 6 2020].
5. WalesOnline. (2011). Sky Gardens Unvveiled on Roof of St. David's Centre. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: July 6, 2020].
6. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research. (2020). Pollination is better in cities than in the countryside. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: July 6, 2020].
7. Cardiff Caerdydd. (2019). Cardiff Biodiversity and Resilience of Ecosystems Duty Forward Plan: City of Cardiff Council Green Infrastructure Plan. Cardiff: City of Cardiff. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: July 6, 2020].
8. European Sustainable Development Week. (2015). St. David’s Shopping Centre Signs the SD Charter. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: July 6, 2020].
2. Bevan N. (2014). Cardiff's a great place to bee: Hives set up on St David's with 60,000-strong colony of bees. Wales online. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: July 6 2020].
3. Clarks. (2015). Children create a buzz at St. Davids Cardiff. [Website not available in 2020].
4. Sustain Wales. (2017). Sustainable Venues 2017. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on July 6 2020].
5. WalesOnline. (2011). Sky Gardens Unvveiled on Roof of St. David's Centre. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: July 6, 2020].
6. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research. (2020). Pollination is better in cities than in the countryside. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: July 6, 2020].
7. Cardiff Caerdydd. (2019). Cardiff Biodiversity and Resilience of Ecosystems Duty Forward Plan: City of Cardiff Council Green Infrastructure Plan. Cardiff: City of Cardiff. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: July 6, 2020].
8. European Sustainable Development Week. (2015). St. David’s Shopping Centre Signs the SD Charter. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: July 6, 2020].