Green Infrastructure Areas for the Black Country (GIBC)

Overview
The Green Infrastructure Areas for the Black Country (GIBC) data identifies green infrastructure, green infrastructure function (or ecosystem service) and pinch point mapping for the Black Country area which includes Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley.
The analysis was carried out in two stages and as a result of this, four datasets were produced:
‘GIBC 01 - Typology & Functionality OS’
‘GIBC 02 – Pinch Points OS’
‘GIBC 03 – Pinch Points Consortium Housing’
‘GIBC 04 – Pinch Points Housing Land Availability’
First Stage Processing
Ordnance Survey data was used as the base layer for all the processing. The first process produced the ‘GIBC 01 - Typology & Functionality OS’ dataset. This dataset is then subsequently used as a basis for the production of the second, third and fourth datasets during the second stage.
In the first stage each OS polygon was assigned a green infrastructure category based on the SPADES project from the list below.  
Green Infrastructure Categories are:
Garden
Green corridor
Pocket park
Park or garden
Outdoor sports facility
Children’s play space
Youth area
Broadleaved woodland
Mixed woodland
Coniferous woodland
Natural and semi-natural open spaces
Pasture or meadow
Wetland
Watercourse
Fresh water body
Allotments
Orchard
Cemetery or churchyard
Open space around premises
Agricultural land
Road island/verge
Railway corridor
Abandoned, ruderal and derelict area
The OS polygon was then assigned “A function beneficial to people” dependent on the Green Infrastructure Category already assigned. The 26 categories that perform a “function beneficial to people” are:
Accessible water storage 
Carbon storage 
Community cohesion 
Connection with local environment 
Corridor for wildlife 
Culture 
Encouraging green travel 
Evaporative cooling 
Flow reduction through surface roughness 
Habitat for wildlife 
Heritage 
Inaccessible water storage 
Learning 
Local food production 
Pollination 
Pollutant removal from soil/water 
Providing jobs 
Recreation - private 
Recreation - public 
Recreation - public with restrictions 
Shading from the sun 
Trapping air pollutants 
Visual contribution to landscape character 
Water conveyance 
Water infiltration 
Water interception 
In its simplest form the process flow looks like this: 
OS base layer → assigned green infrastructure → assigned function
(Eg - OS polygon → coniferous woodland → shading from the sun)
The first dataset, ‘GIBC 01 - Typology & Functionality OS’, therefore shows the following:
The green infrastructure category
The function beneficial to people
Shows areas of greatest need for this function.
Shows areas whereby the function has been met.
Shows areas whereby the function has not been met.
Second Stage Processing
The second stage expands on the first by establishing which areas suffer from stress associated with investment in growth and redevelopment of land. These areas are known as ‘pinch points’. 
Wherever there is a high level of need for a particular function (identified in the first process), a potential ‘pinch point’ exists. 
The pinch point categories that have been identified are:
Air Quality Pinch
Culture Pinch
Flooding Pinch
Heat Stress Pinch
Heritage Pinch
Local Community Pinch
Mental Health Pinch
Nature Pinch
Physical Activity Pinch
Recreation Pinch
Sustainable Travel Pinch
The second dataset, ‘GIBC 02 – Pinch Points OS’, takes the analysis from the first stage process and using the Ordnance Survey data as a base layer, displays the ‘pinch points’ analysis results. 
The third dataset, ‘GIBC 03 – Pinch Points Consortium Housing’, takes the analysis from the first stage process and rather than using the OS as a base uses the Consortium Housing Site data instead to display ‘pinch points’.
The fourth dataset, ‘GIBC 04 – Pinch Points Housing Land Availability’, takes the analysis from the first stage process and rather than using the OS as a base used the Strategic Housing Land Availability data instead to display ‘pinch points’.
Conclusion
The ‘pinch point’ mapping can help identify particular areas of stress, which when used in conjunction with the green infrastructure and function mapping from the first stage process can be used to help alleviate those stresses. Attribution statement: © The Black Country Consortium 2017, reproduced with the permission of The Black Country Consortium, © Crown Copyright and database rights 2017. Ordnance Survey licence number 100046698.
© Centre for Ecology and Hydrology copyright 2017. 
© Department for Communities and Local Government. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2017.
© Ecorecord 2017, reproduced with the permission of Ecorecord. © Crown Copyright and database rights 2017. Ordnance Survey licence numbers 100022021 and 100019566.
© Dudley Metropolitan Council 2017, reproduced with the permission of The Black Country Consortium, © Crown Copyright and database rights 2017. Ordnance Survey licence number 100019566.
CC BY-NC 4.0 © EcoRecord, The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country and the Birmingham and Black Country Botanical Society 2017.
Contains Local Wildlife Sites data © Ecorecord 2017, reproduced with the permission of Ecorecord. © Crown Copyright and database rights 2017. Ordnance Survey licence numbers 100022021 and 100019566.
© Ecorecord copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2017.
© Environment Agency copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2017.
© Historic England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2017. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 6th February 2017. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from http://www.historicengland.org.uk. 
© Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2017.
© Natural England 2017, reproduced with the permission of Natural England, http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright/. © Crown Copyright and database rights 2017. Ordnance Survey licence number 100022021.
© Office for National Statistics copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2017.
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2017.
© Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council 2017, reproduced with the permission of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, © Crown Copyright and database rights 2017. Ordnance Survey licence number 100032119.
© Sustrans copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2017.
© University of Southampton copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2017.
© Walsall Council 2017, reproduced with the permission of Walsall Council, © Crown Copyright and database rights 2017. Ordnance Survey licence number 100019529.
© Wolverhampton Council 2017, reproduced with the permission of Wolverhampton Council, © Crown Copyright and database rights 2017. Ordnance Survey licence number 100019537.
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Tags: Habitats and biotopes, environment
Organization: Natural England