1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Sheffield
Region
Europe
Short description of the intervention
The Air Pollution Garden (APG) in the UK has been established at Sheffield Botanical Gardens through a collaboration between the three White Rose universities of Leeds, York and Sheffield. Typically an (APG) size is 6x8m and contains plants that are particularly sensitive to damage by pollutants like nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) present in the air. The project owners hope to raise public awareness of air pollution effects in a tangible manner and change people’s behaviours (ref1).
In 2017, the city council hosted AirFest to push this initiative further (ref 8), a ‘Phyto-sensor’ toolkit was created by the Citizen Sense research group at the University of London to help identify the best locations for Air Quality Gardens (ref 6) and published the Air Quality Annual Status report (ref 7). In 2020 the project is considered as completed, although there are several different other projects in planning.
Address

Clarkehouse Rd
Sheffield
S10 2LN
United Kingdom

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary
POINT (-1.497856 53.37349)
POINT (-1.494809 53.37108)
POINT (-1.497323 53.370965)
POINT (-1.500059 53.371462)
Total area
48.00m²
NBS area
48.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Public Greenspace Area
Website of the intervention
https://leaf.leeds.ac.uk/news/air-pollution-garden-launches/
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2015
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2016
End date of the intervention
unknown
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Goals of the intervention
1. To provide observations of air pollution effects on plants (ref 1).
2. RaiSE awareness and educate the public about air pollution and its effect on plants (ref 3).
3. The community vegetable garden will also address hunger issues along with the air pollution issue (ref 3).
4. The species have been specifically chosen due to their sensitivity to pollution, and as the levels of ozone in their immediate vicinity are high, the plants can act as a barometer for the levels of ozone contamination in the city, visually demonstrate the effects of pollution on plants (ref 1).
5. The air pollution park could be served as a blueprint to establish more air pollution gardens across the UK (ref 3).
Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
Plant health (ref 1).
Concentrations of dangerous pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) (ref 1).
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Environmental quality
Air quality improvement
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Social interaction
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Sustainable consumption
Sustainable production
Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Restore ecological connectivity
Public engagement
Implementation activities
The first-ever ‘air pollution garden’, the project was launched in Sheffield where children and students from local school helped to create the garden and surveyed existing plants for signs of pollution damage. Air Quality information packs, badges and notepads, were given to the children (ref 1)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Parks and urban forests
Botanical gardens
Community gardens and allotments
Community gardens
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
unknown
Vegetation Type
Shrubs
Trees
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unkown
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Regulating services
Air quality regulation
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Recreation
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Physical and experiential interactions with plants and animals
Social and community interactions
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Researchers/University
Citizens or community groups
Young people and children
Please specify other local relevant strategy
Sheffield City Council Air Aware Campaign
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Researchers, university
Citizens or community groups
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The UK’s first Air Pollution Garden has been established by the University of Sheffield, the University of York and the University of Leeds, together with the Air Aware team at Sheffield City Council. During the implementation of the project, local children and students were invited to observe the study as well as to help the researchers (ref 1).
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Researchers/university
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Public sector institution
Researchers/university
Citizens or community group
Land owners
No information found
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Dissemination of information and education
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Citizen science
Citizen monitoring and review
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
Sheffield City Region Green Infrastructure Strategy - The Green Infrastructure Strategy presents a new vision for South Yorkshire’s green network. It provides a framework for a programme to support local action, stimulate growth and create liveable, attractive and prosperous places . (ref 4)
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
Sheffield City Council’s Air Aware campaign (https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/pollution-nuisance/air-aware) (ref 2).
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
City specific green space strategy or plan
Other
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The project – a pilot in Sheffield – is in collaboration with the universities of Sheffield, York and Leeds and is funded by the White Rose Universities Consortium (ref 9).
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
Private Foundation/Trust
Please specify other source of funding
The project has been funded by the White Rose Collaboration Fund -under White Rose University Consortium – A strategic partnership between 3 of the UK’s leading research universities, Leeds, Sheffield and York.
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Business models
Green education model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Citizens / local communities
Type of innovation
Technological
Product innovation
Social
Governance innovation
Please specify technological innovation
The garden uses revolutionary technology to monitor ozone levels through its effect on plants in the plot. The species have been specifically chosen due to their sensitivity to pollution, and as the levels of ozone in their immediate vicinity increase, the leaves will visibly discolour. As a result, the plants can act as a barometer for the levels of ozone contamination in the city. The garden will visually demonstrate the effects of the invisible pollution on plants with discolouring of the leaves (ref 3).
Please specify social innovation
Visitors/citizens will be able to see the impact air pollution has in the plants’ leaves and read about the effects on human health in some explanatory signs in the garden (ref 2). The plot will also contain an information board offering visitors the chance to learn more about how plants absorb pollutants in the atmosphere (ref 3)
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is completely new without connections to previous initiative(s)
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
This is UK’s first Air Pollution Garden has been established at Sheffield Botanical Gardens (ref 1)
Replicability/Transferability
Ambiguous (e.g. multiple interpretations)
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
The researchers are hoping the garden, which has been funded by the White Rose University Consortium, will be used as a blueprint to establish more air pollution gardens across the UK in the near future. (ref 2)
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Reduced emissions
Environmental quality
Improved air quality
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Description of environmental benefits
The project identified the following expected impacts:
- Air quality improvement and studied through detection of the pollution level in the air and based on that pollutants measures (ref 1).
- Overall improvement the air quality of the neighbourhood (ref 1 & 2)
- Reduction of emissions from the vehicles and other sources (ref 9)
- Increase the green space in the city (ref 1& 2)
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Education
Increased support for education and scientific research
Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Description of social and cultural benefits
As the project involved local students and children for the implementation, the practical experience will make them aware of air pollution and its negative impact on nature as well as on human health (ref 9).
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Indicators
Measurement of air pollutants present in the air [such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3)] (ref 1)
Environmental, social and economic impacts
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
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Inclusive governance
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Social cohesion
Social interaction
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Enabling opportunities for physical activity
Improving physical health
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
Preservation of natural heritage
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Voluntary work opportunities
Please specify other method used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Air quality is monitored using scientific equipment at Devonshire Green in the centre of Sheffield (ref 5).
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
No information as of July 2020.
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
Collection of monitoring data continuously throughout the project to aid evaluation
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Measurements of biophysical aspects of the NBS (e.g. temperature, water flow)
Where can this data be accessed? Please include a link to a report or web-page.
https://leaf.leeds.ac.uk/projects/air-pollution-garden/
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
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
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Leaf - LEEDS university blog post
University of Sheffield website link
Press-Coverage-of-the-Project
Air Pollution Garden
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
SOUTH YORKSHIRE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY (188.01 KB) 188.01 KB
List of references
1. University of Leeds. (2016.) Air Pollution Garden Launches!. Accessed: http://leaf.leeds.ac.uk/air-pollution-garden-launches/ [Accessed 7 August 2020]
2. University of Sheffield. (2015). Engineering Researcher Awarded Grant to Create New Air Pollution Garden in Sheffield. Accessed:
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/engineering/news/garden-1.481567 (This webpage is no longer available)
3. Pollution solution. (2016). UK’s First ‘Air Pollution Garden’ Opens in Sheffield. Accessed https://www.pollutionsolutions-online.com/news/air-clean-up/16/breaking_news/uks_first_air_pollution_garden_opens_in_sheffield/39556 [Accessed 7 August 2020]
4. South Yorkshire. nd. Draft- Green Infrastructure Strategy Delivery Programme.
5. The University of Leeds. (2016.) Air Pollution Garden Accessed on July 15, 2020: https://leaf.leeds.ac.uk/projects/air-pollution-garden/ [Accessed 7 August 2020]
6. Environmental Monitoring Solutions, 2019. Air Quality Garden – Sheffield Botanical Gardens. Available at: <https://www.em-solutions.co.uk/insights/air-quality-garden-sheffield-botanical-gardens/> [Accessed 16 July 2020].
7. 2017. Air Quality Annual Status Report 2017. [online] Sheffield: Sheffield City Council. Available at: <https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/content/dam/sheffield/docs/pollution-and-nuisance/air-pollution/air-aware-campaign/Air%20Quality%20Annual%20Status%20Report%2020171.pdf> [Accessed 16 July 2020].
8. 2017. Air Quality Annual Status Report 2017. [online] Sheffield: Sheffield City Council. Available at: <https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/content/dam/sheffield/docs/pollution-and-nuisance/air-pollution/air-aware-campaign/Air%20Quality%20Annual%20Status%20Report%2020171.pdf> [Accessed 16 July 2020].
9. Sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk. 2016. What’S The Damage At UK’S First Air Quality Garden In Sheffield? | Sheffield Newsroom | Sheffield City Council. [online] Available at: <https://sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk/news/whats-the-damage-at-uks-first-air-quality-garden-in-sheffield/> [Accessed 7 August 2020].
Additional comments
no sources were available apart from news articles and blog posts from various university websites
Comments and notes
Additional insights
not documented as a project , it is a citizen involvement program and led by university researchers.
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/_89962292_airpollution1.jpg