Aligning fragmented planning structures through a green infrastructure approach to urban development in the UK and USA

Globally green infrastructure (GI) planning has developed with alternative conceptual and implementation viewpoints. In the UK and USA this has led to the establishment of a dual narrative; one identifies a set of conceptual principles within the wider global GI debate, whilst the second focusses on localised interpretations of these principles within divergent delivery approaches. Such plurality adds a level of complexity to the development of GI policy and subsequent investments, which can be understood if both narratives are debated simultaneously. A number of factors have influenced this process; the most prominent being the dislocation between GI policies, practice and funding. This paper addresses this fragmentation proposing that a 'policy-implementation' gap exists within national and sub-national planning practice which limits the transferability of global principles into delivery. Therefore although the conceptual understanding of GI is grounded in the global literature, greater variability is evident in the application of these principles within localised (i.e. national, regional and sub-regional) planning. The paper extends this debate through a discussion of whether a consensus for the conceptual advancement and implementation of GI is a necessary aim of its development. It concludes that such plurality of understanding is both a positive and negative attributes of GI planning, highlighting the complexity of attempts to align global and local development narratives for GI.