Creative Commons Image

London is famously green, filled with over 400 square gardens, 3000 parks, 8 million trees and thousands of front and rear domestic gardens. In our 'Greenery' category, we are collecting information on all these features as well building surfaces deliberately covered with plants, such as 'green roofs' and 'green walls'.

​

The integration of greenery and buildings is important for the city in many ways. Greenery is an established part of London's physical and cultural landscape. It adds beauty to a city, promotes physical and mental well-being, and provides habitats for flora and fauna. Many of London's parks and public gardens, and a number of the city's trees, are also protected for their exceptional historic, aesthetic or environmental value. 

​

Greenery also has a number of other roles in London. It acts as a climate moderator, improving thermal comfort within the city by providing shade, and reducing the build-up of heat and urban heat islands. It can also improve health, by reducing pollution and improving air quality through the production of oxygen, absorption of carbon dioxide and heavy metals, and by trapping dust particles. Grass or plant cover in front and back gardens (rather than concrete or other hard surfaces) can also reduce flooding, and green walls and roofs can improve the energy efficiency of buildings and thermal and acoustic insulation. We are grateful for any information you can add to our greenery subcategories. A list of useful links is also included below.