IB-Green: Industrial and Business Parks, Climate Resilient and Fit for the Future.

Sandyford Green Infrastructure Project, a collaborative effort between Sandyford Business District and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, aims to transform 0.8 hectares of land into the Sandyford Business District Civic Park, strategically positioned at the junction of Corrig Road and Carmanhall Road. This undertaking not only seeks to enhance the overall quality of public spaces but also addresses heat stress within the business park area. It is noteworthy that this project is an integral part of the Interreg North-West Europe Programme (NWE) known as IB-Green

Project Overview:

Industrial and business parks (IBPs) are highly sealed and especially vulnerable to overheating. Taking up decisive part of the North-West Europe settlement area, they play a crucial role in increasing urban heat islands in the NWE region.

Based on this observation, IB-Green aims to reduce heat stress in existing industrial and business parks by developing green and blue infrastructure. Making existing IBPs more climate resilient will reduce heat stress and improve air quality in urban areas, leading to healthier living and working conditions and therefore reducing negative climate effects for enterprises and on city level.

11 project partners from 6 NWE countries representing local authorities, business parks operators and managers, networks, sector organisations and science institutions in the field of climate adaptation are joining forces to work on this challenge. Special focus lies on older industrial and business parks from the last century which are becoming less attractive. Here, the need for change is high but complex. There is an opportunity open for modernising while diminishing the pressure of new land take.

Adaptation measures will be implemented to tackle three main strategic axes:

• Increase green-blue infrastructure in public spaces of industrial and business parks while developing better public-private collaboration;
• Trigger private business owners to implement climate adaptation measures;
• Activate local authorities to implement more green-blue infrastructure in their industrial and business parks.

Action plans for public authorities will help them embed green-blue infrastructure in existing industrial and business parks. This also provides a showcase and best-practice solutions for business park operators and enterprises. Training courses will be offered for all stakeholders.

The project is funded under the Interreg North West Europe programme. Interreg NWE is a European Territorial Cooperation programme financed by the European Regional Development Fund aiming to support a balanced development across the North West Europe area, making all regions more resilient, and contributing to a better quality of life and well-being of all NWE citizens.