An Evaluation of the Legislative and Policy Processes for Blue Green Infrastructure in England
Awara, Ruth (2026) An Evaluation of the Legislative and Policy Processes for Blue Green Infrastructure in England. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.
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Ruth Awara PhD Thesis_Final Version_Final Award September 2026.pdf - Accepted Version Download (4MB) |
Abstract
As climate change intensifies and urbanisation accelerates, urban flooding has become an increasingly persistent challenge in England. Despite widespread policy recognition of Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) as a sustainable response, its implementation remains limited, inconsistent, and frequently tokenistic. This study investigates the legal, policy, regulatory, and institutional barriers constraining the effective integration of BGI into urban flood risk management. Responding to the need for ecosystem-based and integrated planning, the study makes an original contribution to knowledge by developing and empirically validating a governance framework that explains how interactions between legislation and policy, governance structures, resources, and stakeholder engagement shape the practical delivery of BGI. The framework develops conceptual insights by demonstrating how structural mismatches between national policies and local implementation systems generate institutional inertia and constrain adaptive infrastructure planning. The research critically analyses key statutory and policy instruments, including the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and the National Planning Policy Framework, and examines two contrasting case studies: the Perry Barr and Witton Flood Risk Management Scheme and the Beales Corner project. The case studies include a document analysis, field observations and 30 semi-structured interviews with local authority officials, planners, consultants and community stakeholders. Data were systematically reviewed through a critical realist lens to uncover the structural and institutional mechanisms. Results show that weak legislative alignment, fragmented governance arrangements, constrained resourcing, and policy formulation processes reinforce system inertia and hinder the mainstreaming of BGI. The framework offers a theoretical contribution as a diagnostic model to analyse governance constraints to climate-resilient infrastructure planning. Additionally, it offers a practical contribution as a tool to support policymakers, planners, and local authorities in identifying institutional bottlenecks and enabling more coordinated, cross-scale and adaptive implementation pathways.
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