Strategic green infrastructure planning and urban forestry

The green infrastructure (GI) approach, which takes an integrative perspective on a city's or city region's green spaces, has rapidly become accepted as a policy and planning tool. This chapter looks into the history and concept of GI, tracing some of its origins in landscape and urban ecological thinking. The focus is on the relevance of the urban forest as a fundamental element of green infrastructure from the neighbourhood to city-regional level. To exemplify the synergy existing between urban forestry and GI, the following two case studies are presented: Regional urban forest parks in Milan and the Melbourne Urban Forest Strategy. Urban forestry and GI can be seen as two sides of the same coin; so while there are differences in emphasis and approach, commonalities easily exceed the differences. Each approach has much to gain from the other and many of the main advocates are the same. For this reason key international meetings give space and encouragement to GI contributions.