Growing green and resilient urban places

The Green Estate Community Interest Company in Sheffield is a social, environmental and economic demonstrator for urban resilience.

In the 1990s the city’s Manor area was labelled as the worst estate in Britain prompting collaboration, investment and action to regenerate the area.

Derelict buildings, once considered a liability, have been transformed into £9m worth of heritage facilities hosting hospitality, visitor experiences and community impact activities. Wasteland with burnt out cars, notorious for antisocial behaviour has become Green Flag Award winning parkland, urban meadows, an ecosystem of enterprise and a green recycling unit. The social enterprise now has 70 staff, 40+ volunteers, 40,000+ visitors, looks after 42 hectares of land, generates £3 million turnover and supports a range of on-site community enterprises.

The Green Estate has now become an international place-based demonstrator for growing green and resilient urban spaces where people and nature can thrive. They provide the soil, plants, wildflower seed mixes and landscaping expertise for nature-based sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) including the acclaimed ‘Grey to Green’ in Sheffield. SuDS are designed to manage surface water runoff in urban areas, helping to tackle flash flooding and water pollution, reducing the need for expensive and energy-intensive drainage infrastructure, while also creating liveable and attractive urban environments and habitats for wildlife.