Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mr. March and I'm here today to teach you all about opportunities created by urban change infrastructure and urban greening.

So grab everything that you need for today's lesson and let's get going.

So by the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how urban change has created environmental opportunities in Liverpool, including the development of integrated transport systems and urban greening.

There are two key terms for today's lesson, and those are integrated transport system and the second is urban greening.

Integrated transport system refers to an interconnected urban transport network with interchange hubs linking different forms of transport, such as bicycles, buses, and cars.

Urban greening refers to the greening of urban areas involving planting trees and the creation of green areas and parks.

There are just two learning cycles for today, and we will start with learning cycle one, which is all to do with infrastructure opportunities.

Urban change in Liverpool has led to many opportunities to develop environmentally conscious initiatives.

These involve developing its infrastructure, particularly with the integrated transport system.

It also involves urban greening, and we're gonna spend today's lesson looking at these two opportunities.

Environmentally conscious initiatives such as integrated transport systems and urban greening do cost a lot of money, but there are many, many benefits, particularly with green initiatives, and these benefits are typically environmental.

However, there are many other positive impacts, which can be social or economic as people and businesses are attracted to greener cities and they bring their money and expertise with them.

Now as we can see with the map in front of you of Liverpool, it is a very well connected city to the local area, the UK and internationally.

Liverpool is really well connected because of its road, rail, air, and sea network.

Liverpool is the UK's primary port for transatlantic trade and has important links with North America and the rest of Europe.

Liverpool's John Lennon Airport is an important gateway to the city and the northwest region.

And as one of the areas' major employers, it is supportive of significant inward investment and tourism to the region.

It is only seven and a half miles from the city centre.

Furthermore, Liverpool is well served by rail and road networks, including the M57, the M62 linking Liverpool with Hull, and the nearby M6, which links it with both the Midlands, the Southwest and London.

Time now for a learning check, and you need to read this statement and decide whether it is true or false.

And the statement is, green initiatives only benefit the environment.

What I'd like you to do right now is pause the video whilst you consider and then select your answer.

And the answer is false.

Now what I'd like you to do once again is pause the video whilst you consider as to why the statement is false.

And the reason it is false is because the main benefits of green initiatives are environmental ones, but the positive impacts could also be felt socially and economically as people and businesses are attracted to greener cities and they bring their money and expertise with them.

So really well done if you're able to identify those two correct answers.

Our next learning check is which of the motorways below does not connect Liverpool with the rest of the country? You have four options.

Please refer to the map as well in front of you.

What I'd like you to do right now is pause the video whilst you read through the options and consider then select your answer.

And the correct answer was A, M5.

So really, really well done if you are able to recall and identify that correct answer.

Our final learning check is, what is the name of Liverpool's Airport? Once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you try to recall the name of Liverpool's airport.

So pause the video here please.

And the answer was Liverpool's John Lennon Airport named after one of the members of the Beatles.

So really, really well done if you're able to recall that piece of information.

Now integrated transport systems link different forms of transport within Liverpool and the surrounding areas to make journeys smoother.

And indeed Liverpool really does have a very well developed integrated transport system.

It includes trains, buses, ferries, and cycleways.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority along with support from other organisations such as Merseytravel, manage the local transportation network, and really the aim is to try to encourage people to reduce their use of cars and switch to public transport.

82% of public transport journeys in Liverpool are made by bus.

Now why is encouraging the use of public transport environmentally important? You may like to pause the video right here whilst you consider and possibly even discuss that question.

So how can integrated transport systems make journeys smoother? While there are many, many different options for doing this, we can encourage people to use public transport through route, timetable and ticket coordination.

Buses, as we know, are the main form of public transport across the city, which accounts, as we said before, for about 82% of journeys, which is 400,000 people daily.

The combined authority coordinate buses to connect with other modes of transport in timings and the location of bus stops and makes possible to buy single transferable tickets for trains, ferries, and buses.

So a quick learning check.

Which of the following is not an aim of an integrated transport system? Could you please now read through the three options whilst you pause the video and then consider and select your answer? And the correct answer was B, to encourage people to use cars.

Our next learning check is, bus journeys in Liverpool account for what percentage of all trips made on public transport? Once again, there are three options.

Can you please now pause the video whilst you read through those options and try to recall the correct answer.

And the correct answer was C, 82%.

Really well done if you've got that correct.

And our last learning check says to select two ways the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority encourage use of journeys on public transport.

Can you please now pause the video whilst you read through the three options in front of you by Jacob, Aisha and Jun.

Pause the video whilst you then consider and select your two answers.

And the two correct answers were Jacob and Aisha.

So Jacob is absolutely correct when he says, "I can buy a single ticket and use it on buses, trains, and ferries." And Aisha was absolutely correct as well when she said that "timetables have been coordinated, so I never have to wait very long for connections." These two schemes really do encourage people to use as much public transport as possible.

So really, really well done if you are able to identify those two as the correct answers.

So what does the future development of the integrated transport system look like in Liverpool? Well, Liverpool has many plans to develop its integrated transport system further and its vision for the future 2040 is to make the public transport network much more integrated, sustainable, and accessible to all.

How is it gonna do this? Well, firstly, it's gonna try and make it more integrated.

So the development of an extensive cycleway network aiming to create 600 kilometres of new and upgraded routes over the next 10 years at a cost of 70 million pounds.

Secondly, more sustainable.

Liverpool has invested in zero emission hydrogen-fueled buses.

And finally, more accessible.

The combined authority has spent 500 million pounds on a new fleet of trains across the Liverpool region.

New stations have been constructed.

For example, Headbolt Lane in Kirby opened in 2023 and costing 80 million pounds.

And Liverpool Lime Street station, the city's mainline station has been upgraded.

In 2026, a new Mersey ferry will begin service costing 26 million pounds.

We're on now to our one and only practise question for learning cycle one, and as you can see, it is crossword.

So what I'd like you to do then is read all the clues in front of you and try your best to complete the crossword.

Good luck.

Now for some feedback.

And as you can see, the crossword is now complete in front of you.

What I'd like you to do rather than me read through all the answers is pause the video here and compare your answers with the answers on the screen and make any necessary corrections, but really, really well done if you are able to get any of those answers in front of you.

We're on now to our second and final learning cycle, and this is all about urban greening opportunities.

So Liverpool's Metro-Mayor aims for the Liverpool City region to become net zero-carbon by 2040.

To achieve this, every aspect of a city needs to be considered.

For example, the housing and the transport, and the council needs to work alongside businesses to achieve this ambition.

So I have two questions here for you and you may like to pause the video whilst you consider and maybe even discuss your answers to those two questions.

And the two questions are, what does net zero-carbon mean? And the second question is, why are cities like Liverpool aiming to become net-zero by 2040? So as I said, you may like to pause the video here whilst you consider and perhaps even discuss your answers to those two questions.

So urban greening can really help Liverpool to achieve its 2040 net-zero ambition.

It involves bringing green spaces of any size into urban environments.

As we can see via the three images in front of you, it really is about trying to bring in greenery, plant life wherever possible into the urban landscape.

So urban greening really does benefit cities in many, many different ways.

The first of which is it's able to offset carbon emissions.

So it by planting lots of greenery and planting lots of vegetation across the urban landscape, it is able to absorb that carbon dioxide, which we are emitting through vehicles and factories, et cetera.

So it can really have a positive benefit there.

This also can tackle or combat climate change and global warming as well.

Second of all, it can cause a reduce in noise pollution.

Thirdly, it can lead to improvements in both physical and mental well-being.

It can lead to improvements in air quality.

Again, having a knock-on effect socially by being able to provide health benefits to the people.

It causes reduction in flood risk with more vegetation able to absorb rainwater and flood water, thereby reduces the chances of flood risk.

Next, it can also provide a natural habitat for wildlife as well.

So a learning check.

Who is correct? You have three different statements in front of you by Sam, Sophia, and Alex.

Now what I'd like you to do then is pause the video whilst you read through the three statements and then consider and select who you believe to be correct.

So pause the video here please.

And the correct answer was Alex.

Alex says that "urban greening involves bringing green spaces of any size into urban environments." So really well done if you were also able to identify Alex's statement as the correct answer.

Our next learning check says, urban greening supports Liverpool's ambition of net-zero by 2040 in a number of ways.

Fill in the gaps.

So again, what I'd like you to do is try to recall the information we mentioned just a moment ago to try and fill in those two gaps.

So please pause the video here whilst you attempt this learning check.

And the two correct answers were, so the first way is to try to offset carbon emissions and the other gap was to try to reduce the chances of a flood occurring.

So really, really well done if you are able to identify those two correct answers.

URBAN GreenUP is an EU-funded 3.

5 million pound nature-based solution project to create green corridors across Liverpool City region.

Strategies include planting trees, creating sustainable urban drainage systems and creating rain gardens to absorb and store water as the three images in front of you really do well to illustrate.

Currently three sites have been developed including some within the Baltic Triangle.

And here is the Baltic Triangle.

And as you can see, this is the area where three of those EU-funded projects via URBAN GreenUP have been created.

So type now for a learning check, and it says, what is the name of the organisation investing 3.

5 million pounds to create green corridors in Liverpool? What I'd like you to do is read the four options, pause the video whilst you then consider and select your answer.

And the correct answer was C, URBAN GreenUP.

The next learning check says, what strategies are URBAN GreenUP using in Liverpool? I would like you again to read through the three options and try this time to fill in the blanks on B and C.

So pause the video here whilst you attempt this learning check.

And the two correct options were, so B was create and sustainable urban drainage systems and C was creating rain gardens.

Really well done if you're able to identify those two correct answers.

And our final learning check is to give an example of one site in Liverpool that URBAN GreenUP have developed.

Now what I'd like you to do is pause the video whilst you try to recall that information.

And I've provided the map as a sort of clue as to the correct answer.

So please pause the video whilst you try to recall this piece of information.

And the correct answer was the Baltic Triangle.

So really, really well done if you're able to recall that piece of information.

So if we turn our attention now to St.

John's Shopping Centre, that is also an area which has had much urban greenery added to it because the concrete exterior of this shopping sector was planted with 14,000 evergreen trees in 2020, creating a 65-metre greenwall, one of the largest in the UK.

Apart from making the building look more attractive, the plants will actually help to trap some of the city's air pollution In 2021, two beehives were installed on the rooftop, each home to 20,000 bees, which have produced 180 jars of honey through successful pollination with a living wall and other green spaces.

Further out from the city, the Mersey Forest is creating a network of woodlands and green spaces across Merseyside and Cheshire in partnership with councils, private businesses and organisations such as the Forestry Commission.

To date, the partnership organisation has planted over 9 million trees.

Time now for another learning check, and it says, who has the correct name for the shopping centre which planted a 65-metre green wall in 2020? There are three possible answers.

So what I'd like you to do is pause the video, read through the options whilst you then consider and select your answer.

And the correct answer was with Jun who said that it was St.

John's Shopping Centre.

Our next learn check says, which organisation is creating a network of woodlands and green spaces across the wider Liverpool area? Again, I would like you to read through the three options, pause the video whilst you then consider and select what you think is the correct answer.

And the correct answer was A, Mersey Forest.

So really well done if you are able to select that as the correct answer.

We're on now to our one and only practise task and the task is for you to complete the poster in front of you to explain how urban greening is supporting Liverpool's ambition of net-zero by 2040.

So you can see that there are many different questions and tasks for you to do through this poster.

So what I'd like you to do then is pause the video whilst you attempt this practise task.

Best of luck.

In terms of feedback, this is what you may have included.

So urban green ink involves bringing green spaces of any size into urban environments.

Examples are greenwalls and street trees.

The second task was for you to explain why urban greening is important.

And these are some of the following reasons which you, again, may have included.

So you may have included that it offsets carbon emissions, reduces noise pollution, and brings improvements to people's well-being.

Also, that it brings improvements to air quality, it reduces flood risk, and also provides a natural habitat for wildlife.

Finally, you needed to provide some examples of urban greening projects, and these were some of the examples which you could have mentioned and described.

So for example, URBAN GreenUP.

You may have said that it was a 3.

5 million pound project to create green corridors across Liverpool, including plant trees, creating sustainable urban drainage areas and creating rain gardens.

One example is the Baltic Triangle.

In terms of St.

John's Shopping Centre, you may have written that its concrete exterior was planted in 2020, which created a 65-metre greenwall.

The plants will then help to trap air pollution.

In 2021, two beehives were installed on the roof to encourage pollination.

And finally, the Mersey Forest.

Again, you may have stated something like the Mersey Forest has created a network of woodlands and green spaces across Merseyside and Cheshire.

To date, the partnership organisation has planted over 9 million trees.

So really, really well done if you are able to include anything like that in your own answer.

To sum up then, urban change in Liverpool has led to opportunities to develop environmentally-conscious initiatives.

There are two on the screen in front of you.

First of all, within infrastructure and its integrated transport system, Liverpool's integrated transport system is designed to encourage use of public transport as much as possible to make journey smoother, but also to try to reduce Liverpool's carbon footprint.

Future developments include making it much more integrated, sustainable, and accessible.

In terms of urban greening, urban greening supports Liverpool's quest to become net zero-carbon by 2040.

Strategies include URBAN GreenUP's 3.

5 million pound investment into planting trees, sustainable drainage and rain gardens.

So really, really well done during today's lesson.

It was a pleasure teaching you and I look forward to seeing you again on the next lesson.

Goodbye.