Green streets are the way to go

Green roofs and walls insulate buildings and soak up rain. And like trees and hedges, they absorb pollutants. What's not to like?

As the connected problems of climate change and air pollution from traffic make living in cities more hazardous, the health benefits of greening our streets become ever more apparent.

On crowded city roads green barriers, in the form of dense hedges between traffic and people on the pavements, dramatically reduce the danger from fumes, but are difficult to squeeze in.