Green Infrastructure Strategic Intervention

The Green Infrastructure Strategic Intervention (GISI), delivered by NatureScot between 2016 and 2023, created and improved multifunctional green infrastructure on a major scale in Scotland’s towns and cities. 

Funded by the 2014-2020 European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the GISI made £15 million available to 12 capital infrastructure projects and nine community engagement projects, all located within the 20% most deprived urban areas of Scotland. With funding provided at a maximum intervention rate of 40%, the GISI delivered a total value of £37.5 million of investment throughout the course of the programme.

The GISI led the way in demonstrating blue-green infrastructure’s key role in tackling the societal issues we face in many of our urban areas: lack of access to poor-quality greenspace, social inequalities, pollution, flooding, noise, areas of multiple deprivation, health problems and limited biodiversity. The projects we supported are demonstrating what can be achieved and have contributed to best practice.

What did the GISI do?

The GISI was unique in that it harnessed the multifunctional benefits of new or improved blue-green infrastructure to:

• improve the quality, accessibility and quantity of green infrastructure in major towns and cities;
• provide increased and better opportunities for people to improve their health and wellbeing;
• address inequalities through the creation and improvement of greenspace for communities in areas of multiple deprivation and/or for communities living in proximity to vacant and derelict land;
• provide increased opportunities for people to experience and value nature and promote greater use of greenspace by local communities;
• contribute to economic regeneration, providing benefits to people and businesses by investing in green infrastructure.

The GISI's Vision to 2023

“Greenspaces and routes are multifunctional, providing improved benefits for communities, helping us adapt to and mitigate climate change, increasing biodiversity, improving our air quality, managing surface water runoff and reducing flooding. Green infrastructure close to where people live provides economic, health and recreational benefits and enhances their quality of life. More people use greenspace for healthy activities and more people say that the greenspace meets their needs.

Communities have increased confidence from improvements in the quality of their local environment and their sense of place. Everyone within communities feels confident and empowered to use their greenspace and to be involved in, or influence, its management. Enjoying the outdoors has become more common and is part of our culture and identity. People have increased opportunities to experience and value nature.”

The Vision was achieved by projects delivering against the Fund’s five Outcomes and three Horizontal Themes.

Use the map below to find out more about our projects.

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