Thorne led the Blue-Green Cities research project (2013-2016), funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), that aimed to deliver and evaluate the multiple flood risk benefits in Blue-Green Cities.
Led by Thorne, the Research Consortium included 8 UK universities: the University of Nottingham, the University of Leeds, the University of Cambridge, Heriot-Watt University, Newcastle University, the University of the West of England, Cranfield University and the London School of Economics as well as partners in the US and China.
In June 2013 the Research Consortium selected Newcastle upon Tyne as a Demonstration City partly in response to the June 'Toon Monsoon' in 2012.

A Blue-Green City aims to reconfigure the urban water cycle to resemble a naturally-oriented water cycle while contributing to the amenity of the city by bringing water management and green infrastructure together.
This is achieved by combining and protecting the hydrological and ecological values of the urban landscape while providing resilient and adaptive measures to address future changes in climate, land use, water management, and socio-economic activity in the city.

A Blue-Green City is more than the blue and green infrastructure that it comprises; it is a holistic concept that requires collaboration between government, industry and public stakeholders and partnerships working to be fully implemented.
Blue-Green Cities generate a multitude of environmental, ecological, socio-cultural and economic benefits through integrated planning and management and may be key to future resilience and sustainability of urban environments and processes.
In addition to making the urban environment more resilient to flood and drought events, a Blue-Green City is designed to maximise the use of water as a resource, e.g. through rainwater harvesting, irrigation of river channels, groundwater recharge and as a local amenity.
Water is preferentially attenuated and stored on the surface to maximise the potential environmental and social benefits, and reduce stress on the subsurface piped sewer system.
A Blue-Green City also aims to collect and store water during flood events for later use in times of drought.
Thorne led the Blue-Green Cities research project (2013-2016), funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), that aimed to deliver and evaluate the multiple flood risk benefits in Blue-Green Cities. Led by Thorne, the Research Consortium included 8 UK universities: the University of Nottingham, the University of Leeds, the University of Cambridge, Heriot-Watt University, Newcastle University, the University of the West of England, Cranfield University and the London School of Economics as well as partners in the US and China. In June 2013 the Research Consortium selected Newcastle upon Tyne as a Demonstration City partly in response to the June 'Toon Monsoon' in 2012.
A Blue-Green City aims to reconfigure the urban water cycle to resemble a naturally-oriented water cycle while contributing to the amenity of the city by bringing water management and green infrastructure together. This is achieved by combining and protecting the hydrological and ecological values of the urban landscape while providing resilient and adaptive measures to address future changes in climate, land use, water management, and socio-economic activity in the city.
A Blue-Green City is more than the blue and green infrastructure that it comprises; it is a holistic concept that requires collaboration between government, industry and public stakeholders and partnerships working to be fully implemented. Blue-Green Cities generate a multitude of environmental, ecological, socio-cultural and economic benefits through integrated planning and management and may be key to future resilience and sustainability of urban environments and processes. In addition to making the urban environment more resilient to flood and drought events, a Blue-Green City is designed to maximise the use of water as a resource, e.g. through rainwater harvesting, irrigation of river channels, groundwater recharge and as a local amenity. Water is preferentially attenuated and stored on the surface to maximise the potential environmental and social benefits, and reduce stress on the subsurface piped sewer system. A Blue-Green City also aims to collect and store water during flood events for later use in times of drought.
Colin Thorne