According to the latest government figures, 83 per cent – 45 million – of people in England live in urban areas. It’s an astonishing number, but hardly surprising given the wealth of opportunities our sprawling cities and towns offer.

This exponential growth shows no signs of slowing down, resulting in an increased use of hard standing areas to accommodate businesses, leisure facilities, car parks and human living.

In order to cater for the surge in city living, mixed-use properties have become increasingly common, with many featuring landscaped gardens, bars, restaurants, water features and residential space under one roof as developers look to exploit every square metre of land.

However, this has come at the expense of green spaces, with air pollution, climate change and even mental health issues just some of the many effects regularly blamed on the built environment.

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