Green City Lab – Implementation of Green Infrastructure and Urban Planning in Germany

Chinese-German Scientific Symposium

June 18th/19th 2015 Berlin

Wolfgang Wende & Juliane Mathey

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1. The Concept “Urban Green Infrastructure”

2. Functions of Urban Green Infrastructure

3. Planning Approaches

4. Conclusions & Discussion

Outline

Urban Green Infrastructure

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Definition Green Infrastructure (GI)

GI is a strategically planned network of high quality natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features, which is designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services (ESS) and protect biodiversity in both rural and urban settings.

GI, being a spatial structure providing benefits from nature to people, aims to enhance nature’s ability to deliver multiple valuable ecosystem goods and services, such as clean air or water.

One of the key attractions of GI is multifunctionality. One area can provide several ESS, assumed that the ecosystem is in a healthy condition.

GI can be an integral part of urban areas. Properly designed parks, walking paths, green roofs, walls etc. all contribute to biodiversity and to tackle climate change.

Green spaces in cities do significantly enhance the well-being of urban residents.

COM(2013)249 final

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Urban Green Infrastructure Many Types of Green Spaces + Multifunctionality

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Green infrastructure typology / elements

Main Types Sub-types Main functions Characteristics

Public parks

and gardens

Urban parks and gardens

Country parks

Formal gardens

Informal recreation or relaxation

Community events

Horticultural or arboricultural displays.

Accessible, high quality design and facilities

More or less maintained

Include other types of green spaces e.g. children’s play areas and sports facilities

Private green

space and

gardens

House gardens

Forecourt gardens

Private use Enclosed and associated with a house or organisation

Natural and

semi-natural

green spaces

Woodlands

Urban forestry and shrubs

Grasslands

Wetlands

Water bodies

Derelict land or post-industrial land in succession

Wildlife conservation

Biodiversity

Environmental education

Areas of undeveloped land with residual natural soil and vegetation

Areas of previously developed land which is planted or colonised with spontaneous vegetation and wildlife

Green Corridors Walking and cycling routes

Road verges

Canals, rivers, streams

Old railway lines

Walking and cycling

Horse riding

Wildlife migration

Link green spaces together

Link to surrounding countryside

Can be used for leisure purposes or travel

Part of a designated and managed green space system or network

Urban Green Spaces Task Force (2002)

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Amenity green

space

Greenery at housing estates

Greenery at commercial buildings

Greenery at schools, universities, hospitals, public administrations, etc.

Informal and social activities

Improve aesthetics and provide visual amenity for residential and other areas

Separate buildings or land for visual, safety or environmental reasons

Close to home or work

Sunbathing, picnics etc.

Allotments,

community

gardens and

urban farms

All allotments

Urban agriculture

Community gardens

City farms

Gardening and growing fruits and vegetables

Promotion of health and social inclusion

Either in individual allotments or as a community activity

Provision for

children and

young people

Equipped play areas

Ball courts

Skateboard areas

Teenage shelter

Primarily for children’s play

Social interaction

Safe and accessible play opportunities

Usually linked to housing areas

Outdoor sports

facilities

Sports pitches

Tennis courts

Athletics tracks

Water sports

Outdoor sporting activities

Large and generally flat areas of grassland or specially designed surfaces

Cemeteries,

churchyards

and other burial

grounds

Cemeteries

Disused churchyards

Other burial areas

Burial of the dead

Quiet contemplation

Often linked with wildlife conservation and biodiversity

Urban Green Spaces Task Force (2002)

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Other functional

green space

Storm water retention area

Old landfills and dumps

Sewage treatment land

Environmental functions

Wildlife habitats

Often restricted accessibility

Add more types to the list as required by local circumstances or priorities

Public spaces Squares

Streets and residential roads

Car parks

Courtyards

Seafronts and promenades

Setting for public buildings

Location for public events

Connections for people and for wildlife

Designed for pedestrians

Adopted from: Urban Green Spaces Task Force (2002). Green Spaces, Better Places: Final report of the Urban

Green Spaces Taskforce, London, DTLR.. Scottish Executive Central Research Unit (2001). Rethinking open

space. Open space provision and management: a way forward, Edinburgh. English Nature (2003). Accessible

Natural Green Space Standards in Towns and Cities: A Review and Toolkit for their Implementation. English

Nature Research Report 526.

Urban Green Spaces Task Force (2002)

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Climate Mitigation

Air Qualtity

Urban Heat Island

Dryness Heavy Rainfall

Green Infrastructure – Regulating Services

Reflection and absorption of

solar radiation

Storage of CO2

Oxygen emission

Cooling down by evaporation and

shadow

Rainwater storage

Percolation

Flood retention

Moistening

Filtering dust and pollutants

Reduction of cooling energy

Biomass production

Source: Rößler 2012

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3.1 3.5 3.7 4.1 4.3

-1.7

Difference of air temperature (height 1,2 m) in relation to an asphalt covered site

2 p

m

5 a

m

10

pm

3.3

-1.0 -2.1

Potential Cooling Effects (ENVI-Met) 潜在的冷却效果

3. Green Spaces (绿色空间)

3.1 Green space with

tree canopy

3.3 Lawn

3.5 Green space with

medium tree canopy

3.7 Green space with few

trees

4. Brownfields (棕地)

4.1 Young brownfield with

pioneer vegetation

4.3 Older brownfield with

spontaneous wood

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Regional Level

- areas of origin and flow of cold and fresh air

- network of habitats

Urban-regional systems of GI

Urban Level

- distribution

- connection

- dimensions of different urban green space types

Urban system of GI

Local Level

Shape and functions of single urban GI elements

- vegetation structure

- function, use

- Maintenance

Local system of GI

Regionalplan Oberes Elbtal/ Osterzgebirge 2009

Flächennutzungsplan 2010, Stuttgart Bebauungsplan Nr. 345, LH Dresden

Multi-Stage Implementation of Green Infrastructure (GI)

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Green Spaces as a Guiding Principle

Challenges:

Improving ESS and Urban Biodiversity

Conflict: Compact City versus Green City

Urban Green Infrastructure

Open Spaces as Guiding Principle

Including Brownfields

Source: Rößler 2013

City of Dresden, Draft Landscape

Plan 2011

Example: Landscape Plan City of Dresden:

„Compact City Within An Ecological Network“

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Plan, Fotos: Landschaftsarchitektur Frase, Dresden

Aims

retention flood protection

adaptation microclimate

green provision recreation

Synergies

retention area with functions for recreation and habitats (biodiversity)

Multifunctional Green Infrastructure

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中德学生研讨会成果

(Results joint Sino-

German student

workshop)

CUMT Xuzhou 2008

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Sino-German Symposium Dresden Urban Ecology, Urban Development – between aspiration and reality (April 2015)

CHINA UNIVERSITY OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY (CUMT)

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Conclusion and Discussion

Definitions on EU level have to be transferred on regional/local level. Concerning urban biodiversity the EU mainly focuses on the concept of ‚Green Infrastructure‘ (GI).

Here it’s about strategy development. In Germany landscape planning provides instruments.

The concept of GI follows the guiding principle of ‚network‘.

Innovative elements of GI can be found especially beyond classical green spaces, e.g. on urban brownfields (derelict land).

Different scales with different application levels should be taken into consideration.

Wende et al. (in press): Urban Ecosystem Services and Biological Diversity. In: United Nations

University Flores, TU Dresden, Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development

(Editors): Proceedings of the Dresden Nexus Conference 2015.

Sustainability: Challenge of being compact and green

New approaches at overall strategic levels and smaller scales

Variety of green spaces types and multifunctionality