Dossier
Greenery in the city
A green environment has many advantages. It has a positive effect on people's health and contributes to the quality of life in a neighbourhood. Companies like to settle in a green environment and real estate is generally more in demand, which strengthens the economic growth of a city. Together with partners, Wageningen University & Research has been researching the effects of a green city for years.
Why a green city?
A green city improves the environment, ensures rich biodiversity, reduces air pollution, ensures water storage, dampens noise and help cooling down in warm periods. Green is also essential for a climate-proof and sustainable environment. In addition, there is a positive effect on the health and social connections of people living, working and recreating in a green environment.
7 reasons for investing in a green city
News about greenery in the city
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Amsterdam residents with low income: Less cooling from greenery, more vulnerable to heat stress
- Amsterdam residents with the lowest incomes live in parts of the city where they have less access to cooling through greenery, such as parks and trees, than residents with higher incomes. Consequently, this low-income group is more vulnerable to heat stress during heatwaves. Those are the findings of a study on the distribution of "green cooling" in 14 European cities. The results were published in Nature Cities scientific journal. -
Fewer health complaints among people with a green garden
- More greenery in domestic gardens is not only favourable for climate adaptation and biodiversity in cities. It also seems to have a major impact on residents’ health and well-being. This is one of the outcomes of a study by Wageningen University & Research and the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research into the association between having a garden at home, and one’s health. -
Temperature Tiny Forest up to 20 degrees lower than on the streets on hot days
- Tiny Forests form an excellent solution to drought and heat stress in urban areas. Research by Wageningen Environmental Research shows that temperatures in a Tiny Forest may be as much as 20 degrees below those in the streets. Moreover, the mini forests store much water during heavy precipitation, which is sorely needed in the increasingly dry Netherlands. Tiny Forests also boost urban biodiversity. -
‘Landscape architects are genuine optimists who focus on creating a new future’
- Wageningen’s Landscape Architecture group is internationally renowned and has the world’s largest number of publications in this domain. Is there room for improvement? Certainly, says Sanda Lenzholzer, who has headed the group for the last two years. In her inaugural address, which was postponed due to the pandemic, she introduces her perspective on the group’s endavours. -
This is how a Dutch city may look in 2120
- Floating houses, self-driving cars, deer in the floodplains, streams with waterfalls, and greenery instead of asphalt. Welcome to the city of 2120. Contrary to what doomsday scenarios would have you believe, you can also work towards an attractive and prosperous city in a world of climate change. Research associates of Wageningen University & Research designed a scenario for the city of the future with Arnhem as the example. Their aim is to challenge cities to start thinking about their climate resistance for the long term.
Research on greenery in the city
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Accelerating nature-inclusive urban development
- In the last decade, the necessity for nature-inclusive urban design has increased within the world of private and public urban development worldwide. -
A digital inspiration map for greening neighbourhoods of Amsterdam
- This study shows how participatory GIS can aid in decision making around urban greening. In Amsterdam, this helped promoting a dialogue between stakeholders, linking spatial data with practical experiences and aligning local priorities with policy programmes. -
Nature-inclusive entrepreneurship in urban areas
- The green space in the city is under pressure. Although it meets important social needs, in practice nature and landscape often lose it through competing space claims. This can have a major impact on the living environment of people. In this study we have adopted a transition approach in which we explicitly seek a nature-inclusive contribution of the real estate sector to the biodiversity, quality of life and resilience of cities. To this end, current practices are being mapped out and ways are being sought to make these practices more nature-inclusive in order to achieve the desired transition. -
Adaptive Cities Through integrated Nature Based Solutions (ACT on NBS)
- The project Adaptive Cities Through integrated Nature Based Solutions (ACT on NBS) from EIT-Climate KIC, aims to scale nature-based solutions (NBS) in cities. In collaboration with Dutch and European cities, researchers and other stakeholders, a growing and sustainable innovation ecosystem is being developed to improve health and wellbeing for citizens, higher urban biodiversity and lower impacts from climate change in cities. -
The Feeding City
- The Feeding City — a collaborative research programme between the AMS Institute, municipality of Almere, province of Flevoland and Aeres University of Applied Sciences — is embedded on the Flevo Campus, thus facilitating opportunities for research, education and entrepreneurship relating to the ‘Food and the City’ theme. The programme objective is to innovate the urban food system by working closely with the business community, institutions and residents from the city and the surrounding region. -
Business case Plants for a healthy indoor climate
- Plants can contribute significantly to improving the indoor climate of office buildings. They increase the humidity, purify the air and provide a beneficial environment. This may result in economic benefits, for example, because artificial climate control is less frequently used, or due to an increase in productivity. -
Nature in Cities – a European Exploration
- GREEN SURGE is a project funded by the EU exploring possibilities for better integrating green spaces into cities. Two of its key concepts are green infrastructure and biocultural diversity.
Blog on greenery in the city
Related dossiers
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Natural surroundings and health
- Natural surroundings can benefit human health in many ways. Wageningen University & Research studies issues concerning the optimal design and management of natural surroundings, the impact of landscape and urban design on social safety and possibilities for using the existing natural surroundings to influence human behaviour. -
Urban agriculture
- In 2050, the world population will grow to 10 billion people. More than half of the population already lives in the city and this is only expected to increase. This increases the pressure on land and space, increases the need for livable structures and increases the demand for locally produced food. Urban agriculture is a solution to achieve a sustainable and liveable city and possibly reduce the urban footprint. -
Urban climate
- A green environment is essential for a resilient climate and a sustainable environment in the city. It reduces air pollution, provides water storage, dampens noise and cools in warm periods. For example, the cooling of hot air in the city can be done by the strategic construction of open areas. In this dossier you can find news, background and results of research on urban climate.