Urban planning: How urban spaces are getting greener

Singapore wants to be the greenest city in the world by 2030, at least according to the nation’s Green Plan. But there’s much more at stake than green spaces. The economy too needs to be green and the aims for supplying everything from logistics to energy are ambitious. Resilience is the overarching goal behind every effort. What may be the world’s most futuristic park also stands as proof that technology and nature need not be mutually exclusive. In Gardens by the Bay, vertical gardens with tropical climbers and ferns have been created on 18 Supertrees that reach heights of up to 50 metres. The concrete and steel structures bring together nature, innovation and technology as the trees collect rainwater and solar energy and use it to supply and illuminate the park and the two greenhouses. In the evenings there is a spectacular light and music show on the park grounds, which span 101 hectares. The two main greenhouses cover an area of 20,000 square metres. The Flower Dome focuses on plants cultivated in the region and on exploring the topic of global warming. It also boasts a mountain with a 35-metre peak and artificial waterfall. The Cloud Forest is where visitors explore the relationship between soil and plants. The greenhouses are powered by the energy of the Supertrees – linked by 20-metre bridges. Singapore has over 300 parks, half of the land mass is undeveloped, leafy and in parts even classified as a nature reserve. A radical law means that every blade of grass that is built over is replaced – when new areas are developed, any loss of nature must be replaced vertically, namely through façade plants or similar greening.

One of the oldest and simultaneously largest urban green spaces in the world is Central Park in the heart of Manhattan, New York. The park, also known as New York’s green lung, spans around 349 hectares. Built in 1859, initially just for the rich, the landscaped park soon became a green haven for everyone. Around 25 million people visit the inner-city park every year.With Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada also has an impressive city park on a four-square-metre peninsula. Once the hunting grounds and habitat of the Squamish, a Canadian First Nation, the original forests and green spaces now serve as a recreational area with picnic spots, lawns and sports facilities. The park is surrounded by the approximately ten-kilometre-long Stanley Park Drive, which offers magnificent views of the marina and the city skyline.

The Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in Cape Town is spread across 600 hectares. Unlike many other sites, Cape Town’s Botanical Garden, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is less focused on exotic species and more on native ones. It is estimated that around 7,000 indigenous plant species grow here. A wonderful view of the many plants can be enjoyed from the tree canopy walkway, along with Cape Town and Table Mountain.

3Deluxe Architecture believes that cars are set to gradually disappear from cities. Former roads and pedestrian areas should be redefined. The result of this transformation should be a people-friendly, urban landscape for environmentally friendly mobility, leisure, relaxation and communication, all in one. Kaunas, a city in south-central Lithuania with a 300,000-strong population stands as an example here. 3Deluxe found a largely unused square in the centre, one surrounded by historic buildings. The requisite measures included the complete redesign of the central square, including the adjacent buildings on the east side in the form of three new builds, two refurbishments and an underground car park that spans the entire square. The result is a 22,000-square-metre city playground. 3Deluxe rose to this challenge with a two-level design that structures the entire area as a grid of visible floor lines. One level is strictly linear and provides the historic context. Existing sight and path axes are taken into account here. Among plenty of greenery, there are lawns for soaking up the sun, a skate park, a programmable fountain and an event venue. The result? An urban landscape that recalls an English garden – topographically diverse, surprising, colourful and versatile. Native pines and birches as well as bug-friendly grasses and perennials have been used here. Kaunas stands as a model for how to revitalise derelict sites, offer a space for people to get together, combat climate change, and simultaneously create valuable inner-city recreational spaces.

Back to Singapore: Buildings can also contribute to the microclimate, as shown by the green skyscraper Marina One. Ingenhoven Architects see their building as an innovative contribution to the debate on megacities, which face great challenges, especially in tropical regions, in light of climate change and constant population growth. The mixed-use and high-density building complex spanning more than 400,000 square metres surrounds the Green Heart - a public space extending over several storeys - with its four high-rise buildings standing together. This three-dimensional green oasis reflects the diversity of tropical flora.