Living in the city - liveable and sustainable

In the past two decades, people moved to the cities because they assumed they would have more cultural offerings and more attractive jobs. The corona pandemic has triggered a rethink. Urban living is basically considered environmentally friendly and offers advantages over increasing urban sprawl. But is it also livable and sustainable? 

Climate change does not stop at cities. Decades of mistakes in urban planning such as too narrow building development, the lack of fresh air corridors and the sealing of green spaces intensify climate change like a negative turbo. Systematic greening of facades and roofs can reduce the ambient temperature in summer by up to five degrees Celsius. At the same time, plants bind fine dust and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. There are excellent examples of implementation in Germany. It is also worth taking a look at our European neighbours.

In order to master the growing challenges, more and more metropolises are focusing on sustainable urban development. The "Sustainable Cities Index 2022" by the planning and consulting company Arcadis breaks down which major cities are doing particularly well. The comprehensive sustainability ranking analyses a total of 100 international cities from 47 countries, including four German cities. Berlin is one of the pioneers in sustainability development and makes it into the top five in the ranking. The German capital is thus one of the most sustainable cities in the world. Frankfurt is ranked 16th, Munich 19th and Hamburg 21st, with Oslo, Stockholm, Tokyo and Copenhagen taking first place. 

A prosperous city does not only include economic growth, but more than ever also the ecological and social performance of a city. A recent survey is encouraging. 71 percent of homeowners in Germany find planted buildings beautiful. People in big cities in particular appreciate it when more greenery comes into their neighbourhoods. In 2019, Germans have planted more than seven million square metres of roof and about 90,000 square metres of façade with greenery. 

(Photo: © Djedj, Pixabay)