How green are our cities?

More and more natural land in Germany is being converted into settlement and transport areas. According to the Federal Statistical Office, land consumption amounts to around 55 hectares every day, which corresponds to the size of almost 78 football pitches. A current GeoMap analysis shows how green our cities are nevertheless.

The negative impacts of sealing urban areas include increased risks of flooding, higher temperatures, air pollution and the loss of habitats for plants and animals.

The current GeoMap analysis examines the distribution of green and recreational areas in the ten largest cities in Germany in 2021. For the analysis, data on settlement and transport areas were collected and areas were differentiated according to certain characteristics, such as sports, leisure and recreational areas, green spaces and bodies of water.

According to the analysis, Berlin is the greenest and most recreational city among the leading German cities. In 2021, the share of green and recreational areas was 38.5 percent. This is followed by Cologne with 33 percent and Stuttgart with 31.4 percent. The greatest development in the share of green and recreational space is recorded by Düsseldorf. In 2016, the share was 27.2 per cent, rising to 28.5 per cent in 2021.

Berlin proves to be the greenest and most recreational city in Germany among the top 10 cities, with a share of 19 per cent green spaces, 13 per cent sports, leisure and recreation areas and six per cent water bodies. Cologne takes second place, with a share of five per cent water bodies, 10 per cent sports, leisure and recreation areas and 18 per cent green spaces, which also include forest, copses and heath.

Dortmund and Munich have the lowest shares of green and recreational areas. Dortmund has 14 per cent green spaces, seven per cent sports, leisure and recreation areas and one per cent water bodies. The Bavarian capital has eight per cent green spaces, 13 per cent sports, leisure and recreation areas and one per cent water bodies.

Incidentally, a research team from the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences has developed the "adois" software, which is based on artificial intelligence and can recognise and classify sealed surfaces fully automatically.

(Photo: © ddzphoto, Pixabay)