Green Agenda2015-2018

Investing in the Amsterdammers garden

Summary

Source: Rooftop Solutions

Green Agenda 2015-2018 Investing in the Amsterdammers garden

By making the city’s public space greener, the City of Amsterdam will

make Amsterdam a more attractive place to live, work and visit. The

City will therefore be investing € 20 million in green projects in the

coming years, doubling the amount spent in previous years. Amsterdam

has a lot of green space. We are proud of it, and we need to conserve

it. Because many of the city’s residents don’t have a garden, the city’s

green space has a particular function: it is a garden for the people of

Amsterdam.

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MORE POCKET PARKS

CONNECTIONS BETWEENGREEN AREAS

+ 15 GREEN PLAYAREAS

GREEN ROOF+ 50.000 M2

20

The City of Amsterdam has €20 million in Green Funds. T

City parks

Parks are better designed for

intensive use and wet conditions.

Climate and biodiversity

There is more and improved green space

in the city, which helps against heavier

showers and higher temperatures.

Green landscape 25 min City Centre

MORE RESILIENT TO SHOWERS

ARKS

SOLUTIONS FOR 80 ECOLOGICALBOTTLENECKS

MORE FACILITIESIN CITY PARKS

IMPROVEDCITY PARKS

IMPROVED PARKENTRANCES

MORE GREENSCHOOLYARDS

een Funds. Together we will make Amsterdam greener.

Neighbourhood green space

All Amsterdammers have green space on

their doorstep. They exercise and play

sports more because there are good

facilities in the neighbourhood.

Connections and accesibility

The existing green space in and around the city

is better utilised. There are more routes in and

between green areas.

15 min Green landscape

Summary

We have to adapt this garden to the

demands of our times. In response to

the changing lifestyles of Amsterdam’s

inhabitants, the growth of the city and

the large number of visitors, we need

a fresh approach to the city’s green

space. The large existing areas of

green space will take on new functions

to improve the business climate, lessen

the impact of the increasing numbers

of people and reduce the effects of

climate change. At the same time we

want to improve the design of our

green spaces for recreation, bio-

diversity and health.

This agenda sets out the course for

investment in green space between

2015 and 2018, thus clearly pointing

the way for initiatives. Four themes will

take priority: City parks, Climate and

biodiversity, Neighbourhood green

space, and Connections and

accessibility.

1. City parks

Parks are the city’s most obvious

shared gardens. They are there for

everyone, and they are being used

more and more intensively and for a

wide variety of purposes: working,

learning about nature, barbecuing,

walking, playing sports, sunbathing,

having a party or visiting an event. Our

aim is to improve the design of our

parks to cope with this intensive use.

There will also be more and improved

alternatives to the busy parks, spread-

ing the pressure of visitors more evenly

across the green space in and around

the city.

To this end, major improvements will

be made over the coming years to at

least three parks for more sustainable

and intensive use. During renovation

work, areas of grass that are to be

used intensively will be planned for

more suitable, possibly drier locations

within the park, or plots that are better

able to withstand intensive use will be

selected for the purpose. We will also

invest in suitable planting, or alter the

layout of paths. Additionally, in at least

four parks we will provide amenities

such as public toilets, water taps, cafés

and restaurants, and equipment to

encourage exercise. We will improve

access to parks by altering existing

entrances or creating new ones.

In addition, we will devote attention to

the balance of use in parks, by ensur-

ing that programming and planning

allows for variety among and within

them. While one person might turn

to our parks for peace and quiet and

to experience nature, another person

might be looking for a lively atmos-

phere. Events also have a place in our

parks, and they can help strengthen

the identity and urban vitality of parks

and landscapes. A good balance is

needed, and the city’s events policy

needs to take events in green spaces

into consideration. Where desirable

and feasible, the distinctive features of

parks (such as nature, water or cultural

heritage) will be strengthened.

Because Amsterdam is built on peat

bog, the city constantly has to contend

with subsidence, which makes the

ground wetter. Subsidence and soil

compaction is therefore an important

issue for Amsterdam’s city parks. This

will be taken into consideration in park

planning for intensive and sustainable

use, and also in the choice of plant and

tree species. To gain greater insight

into the causes and consequences of

subsidence and soil compaction, we

will conduct analyses on the basis of

measurements.

Finally, we will explore possibilities for

new parks.

2. Climate and biodiversity

Green space has an important role to

play in making the city climate-proof.

Rain showers will become heavier and

temperatures will increase. An effec-

tive way to absorb rainwater and limit

the temperature is to increase the area

of green space. In addition, the green

space can contribute to increasing

biodiversity in the city.

We therefore aim to realise an addi-

tional 50,000 m2 of green roofs in the

city, preferably roofs with a thick layer

of vegetation. We will do this in a va-

riety of ways. We will establish various

stimulus schemes and actively ap-

investigate the possibilities for green

roofs on municipal property and ways

in which we can stimulate the sustain-

able use of roofs in the construction

of new buildings and in renovation

projects. Where possible, obstructive

regulations will be abolished.

Apart from green roofs, there are also

other opportunities for green space to

contribute to rainwater disposal. The

City of Amsterdam will itself take the

lead. When we invest in green facili-

ties, we will devote explicit attention

to water retaining capacity, and where

possible the location’s sponge effect

will be increased. In partnership with

the ‘Amsterdam Rainproof’ pro-

gramme, we will make a survey of loca-

tions that are suitable for the removal

of hard surfaces or the creation of

green space. We will also investigate

which instrument is the most appro-

priate. We will continue to increase

and apply our knowledge of effective

ways to combine (rain)water and green

space design.

Healthy trees play a key role in a live-

able and sustainable city. Trees are not

only attractive, but they also transpire

a lot of water, and this has a cooling

effect. We will therefore develop a

citywide tree policy, including agree-

ments on choice of tree species, com-

pensation and replanting.

Contrary to the national and world-

wide trend, in Amsterdam the number

of wild bee species has increased. The

state of the wild bee is a good indica-

tor of Amsterdam’s ecological wealth.

To make room for further growth, we

-

necks in the ecological structure, using

measures such as nature-friendly river

crossings and wildlife ramps. To allow

more natural river and canal banks to

develop, we will support initiatives

aimed at replacing or removing hard

waterside structures. We will also in-

vestigate which measures are the most

effective in promoting nature-inclusive

construction.

3. Neighbourhood green space

Amsterdammers greatly value at-

tractive, usable green space in the

immediate vicinity of their homes.

Neighbourhood green space has an

important function as a meeting place

for local residents and encourages

people to exercise. Because residents

themselves know best what they need,

we want to make room for neighbour-

hood initiatives.

We aim to realise more neighbourhood

green space in the coming years by

creating or adding greenery to twenty

pocket parks – an increase of 25 per-

cent. There are also existing municipal

schemes that enable Amsterdammers

to have a house-front garden (a narrow

border for plants along the front of a

house or apartment building) installed

by the council, or to install such a

garden themselves, and to realise

planting around the foot of trees in

public places. These provisions will

be extended to cover the entire city.

We will also devote extra attention

to green areas that are inviting for

sports and exercise. We will contrib-

ute to the creation or improvement of

running, cycling and inline skating.

And where the City is investing in new

residential neighbourhoods, starting

from the design phase, attention will

be devoted to green facilities that are

inviting for physical activity. Due to the

growing problem of obesity among

young people and the connection of

this with exercise (or lack thereof), we

will provide more challenging green

space for children. We will create or

contribute to the construction of green

schoolyards, which challenge children

to be physically active.

We want to facilitate the growth of

urban farming and the increasing

awareness of healthy eating. Initiatives

to create temporary or long-term

waste ground, on squares or in parks,

can depend on our support. Wherever

possible, we will abolish obstructive

regulations.

4. Connections and accessibility

centres on the improvement of walking

and cycling routes between green are-

as for everyday recreation and sports.

Amsterdam has a wealth of green

spaces, and many of them could be

used better if they were more acces-

sible or better connected with each

other. Amsterdammers and visitors to

the city can reach a green landscape in

twenty minutes by bicycle – a unique

attribute for a metropolis. We will

therefore work to visibly improve cycle

connections to the landscapes around

-

tions to bottlenecks in the connections

between city and countryside, and by

investing in the experiential value of

the routes. We will also consult and

make agreements with civil society

organisations on widening or strength-

allotment garden complexes, school

gardens and cemeteries in the city and

its neighbourhoods. Waterside green

areas can be improved by adding

amenities and improving recreational

routes.

How will we do it?

Amsterdam’s policy on green space

is described in the Structural Vision

Amsterdam 2040, with the Main Green

Structure as its most important instru-

ment. Amsterdam protects the green

space within the Main Green Structure

for recreation and the environment.

Key aspects are the conservation of

cultural heritage and variety in the

available green space overall. With

regard to green space policy, two

policy documents resulting from the

structural vision are of importance:

the Ecological Vision and the Water-

land Vision. Within this framework the

Green Agenda will prioritise and direct

investment in green space.

To fund our ambitions as described in

the Green Agenda, the City of Amster-

dam has made € 20 million available

in Green Funds. Because the Green

Funds are based on the principle of

co-funding, in this period the City

Council aims to realise a total minimum

investment of € 30 million in green

space, from land development and

with contributions from district com-

mittees, market players, foundations

and private individuals.

Apart from money, cooperation is an

important success factor for the de-

velopment and conservation of green

space in the city. Cooperation between

people, in knowledge and with money.

Between policy, implementation and

management. Between trade and

industry, government, schools, sports

clubs, neighbourhood residents and

others who would like to see a green

city.

Maintenance is important in determin-

ing the usability of green spaces in and

around the city. The responsibility for

the funding and implementation of

the maintenance of green spaces lies

with the district committees. Under the

name ‘Green Puccini’, citywide agree-

ments are made on the qualitative

planning and management of green

space. Both within and beyond the

Amsterdam Ecological Structure, our

maintenance processes will be more

ecological and insect-friendly. We will

investigate the best ways to valuably

recycle organic material and organic

waste.

The growing interest in green space

and nature in the city is increasingly

being expressed through active in-

volvement. We support initiatives from

residents and organisations focusing

on the maintenance of parks, public

gardens or neighbourhood vegetable

plots. We are reserving € 1 million for

green space projects aimed at facili-

tating neighbourhood initiatives, edu-

cation, communication and awareness.

Partly on the basis of a data pro-

gramme which is to be established, it

will be possible to follow the state of

play on an annual basis regarding the

aims and actions of this Agenda and

the results of Green Funds projects.

A selection of projects that receive a

contribution from the Green Funds

will be evaluated. This will provide a

clearer view of the value of investment

in green space.

Orlyplein, not so long ago this was a concrete jungle. Now a green haven with plants, bulbs

and grasses. Attractive for nearby businesses, good for biodiversity and useful to help

Colophon

Green Agenda 2015-2018: Investing in the Amsterdammers garden

30 September 2015

This is a publication of the City of Amsterdam

Thanks to: all green partners, civil servants from municipal departments and

organizations who contributed to this agenda.

For more information on green in the city:

www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/what-to-do/nature