Vital greenery sometimes requires less management

Our city is becoming increasingly green. We are greening squares and streets, in neighborhoods and in the city center. And a green city requires managing all that greenery. When I cycle to City Hall in the morning, I always look at how the city is doing. Sometimes I see damaged plants in flower beds because bicycles have been parked there, or trees damaged during an event. I report this because I believe our city center should always look tidy. This also applies outside the center, although the word ‘neat’ is open to debate. More on that later.

Climate Log. Read previous installments here.

Greenery is much more than just decoration in our city. It is an essential building block for a healthy, livable, and future-proof environment. We now have new agreements for the management of green spaces in the city center and neighborhoods. This so-called Green Management Framework is an essential step not only in keeping our green spaces clean, intact, and safe, but also in enabling them to actively contribute to climate adaptation, biodiversity, health, and identity.

Vital green spaces provide habitat for insects, birds, and many other animals. They protect us from heat and flooding and, not unimportantly, contribute to our residents' well-being.

Less mowing

What does that look like? The city center must always be neat and clean. In the future, we will no longer see many manicured lawns and short verges in the neighborhoods, but more tall grass and flowers. Especially in the parks. Not in places where people play, or where there are benches or a game of cricket is being played, but we will mow less often.

This will take some getting used to for our residents, because tall grass looks different from a neatly mowed field. I sometimes hear that this is a cost-cutting measure. That is not true. It is actually an investment in nature. In this way, we live together in a city where greenery really works, for everyone.

I therefore invite you to take a look at the green spaces in our city with this perspective in the new year. Really look, and who knows, you might see a beautiful bird, a special insect, or a fat hedgehog.