Zurich has revised its Green Book earlier than originally planned. The previous edition, published in 2019, was intended to cover the period to 2030. The update presented on 12 November brings together planning frameworks developed in the meantime: heat reduction, urban trees, urban nature and the Stadtgrün programme. It provides Grün Stadt Zürich, the municipal green-space organisation, with an updated framework for its long-term work. [1]
A shared direction across different responsibilities
As an overarching framework, the Green Book sits alongside more detailed specialist plans. Those plans contain targets and implementation steps approved by the City Council. The city’s overview also places rainwater management and access to open spaces in this context. Rain should, wherever possible, infiltrate locally, evaporate or be available to plants. For individual neighbourhoods, the relevant question is consequently not only the size of a park, but also its connections and its effect on the surrounding built environment. [2]
Cooling depends on connected spaces
The heat-reduction plan has three aims: limit overheating across the city, relieve particularly affected areas, and preserve the system through which cool air reaches urban districts. Sensitive locations include densely developed areas with schools or facilities for older people. New or improved green spaces and suitable walking routes are intended to make cooler places accessible. Cool air flowing down from surrounding slopes at night also has a role. [3]
For everyday life, this creates a shared planning task: shade, comfortable outdoor spaces and routes to cooler places need to be considered together. Heat reduction therefore also concerns access to suitable places to spend time. [3]
The existing programme runs to 2035
The Stadtgrün programme provides one framework for implementation and is scheduled to run until 2035. Its CHF 130 million framework credit was approved in the referendum of 3 September 2023. The programme covers city-owned spaces, support for private property owners, properties belonging to municipal enterprises, and research and pilot projects. Private owners can obtain free initial advice and an assessment of opportunities for greening their property. The updated strategy connects these existing instruments within a common direction. [4]