Lesson 7: Sustainable urban green

Climate-friendly gardens and public green spaces

Green spaces, parks and trees are more than just beautiful places to linger - they are the "green heart" of a community. They improve the microclimate, provide shade, store water, filter pollutants and offer space for recreation, socialising and biodiversity. For cities and municipalities, this means ensuring quality of life for citizens and at the same time making a contribution to climate protection. However, many green spaces are ageing, require a lot of maintenance or are not climate-friendly. The challenge is therefore: sustainable refurbishment and upgrading. The use of recycled materials - for example for paths, play and sports areas - allows ecological, social and economic aspects to be combined. This creates green places that also offer future generations a healthy environment.

Sustainable municipal action for climate-friendly urban greenery:

Promotion of near-natural, climate-resilient green spaces with high biodiversity
Use of sustainable materials such as grass paving slabs or paving stones made from recycled materials
Integration of green spaces in urban planning for better air quality and temperature reduction
Involving the population in the planning and maintenance of green spaces
Consideration of accessibility and multifunctional use of green spaces

Roll film: Ideas for the liveable city of the future: climate-friendly green space design.

Administrative staff play a key role in the planning and implementation of sustainable green projects. They coordinate between specialised departments, external service providers and the public, monitor funding and ensure that ecological and social criteria are met. Their work ensures that urban greenery is not only beautiful, but also climate-resistant, user-friendly and sustainable.

Learning objectives of this lesson:

The importance of climate-friendly green spaces for the local climate and quality of life
Sustainable materials and innovative greening solutions
Requirements for the planning and maintenance of public and private green spaces
Utilisation of recycled products in gardening and landscaping
Involving citizens in sustainable green projects

Checklist: Green space planning in our municipality

Green spaces in cities and communities are more than just beautiful to look at - they improve the microclimate, provide a habitat for animals and plants, store water and counteract overheating in summer. However, not every green space is automatically sustainable or climate-friendly.

Learning objectiveYou will learn about the key criteria for sustainable, climate-friendly and future-orientated green space planning. They will be able to assess the current situation in their municipality and recognise potential for improvement.

You can use a checklist to see how well your municipality is positioned in terms of climate-friendly garden and green space planning.

TaskGo on a discovery tour in your municipality: take a close look at parks, public squares, street greening and other green spaces. Use the checklist to see whether relevant criteria for sustainable green space planning are being implemented in your municipality. Enter "Yes", "Partly" or "No" for each question. Add examples or ideas for improvement in the right-hand column.

At the end, write a short evaluation (approx. 100-150 words) with your most important observations and suggestions for improvement.

TipIf you wish, you can take photos to document your observations and use them later in a presentation.

Practical workshop: Grid tiles

Grass grid slabs - also known as grass honeycombs or grass pavers - are clever construction elements for paving surfaces without sealing them completely. They offer stability, allow water to seep away, prevent soil erosion and enable natural greening. A special variant is grass grid slabs made from recycled tyre rubber granulate with integrated fall protection - these combine ecological benefits with additional safety.

TaskAnswer the following questions (alone or in a team):

Where can grass paving slabs be used in your municipality?
What are the advantages of grass grid slabs made of tyre rubber granulate with fall protection
Compare concrete, plastic and tyre rubber granulate lawn grid slabs in terms of environmental friendliness, safety, service life and design options.
Which variant would you recommend to your municipality? (at least 80 words)

Typical areas of application for grass grid panels:

Car parks and access roads: stable, water-permeable
Paths & terraces: Natural look, no complete sealing
Embankments & slopes: erosion protection, greening possible
Playgrounds and sports facilities: fall protection in case of falls, visually appealing

Transfer task - The green city map

ScenarioYou are part of the urban planning team in your municipality. The city wants to transform a large, sealed area into a "green urban neighbourhood" - with trees, paths, play areas, seating and sustainable planting. Your task is to design a concept for a sustainable green space with climate-friendly paving.

Your orderDevelop a sustainable plan. Draw (by hand or digitally) a simple site plan for a sustainable, climate-friendly green space. Your plan should include:

Paths with sustainable paving
Seating and lounge areas
Tree population and plants (e.g. climate-resistant species)
At least one surface made of recycled material (e.g. fall protection floor made of rubber granulate)

Reference to the administration:

Which departments of your municipality would be involved in the implementation?

What tasks would you have as an administrative assistant in this project?

Check You should base your concept on the following criteria:

Ecology: Does rainwater seep away? Is heat reduced?
Social: Is there barrier-free access and quality of stay?
Economy: Are the materials durable and low-maintenance?

Discuss You then in the classroom:

What makes a green space sustainable?
What role does the choice of materials play?
How can the administration involve citizens?

Practical workshop: Sustainable paving of squares and paths

ScenarioYou work in your local authority's building department. The central square in front of the town hall is to be redesigned. Particular attention is to be paid to ecological criteria: good infiltration of rainwater, durable materials and the most positive carbon footprint possible. You are given the task of comparing different types of paving and preparing a recommendation.

TaskFind out about the advantages and disadvantages of the following types of plasters:

Concrete paving
Natural stone paving
Grass pavers
Ecological paving (permeable)
Plasters made from recycled material (e.g. rubber granulate)

Evaluate the following criteria in a table:

Ecological sustainability (e.g. raw material consumption, recyclability)
Durability and care requirements
Installation and flexibility
Visual design options
Functional properties (e.g. slip resistance, sound insulation, frost resistance)
Costs and profitability

Discuss which type of paving is best suited to different communal areas, e.g. footpaths, car parks, playgrounds or terraces. Use the table to justify your recommendations.

Reflection and discussionWhy are sustainable paving solutions, for example made from recycled rubber granulate, particularly interesting for local authorities? What challenges could arise during installation and maintenance? How can local authorities contribute to climate protection through a conscious choice of materials?

Quiz: Sustainable urban greenery

You can playfully test your knowledge of the advantages and possibilities of sustainable urban greening in a quiz. We have prepared ten questions. Several of the four alternative answers can be correct.

Task: Select the correct answer(s) for each of the ten questions. The quiz can be completed individually or in groups. Who is the urban green champion?

Certificate of participation for pupils and trainees

You can issue students and trainees with a certificate of attendance to document their successful participation in the eight lessons. The Free template for the certificate can be requested here without obligation.

Free sample pack with teaching material to accompany your lessons

To better convey the lesson content in class, you can free of charge and without obligation request a sample pack with material samples, information brochures and demo products.

The package contains samples of coloured rubber granulate, samples of high-quality recycled products made from tyre rubber granulate and a sample box with samples of sustainable floor coverings for roofs.

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