Our opinion of public green spaces has changed considerably in recent years. Greenery in public spaces should still be beautiful and pleasant, but there is increasing awareness of its multifunctional benefits. We have come to understand that greenery in our immediate surroundings is very important, and we should cherish it.
Scientific research has shown that greenery makes a significant contribution to improving our living environment. More and more often we must deal with hot, dry periods or short and heavy rainfall. Greenery cools and buffers, limiting or preventing damage. Biodiversity is under pressure. Incorporating a variety of greenery enables the built environment to increasingly provide an ecosystem where insects and animals feel at home. The value of greenery for our health and well-being is now indisputable. We feel better in a green environment. We move more, recover faster and make contact more easily.
These green benefits are increasingly being taken into account in policy-making and in the creation of spatial plans. In considering various national, regional, and local declarations and regulations the content of this publication is relevant to broad coalitions of policymakers, financiers, scientists, civil society organisations, creatives and green professionals. Important steps forward are made in securing greenery when this is incorporated at the beginning of the policy and development process. As a result, greenery is increasingly anchored in projects, and the green benefits through professional construction and management come to full fruition.
Industry association VHG took the initiative to develop these manuals The Living Public Space and The Living Building to demonstrate the development and application of greenery in cities with many inspiring examples.