Combining abilities, creating synergies, enhancing performances Parks and Gardens in Spatial Development Policies North Rhine-Westphalia - A best practice case study This best practice case study is one of the seven to be compiled within Component 3 of the INTERREG IVC project Hybrid Parks (2012-2014). While two each have Content: their focus on social and environmental aspects, three Page 3: best practice case studies focus on economic aspects. This The Provision of Public Green in North study is one of those three with economic focus, in Rhine-Westphalia particular on the use of parks and gardens for spatial development policies in the German federal state of North Page 9: Rhine-Westphalia. International Building Exhibition Emscher Park (IBA) This case study was jointly agreed, commissioned and supervised by the four project partners in North Rhine- Page 13: Westphalia: REGIONALE in NRW ▪ Schloss Dyck Foundation Page 18: Jüchen; Coordinator: Jens Spanjer Emscher Landscape Park 2 ▪ State Chancellery North Rhine-Westphalia Düsseldorf; Coordinator: Wolfgang Rembierz Page 21: ▪ Rhineland Regional Council (LVR) State Garden Shows Köln; Coordinator: Roswitha Arnold Page 25: ▪ Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe (LWL) Federal Garden Shows Münster, Coordinator: Udo Woltering Page 27: The case study was written by: European Garden Heritage Network – Plan+, Gelsenkirchen, Christian Grüssen EGHN Page 29: Published in December 2012 Hybrid Parks INTERREG IVC Page 31: Photo Credits and Bibliography All best practice case studies and many other documents are available as downloads on: www.hybridparks.eu In the system of the Federal Republic of processes, such as in the Ruhr from about The Provision Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia is one 1820 to 1950, regional plans have been of Public Green of 16 federal states. With about 18 million agreed and provisions been taken to inhabitants in an area of approximately maintain the green corridors and public in North Rhine-Westphalia 34,000 km2, North Rhine-Westphalia green needed for air and water supply and (often called NRW) is not the largest transport infrastructures. At the same time German state, but the most populous. allotment gardens were given to the workers to balance their low income not There is a long tradition of the provision of always allowing them buying sufficient public green, urban parks, allotment and healthy food. Sites that have become gardens etc. in North Rhine-Westphalia (or derelict since then have often been its predecessor regions and states). transferred into green spaces here. Already in 1807 the first public parks, financed by citizens or associations, were Green urban squares create attractive established in Wuppertal and Aachen. housing areas with higher real estate Other urban parks followed in the middle prices and rents. Attractively designed and or late 19th century, e.g. in Essen and greened business districts help to attract 3 Bochum. companies even in flourishing capitals such as Düsseldorf or Cologne. The green Over this long period of time, parks and city as such profits from a better image gardens and other open spaces had to raising its competitiveness when investors serve a number of purposes and and high skilled employees chose their objectives. They all add to the locations. attractiveness of the municipality and to the wellbeing of their inhabitants, some Well designed and maintained green had or still have representative functions, public sites are much enjoyed and used by some fulfil educational or scientific citizens and visitors alike. But particularly objectives, e.g. the botanical gardens, and visitors from abroad often notice the high they all favour environmental needs such number of trees in the streets, not only as cleanliness of air, noise reduction, present on major avenues but also on reduction of temperature. smaller streets and squares in the historic centres, in business districts and housing Economic requirements and objectives areas. It is at the latest then, when they need to be mentioned too: Even in times ask how the care for public green is and areas of strong industrialisation organised. According to the political and administrative structure of Germany, based (among others) on the principles of federalism - with strong federal states, counties and municipalities (as a term including cities, towns etc.) with their own income (e.g. by taxes) and own budgets (e.g. for investments) - and subsidiarity, a matter ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest, or least centralized authority capable of addressing that matter effectively. Accordingly the development of and care for public green is a matter to be dealt with by the municipalities (cities, towns etc.). Two examples: of beddings changing in spring and organisations, dimensions, topography, summer and 400 flower pots on public traditions etc., local budgets cannot be squares etc. They produce their own compared definitely. But here are some 4 bulbs and cultivate about 600.000 indications: plants each year. A European project within the 5th Dortmund, a city of about 570.000 Framework Programme called URGE inhabitants too and located in the Ruhr (Development of Urban Green Spaces), area, reports 49% of its total area to be led by University Leipzig-Halle in open and green spaces. The Germany, proposed a reference value of management of this public green is in 2% of the total local budget to be used the responsibility of a division of the for the development and maintenance local building authority. About 800 of public green. It can be assumed that In Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia hectares (nearly 2.000 acres) urban this value has been true for many with 570.000 inhabitants, they consider the 200.000 parks and more than 120.000 trees municipalities only in times of tall trees (among them 69.000 along the streets) to be along 2.000 km of streets are to be economic wellbeing and might be a one of the dominating green elements in the city. maintained. target value to achieve. About 600 members of staff take care of the parks, graveyards, woods and other green spaces. Of those There are very few statistics about the The Gartenamtsleiterkonferenz GALK, about 210 staff members of the so-called Gartenamt costs for maintaining and about the an association of the heads of local authorities or divisions caring for the (garden authority), which exists for more than 130 investments for enhancing public green in years now, maintain (without using any chemical green in Germany, has published (on German cities. Moreover, due to different pesticides etc.) the public parks, including 9000 sq. m. www.galk.de: Heribert Eschenbruch; Kennzahlen für die Erstellung und Unterhaltung von ten years for a specific area and as a priority on enhancing nearby sites, many Grünanlagen; kennzahlen_eschenbruch_120529.pdf) promising way to integrate different of the balancing areas and measures are some indicative figures. According to their research policies. They include an analysis of the on distant public sites. the investment for a new average public green is situation, priorities for the area, measures between 20 and 70 Euro per square meter. The Often now, the management of public annual costs for maintaining a public green of to improve the situation and a financial open spaces and the care for the green 165.000 square meter with lawns, shrubs, pathways plan. etc. has been calculated with a total of 312.000 Euro has been organised in the form of more (including staff, machinery, materials etc.) respectively Funding of integrated urban development independent administrative units or 1,89 Euro per square meter. in NRW is based on the agreements made businesses. In these companies the in the „Leipzig Charta“, in particular municipality remains the unique or most inward development, climate protection important shareholders or partner, but the For some of their investments municipalities can apply for and energy saving, knowledge-based legal form allows a greater flexibility additional funding from the federal state, in particular economy of cities and integration. As a especially while acting on the market. from the Ministry for Building, Housing, Urban result, policy programmes agreed by the Development and Transport and the Ministry for Climate state government, include the support of Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation liveable cities, the enhancement of and Consumer Protection. housing districts or the green city in the 5 context of the mitigation of climate change. In 2012 the state gave a total of 181 million Euro additional funding to 141 cities and towns, of that 88 million Euro for 117 measures to revive city centres and historical centres and 93 million Euro for 60 projects devoted to „urban redevelopment“ and „social city“. Other sources for “green investments” are those obligatory payments to be made by people and companies who are allowed to use green sites for buildings, parking etc. To balance the negative effects of their But there is not much funding for “green as such”. As construction work, e.g. the sealing of with all other investments, an Integrated Local Action green areas, these payments are often Plan is an obligatory basis for funding by the state. Such used to enhance remaining green areas, plans need to define a comprehensive strategy for five to e.g. by planting trees. Even if there is a administering public tasks are hoped to experiencing the development of sites and save money by reducing the number of areas within the landscape and enhancing staff members, by paying lower wages to regional identity. All this adds to the new staff members or by generating appearance of a region, to the wellbeing higher income as well. This objective or of the people living there and to the strategy is also often pursued by international economic competitiveness. outsourcing some of the maintenance The preservation and creation of parks and work, such as mowing the green or cutting gardens will be a piece of the puzzle in trees, to private companies.