Amsterdam Green Infrastructure Vision 2050 A liveable city for people, plants, and animals Amsterdam Green Infrastructure Vision 2050 A liveable city for people, plants, and animals Foreword For many of Amsterdam’s residents, green spaces are of great value. Some people value being close to nature, while others simply love to relax in a park or have the opportunity to exercise and play outside. In some neighbourhoods, green areas are places for gathering and collective food production. At the same time, these spaces are home to the wildlife of the city. Green infrastructure is important for a pleasant and healthy living environment and it is essential to protect the city against increasing droughts, heat waves, and extreme rainfall. Green space is of vital importance for the city of Amsterdam. In a growing and densifying city where housing is in high demand and public space serves as our backyard, the creation, preservation, and maintenance of green spaces deserves our attention in order to guarantee that we can all continue to enjoy them. In this Green Infrastructure Vision there is increased focus on making green spaces more accessible. Green spaces contribute to a happy, healthy life and everybody should be able to enjoy green areas close to their home. Small parks, nature strips, trees around houses – places where on hot days everyone can take a break in the shade and benefit from the cooling effects of plants and trees. A short bike ride away, every resident should be able to reach one of the many city parks, an urban forest, or the surrounding landscape. We also envision a new urban forest to significantly increase the number of trees and wildlife habitats in Amsterdam. We also must not forget to include vegetation on and around buildings. A concrete city is an unliveable city. There are so many opportunities on roofs and façades, as well as in private gardens and yards. With more plants and trees, we can create a more beautiful, healthier, and cooler city with lots of opportunities for wildlife to thrive, thus ensuring greater biodiversity. With this vision for Amsterdam’s green infrastructure, I want to ensure a good balance between plants and bricks, nature and leisure, people and animals. I hope that business owners, schools, developers, and Amsterdam citizens will be inspired to partake in the greening of the city. May all our efforts lead to a city in 2050 where all Amsterdam citizens – people, plants, and animals – can lead a good life. Laurens Ivens Deputy Mayor responsible for Green and Public Space A liveable city for people, plants, and animals 3 What is the Amsterdam Green Infrastructure Vision 2050? This is the vision of the City of Amsterdam Amsterdam. In 2022 the administrative The Amsterdam on the role of urban green and nature in the merger with the City of Weesp is planned. Green Infrastruc- city, now and in the future. Many residents At that time, the strategies and policies ture Vision 2050 and organisations were consulted during of both cities will be merged into a single demonstrates how the process of developing this vision. The Strategy on Spatial Planning and the important nature City is responsible for this vision and its Environment (Omgevingsvisie) and a single and green areas realisation. To achieve this, we will use the Zoning Plan (Omgevingsplan). Due to are for life in the principles formulated in Chapter 2 when- the bureaucratic merger that has already city, and how we ever we execute projects, make policies, taken place, civil servants from both cities will continue to plan maintenance, prioritise resources, are already collaborating extensively on improve green or collaborate with residents, community green infrastructure policy. It has already infrastructure organisations, businesses, and institutions. been agreed that the green structure and liveability for The Green Infrastructure Vision is also an of Weesp will be integrated into the people, plants, impetus to organise and allocate funds for Main Green Structure of Amsterdam and animals. new green spaces and the improvement of (see Chapter 4). existing green spaces. Furthermore, this vision is intended to encourage and inspire Development of the vision residents, businesses, community organi- sations, and institutions to work together Green space is a subject that many Amster- with the municipality towards a green city. dam citizens care about, especially the Sometimes the principles proposed are not preservation of parks, trees, and allot- immediately applicable in every situation. ments spark the engagement of residents Often a major shift in methods or mentalities and community organisations. Besides the is required. Step by step we are working people who use the city’s green space, toward this transformation. To be able to there are people responsible for maintain- take the necessary steps, an implementation ing it – gardeners, different organisations programme will be developed every 5 years, and private owners. What do all of these based on this Green Infrastructure Vision. different people think of green space and infrastructure in Amsterdam, and what The Amsterdam Green Infrastructure Vision opportunities for improvement do they 2050 is one of the building blocks for the see? These have been leading questions Amsterdam Strategy on Spatial Planning during the development of this vision. and the Environment (Amsterdamse On top of that, we also wanted to get a Omgevingsvisie). It also serves as input for better understanding of the needs and the regional Urbanisation Strategy of the wishes of people who do not yet enjoy or Metropolitan Region Amsterdam. The engage with green space in the city. To get Amsterdam Strategy on Spatial Planning answers, we organised open conversations and the Environment will present a vision with the city at large – from residents to of Amsterdam in the year 2050 and explain bureaucrats, schools to community organi- how that vision can be achieved. Issues such sations, the invitation was open. as green infrastructure, mobility, sustain- able energy systems, affordable housing, In addition to these participatory events, and social safety will be considered in con- this document includes the results of a junction with one another. green survey, responses from members of several green organisations and the evaluation of the municipal subsidy scheme Amsterdam and Weesp for community gardens. Also, several The Green Infrastructure Vision is focused sessions were organised on ecology, on the current territory of the City of climate adaptation and health. 4 Amsterdam Green Infrastructure Vision 2050 Summary The Green Infrastructure Vision imagines The green will evaluate if the urban design matches our how Amsterdam, as a green and biodiverse infrastructure green policy goals and if maintenance and city, will develop from now until 2050. permeating the management will be feasible. Thus, more Amsterdam is a beautiful city full of green city is a major plants and trees will meet the eye in places areas and it will only become more beautiful. contributor to where it is needed, both in public space and We imagine a city for living, working, and its liveability. on private property. It will also improve the leisure. Public spaces will be shared among Green areas are quality of public spaces in areas that already increasing numbers of residents and visitors connected to have some greenery. The experience of yet remain pleasant and inviting. We see each other, both Amsterdam as a green city will be even ample opportunities for animals and plants in public space stronger by 2050, starting with vegetation to thrive, and for people to enjoy them. Due and on private on or against buildings and extending into to the urban challenges of densification, new property. the surrounding metropolitan landscape. housing projects, changing mobility, and We will continue to develop this green infra- sustainable energy, public space is getting structure in both public and private outdoor crowded with more functions and people. spaces, building upon existing value and At the same time, the desire to have access extending wherever possible, while ensuring to quality green spaces close to home is the green quality of Amsterdam. increasing among Amsterdam citizens. Con- sidering the many benefits of urban green, We will indicate the steps we need to take we must not let urban development take its throughout the city for each different type toll on green spaces and their qualities. The of green space. We will be adding green aim is to increase the amount of green in- space to the city on roofs and façades, frastructure wherever possible and to make along streets and on squares, and we better use of existing green areas. will create new urban parks and an urban forest. Existing green infrastructure will be improved to be more attractive for The value of urban green space people and animals by increasing its value Green space offers crucial benefits for the for nature, health, social well-being, and health and social well-being of the people climate adaptation. Ways we are doing this of Amsterdam. Furthermore, it offers relief include removing pavements in residential during heat waves, counters the urban heat courtyards, increasing the distinct charac- island effect, and buffers rainwater during ter of different urban parks, and develop- cloudbursts – essential aspects of a climate ing landscape parks in the metropolitan resilient city. Plus, urban green spaces con- landscape surrounding the city. tribute to higher biodiversity. Simply put, green spaces make a city better – happier Community engagement: collabo- and healthier living environments, socially rating with Amsterdam citizens and ecologically stronger neighbourhoods, and generally a more sustainable city. For We invest in citizens that want to help this reason, we are creating a city where increase green areas in the city by, for more natural elements can be experienced example, co-managing green public space – a city with enough green space for every- or creating a community vegetable garden.