Report: Regenerative neighbourhoods
Sweco study reveals potential for 42% increase in urban green-blue areas across 22 European cities
As cities grow and densify, they tend to lose green-blue areas and biodiversity, this is also harming essential ecosystem services that people rely on. Applying regenerative design principles not only enables these spaces to expand but also creates healthier environments for people and supports more diversity in nature.
Urban development often focuses on densification, which poses challenges for maintaining green infrastructure and biodiversity, leaving them even more exposed to pollution, flooding, heatwaves and other effects of climate change.
To counteract this trend, we need to shift toward regenerative design—an approach that addresses environmental challenges while integrating environmental health, economic vitality and social equity to create inclusive and sustainable urban environments.
Considering the essential role of urban blue-green spaces in supporting nature and ecosystems, the new EU Nature Restoration Law aims to prevent any net loss of green urban space and tree cover by 2030, with a steady increase targeted thereafter.
“The decline of biodiversity is progressing at an alarming rate and scale, triggering a chain reaction. This also threatens the essential ecosystem services that citizens rely on, such as clean water and air and pollinating crops,”
Tobias Nauwelaers, a Sweco expert in nature restoration and urban ecology, and one of the authors of the report.
How can cities lead the way towards resilience?
Cities face environmental challenges due to exploitation of natural environments, high resource consumption and pollution. A regenerative design approach views cities not in isolation but as part of a larger ecological whole. In a regenerative neighbourhood, natural and social systems are integrated as equal partners. As cities continue to grow, adopting regenerative principles can transform urban spaces.
This Sweco study reveals that green-blue urban areas currently cover 133,262 hectares in total across the 22 cities surveyed—an area equivalent to the Faroe Islands or half of Luxembourg. However, the study also indicates the potential for an increase of up to 42%, adding 56,290 hectares, which is comparable to 400 Hyde Parks or 500 Tallinn city centres.
Figures from the report
Sweco has studied 22 cities: Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bergen, Berlin, Brno, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Krakow, London, Munich, Oslo, Prague, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Tallinn, Tampere, Vilnius and Warsaw.
Tampere, Bergen and Oslo have potential to become among Europe’s greenest cities, while other cities in the study would need to take additional measures to meet the “30 percent green guideline“.
- Tampere, 52% increase in green-blue cover
- Bergen, 34% increase green-blue cover
- Oslo, 37% increase green-blue cover
Looking at the aggregated numbers, all 22 cities have the collective potential to include more green-blue in the built environment.
Analysing 22 European cities’ potential for expanding urban green-blue areas
the study shows that all cities combined could go from 133,262 to 189,552 hectares of green-blue area.
+56,290 extra hectare of green-blue in the built environment
A 42% increase in green-blue surface area.
A city is a place where diverse interests must coexist, often in a small area.
Designed using regenerative principles, these enhanced urban spaces can provide benefits such as increased carbon capture, improved air quality, cooler city temperatures and better public health, according to the study.
The 3-30-300 rule for urban forestry and greener cities states that every home should have a view of at least three trees, every neighbourhood should have a tree canopy cover of 30%, and every home should be situated within 300 metres of a park or green space that covers at least one hectare.
Implementing the 3+30+300 greening guideline can lead to significant cost savings, such as reduced cooling and air conditioning demands and lower public healthcare expenses due to healthier lifestyles. This guideline is versatile and can be applied across various scales, from urban regions to individual neighborhoods, as well as specific sites like hospitals and schools.
Cecil Konijnendijk, founder, Nature Based Solutions Institute.
Integrating green-blue infrastructure to cities offers a promising approach to address urban issues related to nature and biodiversity, pollution, resource management and climate change. This infrastructure can support ecosystems and enhance urban resilience.
However, green-blue infrastructure alone is not sufficient to develop sustainable and resilient urban environments.
Regenerative design actively enhances both natural and social systems. In this report, experts identify nine key elements for creating regenerative neighbourhoods, highlighting the importance of integrating green-blue spaces and involving local communities.
