Last week, the University of Tartu Centre for Sustainable Development held a discussion evening titled “Densifying cities are eating away at their green heart. What is the cost?”, which was also attended by Oliver Kalda from our Landscape Biodiversity Group.
Discussion evening.
Together with Elo Kiivet, Jiří Tintěra and Tuul Sepp, solutions were sought for densifying cities while preserving urban greenery.
Interesting ideas from the discussion:
School and kindergarten outdoor areas could be much more diverse and natural. A study conducted in Finland shows that when forest soil and vegetation were introduced to a previously hard-surfaced kindergarten yard, children’s immune systems, microbiomes, and overall health improved. Their play also became more creative and diverse.
Urban greenery is important not only for humans. It provides habitats for birds, animals, and soil microorganisms, and also serves as a green network that allows them to move through the city and avoid becoming trapped in urban environments.
Green spaces in cities can serve multiple purposes at once. In addition to being pleasant recreational areas, they can act as flood buffers, provide habitats for wildlife, and offer children opportunities to interact with water, soil, and grass while learning to understand and appreciate nature. Even a street can function as a green corridor if it is well designed.
Listen the discussion evening (in Estonian) here.