What will the city of the future look like? - Interview with Prof. Dr. Dagmar Haase

Dagmar Haase and her team at Berlin's Humboldt University and the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig conduct research into urban and landscape ecology. For the GaLaBau blog, she takes a look at the future of the city. She shows in which cities around the world the vision of a green city is already being implemented, what Germany could adopt from this and what important role GaLaBau companies play in this.

 

The city of the future is above all: green!

Professor Haase, what do you see as the biggest challenges when it comes to making cities fit for the future?
Dagmar Haase: In terms of Central European cities, I see challenges in terms of increasing density, traffic regarding climate change and the health and well-being of their residents. It will also increasingly be a question of greater justice: in the distribution of living space, access to open spaces, greenery, water, gardens, and clean air. Respiratory diseases such as asthma have already increased enormously. In addition, people are getting older and older, and loneliness is increasing in cities.

"I hope that cities will bring people together again in the future."

What do you think the city of the future should look like?
Dagmar Haase: A city of the future needs lots of green spots and water features. Green roofs and facades save space and clean the air, and multi-storey wooden buildings are on the rise. I also hope that cities will bring people together more in the future. After all, a city is not just a built environment, but above all a living environment.
In future, people will live and work more often in multi-generational buildings. Daycare centers and retirement homes could be networked in the same way as workshops and educational institutions. "Co" is becoming increasingly important: co-working, co-creation, co-design, co-management. If we pool existing strengths more strongly, we could counteract the current centrifugal forces.

"It will increasingly be about greater equity: in the distribution of living space, access to open spaces, greenery, water, gardens and clean air."

Search for best practice examples not only in Europe

You work internationally with your research team. What lighthouse projects have you come across?
Dagmar Haase: Sometimes we think we've come a long way in Europe. That's true, but others have long since overtaken us. Singapore, for example, is a megacity and is considered a biophilic city. There, so-called Park Connectors provide access to green spaces and parks everywhere. Although the population there is growing rapidly, the amount of green space per inhabitant has also increased significantly. This is not the case everywhere in Europe.

Now, such concepts cannot be transferred one-to-one, as we have more individualistic societies and different negotiation processes due to our forms of government. Nevertheless, we should all take a greater interest in the common good again. Another example is Barcelona, which used to be a dirty, overcrowded city. With the concept of superilles , or superblocks, traffic-free apartment blocks with cafés and green spaces for residents to meet have been created in old industrial districts. A superblock project is also currently being considered in Leipzig. Leipzig residents can also sponsor trees - a cool idea! After all, the Baumstarke Stadt campaign strengthens people's relationship with their surroundings.

In Vienna, backyard gardens are being connected by removing the fences between properties. This creates larger green spaces with recreational areas and playgrounds. I also think Copenhagen, with its almost 10,000 square meters of green roof and many other green roofs, is an outstanding example. Europe is already very innovative. Nevertheless, we should always look outside the box to get new inspiration.

Animals and plants also need undisturbed habitats in cities

The city of the future will be a compact 15-minute city. Then people will be able to do more on foot. Even today, over 50 percent of adults, as well as many children, are too fat. The city of the future will need less space for traffic, people will switch to public transport and bicycles. Where there are parking spaces today, there could be trees and small green spaces with benches. Ultimately, it will be about good coexistence - from person to person, from nature to person and from nature to nature. Because wild animals also need habitats in the city.

"Wild animals also need habitats in the city."

What approaches do you already see today to make cities future-proof?
Dagmar Haase: On the one hand, there is the smart city approach. By that I mean a city of information. All residents should have equal access to it. But smart city also means, for example, decentralized energy supply, where people decide for themselves where they get the energy they need, for example from self-sufficient community power plants, solar or biogas plants. Citizens are called upon to play an active role in this, i.e. to share their knowledge with each other in the spirit of citizen science.

Citizen science - what is it?
Citizen science describes the participation of civil society in scientific processes. Participation can range from the collection of data to the intensive use of free time to delve into a research topic together with scientists.

Green and blue infrastructures will become increasingly important in the future

A second approach is the biophilic city, where everything is covered with a "green patina". Here, nature is accommodated in various forms: green roofs, green facades, green spots, green balconies on almost all apartments. Active green maintenance of gardens and balconies could perhaps be included in rental contracts in future.

A third approach is the sponge city and concerns the use of water in conjunction with green concepts and modern technologies. Instead of sealing soils everywhere, gravel and sand are used as porous elements. This is because they offer autochthonous infiltration possibilities. Interrupted stone slabs or grass pavers also allow rainwater to seep away and evaporate again, thus promoting circular water movement.

The biophilic city
The term biophilia goes back to the social psychologist Erich Fromm, who presented the concept of biophilia in 1973 as "the passionate love of life and all living things". The concept was taken up by Edward O. Wilson in the 1980s. As a biologist, he focused on an innate human interest or fundamental connection to nature and all living things. In biophilic cities, nature is given plenty of space to enable a close relationship with the residents. This also includes the quick accessibility of these natural spaces. Professor Tim Beatley from the University of Virginia has founded the Biophilic Cities Network to promote this goal globally.

"A city of the future needs lots of green spots and water features."

Some of these approaches are already being implemented. How can landscaping companies position themselves even better in the future?
Dagmar Haase: GaLaBau companies already have a great deal of knowledge. I would like them to contribute this even more actively, for example by making their expertise more visible to the public, at least at a local level. Politicians also have a role to play here. For example, experts from the landscaping sector could be involved in development plans right from the start instead of at the end of the planning process. Landscape gardeners should seek out exchanges with garden owners and urban communities, for example at trade fairs such as GaLaBau.

"Ultimately, it will be about good cooperation - from person to person, from nature to person and from nature to nature."

About the person
Dagmar Haase is Professor of Urban and Landscape Ecology at the Humboldt University of Berlin. She is also a visiting scientist at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig. Her focus is on urban systems analysis. Together with her team, she investigates urban ecosystem services, green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in cities. Together, they conduct research on biodiversity and urban resilience, using field data, remote sensing data, geographic information systems and citizen science. The team works with scientists around the world on issues related to biodiversity, biodiversity loss, the state of ecosystems and the drivers that change them. The team also conducts research on the effects of climate change in cities, particularly in relation to human and natural health.