Dutch city redraws its layout to combat global warming
The Dutch city of Arnhem has a plan to combat the effects of climate change aiming to reduce asphalt by 10% in the city and add green spaces.
2020 is marked as Europe's hottest year on record and a Copernicus report said that the continent was heating up faster than the global average. Arnhem sits 43 feet above sea level and has suffered serious flooding in recent years, while droughts have dried up its parks.
The city's plan will change its layout and focuses on protecting itself from the extremes of climate change, such as flooding and heatwaves. The city also said that €450,000 would be available in subsidies to residents or entrepreneurs who have an idea to make the city more resistant to heat, extreme flooding or drought over the next three years.
Arnhem has also drafted a Climate Adaptation Strategy which plans to replace 10% of the city’s asphalt with grass and other greenery within 10 years. The new greenry will help dissipate heat and improve the absorption of rainfall. The city aims to absorb 90% of rainwater into the soil and prevent it from reaching sewers.
Trees will be planted along roads to provide cover from the sun and sheltered “cooling down” areas, centered around ponds, will be constructed near public spaces. The city is also working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to limit the effects of climate change that are already happening. For example, a recent renovation has transformed social housing from the 1950s into zero-energy buildings that run on solar energy and heat pumps instead of fossil fuels.
The city encourages residents to join it in creating more green spaces, the city alderman Cathelijne Bouwkamp says: "Most of the city’s territory is not a public space, but private property. So, to motivate people to join us, we will subsidize neighborhood initiatives. This also has a social effect: more social cohesion and counteract loneliness."
“We must adapt to the climate change that is taking place now,”
2020 is marked as Europe's hottest year on record and a Copernicus report said that the continent was heating up faster than the global average. Arnhem sits 43 feet above sea level and has suffered serious flooding in recent years, while droughts have dried up its parks.
The city's plan will change its layout and focuses on protecting itself from the extremes of climate change, such as flooding and heatwaves. The city also said that €450,000 would be available in subsidies to residents or entrepreneurs who have an idea to make the city more resistant to heat, extreme flooding or drought over the next three years.
Arnhem has also drafted a Climate Adaptation Strategy which plans to replace 10% of the city’s asphalt with grass and other greenery within 10 years. The new greenry will help dissipate heat and improve the absorption of rainfall. The city aims to absorb 90% of rainwater into the soil and prevent it from reaching sewers.
Trees will be planted along roads to provide cover from the sun and sheltered “cooling down” areas, centered around ponds, will be constructed near public spaces. The city is also working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to limit the effects of climate change that are already happening. For example, a recent renovation has transformed social housing from the 1950s into zero-energy buildings that run on solar energy and heat pumps instead of fossil fuels.
The city encourages residents to join it in creating more green spaces, the city alderman Cathelijne Bouwkamp says: "Most of the city’s territory is not a public space, but private property. So, to motivate people to join us, we will subsidize neighborhood initiatives. This also has a social effect: more social cohesion and counteract loneliness."
“We must adapt to the climate change that is taking place now,”
