Singapore ★★★

Singapore is by far the best practice for innovative green cities globally.

By 2030, Singapore aims at  reaching 80 percent of the Green Mark, including reducing energy use and carbon emissions. Part of the plan is to go green.

Why is Singapore the Global Champion No 1?

The city planners and politicians all have the political will and a maximum of creativity to make it the ultra-green city of tomorrow.

Benchmark is livable density with innovative design.

Singapore is planning the future green city in one grand design concept. With convenience, variety, and opportunity.

80 percent of the population live in public flats, with one million managed by the Housing and Development Board. They are not rundown, simple, grey and dull, but well done, clean and green. Green make them more livable.

Singapore proves all cities can be made green and livable.

Important are equitable access to amenities and as well affordable housing. As well as capable instructions and public-private partnerships with creativity and long-term modern planning. And the will to go green with a grand design. This way all cities can forge a stable and lucky society.

New York City ★★★

The NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice has a convincing and innovative green strategy, one of the best globally. It includes:

A first heat resiliency plan. The Cool Neighborhoods NYC is a set of strategies and programs with almost $100 million investments.

More and better parks for all with the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks). Working to advance equity and access to parks, with a goal of 85 percent of New Yorkers within walking distance of a park by 2030. NYC Parks launched the Walk to a Park Initiative.

The Community Parks Initiative (CPI) strengthening the utility of parks and public space in under-resourced and growing neighborhoods. With $300 million invested to rebuild 67 underinvested parks, improving and greening 70 acres of parkland and the quality of life for nearly half a million people who live within a walk of these parks.

The Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC) to develop the Forest Management Framework, a 25-year roadmap to restore and take care of the agency’s 7,300 acres of forested natural areas.

The MillionTreesNYC initiative to plant new and care for one million new trees. This initiative expanded the city’s urban forest by 20 percent. Nearly a quarter million new trees have been planted through NYC Parks since 2016. The agency currently plants about 16,000 to 18,000 street and park trees and 16,000 trees in natural areas per year. 850,000 trees are catalogued in the innovative New York City Tree Map.

The innovative High Line Park. A former freight rail line was transformed into a public park on Manhattan’s West Side.

New York has spent $8 billion in constructing more natural systems that absorb, delay, and treat stormwater where it falls (green infrastructure) as well as traditional systems that move stormwater to central treatment (grey infrastructure).

To manage heavy rainfall, the city is constructing over 11,000 new curbside rain gardens, 1,500 greened acres, and has added over 660,000 square feet of porous surfaces to our streets and sidewalks.

Milano ★★

Milan has given the world two beautiful, impressive green skyscrapers easy to duplicate. Encompassing 800 trees, 5,000 bushes and 1,500 plants of 80 species.

Every city should now design similar buildings like the Bosco Verticale.

Utrecht ★★

The vision and mission of this Dutch city is impressive. It not only features  300 innovative green bus stops, but focuses on a healthy life in an urban environment. Open-minded for experiments and new ideas.

Paris ★★

33 Parisian companies and public organizations signed the “Objective 100 hectares” charter in 2016. 41 more joined in 2017. They pledged to work with the Paris municipality to develop urban agriculture and vegetation initiatives aimed at planting vines, climbers and shrubs on the roofs, facades and walls of buildings, as well as areas for food production. 75 projects have been promoted in this way.

Barcelona ★

Barcelona wants to build no less than 503 superblocks (‘superilles’). They combine up to nine blocks of houses. Traffic is limited there. New parks, flowers and trees invite the people.

Düsseldorf ★

41,370 square metres covered with a stair-shaped facade with eight kilometers of 30,000 green hornbeam hedges is Europe’s largest green façade.

Impressive and just in the center- the Kö-Bogen II is a best practice for any city.

Hamburg ★

This German Hanseatic city creates 7,600 square meters of public green and community space. In addition, 1,400 square meters of façade space and an approximately 300-meter-long “mountain path” along the outside will be greened. From a war-time bunker to a green oasis.