Prague reveals design plans for the Vltava Philharmonic Hall
The Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group won the international architectural competition
The award came from the European Arboricultural Council and it aims to honour local authorities and their sustainable practices for urban greenery
Today, Vienna received the European City of Trees award (ECOT) from the European Arboricultural Council, acknowledging the Austrian capital as a model for care in the domain of urban greenery. The Arboricultural Council also pointed to the city’s innovative knowledge-based approach for the improved adaptability of the urban environment in the face of climate change. They also held up Vienna as an outstanding example of good practices that other European cities can emulate.
The Vienna City Gardens department has a comprehensive package of measures to care for the city’s more than 500,000 trees. These include running an urban nursery, planting a biodiverse set of trees, centralised tree care teams, specialised young tree care and a strict tree protection law.
Another contributing factor to Vienna’s sustainable urban greenery policy is the innovative ‘sponge city’ concept. Tree soil in cities is scarce and highly compacted, with little oxygen and access to water. ‘Sponge city’ essentially means dedicating soil specifically for tree roots and diverting rainwater to them, rather than the sewer system.
This fixes multiple problems at once, like:
Urban trees are in a constant state of stress due to their interaction with streets, structures and vehicles, so Vienna City Gardens had to come up with an alternative for regular soil that can help provide more nutrients.
This is the Vienna tree substrate - a scientifically sound medium that can positively affect roots in an urban environment. The substrate consists of organic and mineral substances that guarantee improved water storage capacity and good ventilation.
City Councillor for Climate Jürgen Czernohorszky was quoted in a press release, saying: “The city gardeners make an important contribution every day to ensure that Vienna is the most liveable city in the world. To ensure that this remains the case in view of the effects of the climate crisis, our experts have taken innovative measures to make our urban trees climate-friendly. The sponge city principle, with which the city gardens create the best conditions for healthy and vital trees, is of particular importance."
The local community welcomed Ukrainians fleeing war with outstanding support
Belgium will now join a small club of countries empowering youth political participation – Austria, Greece and Malta
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
The Smart City Alliance has been quietly building functional tools for both citizens and authorities since 2016
Part of an ongoing trend among these institutions to increase convenience for users
Student teams will have 24 hours to come up with solutions for that issue
The Smart City Alliance has been quietly building functional tools for both citizens and authorities since 2016
The cities met last week in Katowice to draft a plan on how to facilitate cycling between their territories
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
It is renewing and introducing direct flight connections to attract visitors from the US, Middle East and Europe
The Catalonian capital’s society and the trajectory of its attitudes have been studied since 1998
The Finnish capital will hold ‘Entrepreneur Day for Women’ next month
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
An interview with Nigel Jollands and Sue Goeransson from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
An interview with the President of the City of Athens Reception & Solidarity Centre
A talk with the Mayor of Malmö on the occasion of the city’s UN Resilience Hub status