According to the ranking of the Dutch travel agency TravelBird, Bratislava is the third greenest city in the world. This information resonated in the Slovak media in 2018. Due to its location between the Danube and the Little Carpathian massif, the capital is surrounded by forests that positively affect the lives of its inhabitants. However, does this also apply to the inner city of the urbanized part of the city? Here, due to the lower amount of greenery, emphasis should be placed mainly on its quality. Experts agree that there is room for change for the better in Bratislava.
According to Eurostat data, 39 percent of the population of the European Union lives in a city, and this percentage will continue to grow. Even the pandemic and the need for social distancing did not stop the trend of urbanization, and experts are therefore increasingly concerned with the quality of life in cities. Greenery is also related to its increase, not only its quantity, but also its quality and systematic development.
Greenery in the city fulfills important roles
“Green infrastructure in cities has many positive effects on the environment and, in turn, on the inhabitants of cities,” clarifies the issue of landscape architect Ing. Peter Pasečný from studio 2ka. “In addition to environmental impacts, such as improving air quality, it increases air humidity, lowers temperature, and its economic impact is also important, where vegetated areas indirectly increase the value of the surroundings and even directly support employment.”
Quality urban greenery reduces the cost of cooling the interiors of buildings and, by improving air quality, also reduces the cost of treating respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. With the growing level of scientific knowledge and the increasingly significant effects of climate change on air temperature, the need to increase the amount of greenery in the overall infrastructure of the city and to approach it strategically and with regard to quality is growing. General requirements for urban greenery are regulated by the city’s spatial plan, but it is up to all actors of urban planning to meaningfully apply these regulations in practice and bring high-quality green public spaces. Who are these actors and what are their responsibilities in the process of planting and developing natural areas in the city?
Panorama Park
Development of greenery in the hands of developers
“Unlike in Western Europe, in Slovak conditions it is not the state or the city, but private investors who have the most significant share in the development of the city’s infrastructure. Greenery is one of the important factors that a developer must take into account,” says Martin Stohl, architect and ESG manager of J&T Real Estate (JTRE). According to him, a prerequisite for a successful project is, in addition to the location or architecture, a pleasant, healthy and green environment well connected to the rest of the city.
The relationship between the city management and developers, who are most actively involved in its growth and development, is key in the creation of green public spaces for all its residents. The model for Bratislava can be the nearby Vienna, with which it shares many similar attributes. Both are riverside cities on a European river surrounded by forests. In the capital of Austria, they have a long-term conceptual approach to the management of greenery and green areas.
“I see the passport of green areas, the identification of valuable areas or the vegetation elements themselves, their preservation and high-quality maintenance as important aspects of success when working with greenery in the city,” continues architect Peter Pasečný.
Greenery is not only trees
The selection of trees in the design of green areas is an important success factor. “We have to take into account not only the aesthetic appearance, but also functionality and sustainability. When choosing, we take into account trees that are resistant to diseases and pests and are adapted to local conditions,” says the architect, who participated in the design of the green areas of the largest projects in Bratislava.
“Depending on the typology of the given territory, we prefer either domestic woods or introduced ones, which have been proven over the years. Biodiversity in green areas is important for supporting local fauna and flora and maintaining ecological systems.”
However, planting trees is not the only way to improve air quality and use the benefits of greenery in the urban environment. Green roofs or facades are becoming more and more popular, thanks to which architects can also work with built-up areas and thus increase the amount of greenery in a given area.
“Greenery around the building, on its roof, facade and in the interior can fundamentally improve the overall perception of architecture, create a more productive and healthier place to work,” explains Martin Stohl. “Other benefits of greenery should also be mentioned. For example, it effectively balances temperature extremes in the exterior and thus helps to save money for cooling in summer and heating in winter.” Energy efficiency and sustainability are also important criteria in the ecological certification of buildings, which evaluates the overall impact of construction and operation on nature.
Nové Lido, Tree Nursery JTRE
Invasive greenery
A separate chapter of care for greenery in cities is the removal of invasive tree species. The capital city considers their removal to be a necessary part of the care of urban greenery. It states on its website:
“This legal obligation has been neglected for a long time, which is why the removal of an invasive species today often means cutting down a perennial tree that the residents have become accustomed to. In fact, these species are extremely harmful. Thanks to their extremely fast growth and vitality, they spatially oppress the surrounding vegetation and desirable types of urban greenery, destroy building facades and roads. Glandular aspen trees, ash-leaved maple trees and Japanese buckwheat bushes are the most widespread invasive trees in Bratislava. Due to their toxicity, they are harmful not only to our native tree species and their habitats, but also to humans and animals.”
Strict felling rules
The very cutting down of trees in the city in order to free up space for construction falls under a complicated process, which in layman’s terms can be summed up in one rule: For each cut down tree, a new one must be planted, or its social value must be compensated to the municipality.
During the permit procedure, each request to cut down a tree is subject to strict assessment from several points of view. After processing the inventory, the investor submits an application with a justification for the felling, which actors, including the public, can comment on during the felling procedure. The trees will be checked and the participants will make comments, for which the investor will prepare additional documents. If, according to the competent authority, no obstacle has arisen during this stage and other conditions are met, the applicant can proceed with felling.
By felling, the investor undertakes to replace the so-called the social value of the tree, which is determined by the relevant authority, either by planting the same value of trees on their land or city land, or by paying this value in the form of a fee. In many projects, older, often unsatisfactory, unhealthy or invasive trees are replaced with high-quality ones that fit into the local environment and fulfill tasks in the field of temperature regulation and air purification. The so-called generational exchange of greenery, when old trees, which were often planted unconceptually and without emphasis on longevity or biodiversity, are replaced by high-quality trees that increase the value of the surrounding public space.
The certificate proves the ecological contribution of the project
According to a 2022 survey by MN Force for JTRE, 45 percent of employees surveyed prefer to work in office buildings with ecological certificates. Green roofs and terraces are important for 53 percent of respondents. This is also why modern business parks and multifunctional districts have the ambition to obtain certification from the companies BREEAM, LEED or WELL. These awards increase the prestige of the premises and the interest of large employers in these premises. A high-quality and healthy work environment attracts talented employees and increases work efficiency.
Emphasis on efficiency
A systematic approach and work with the development of green areas in the city can significantly increase the quality of life of its residents and the interest of employers and tourists. The surroundings of Bratislava offer many possibilities for spending free time in the forests, but in the center and built-up surroundings there are fewer opportunities for recreation in nature. The city should therefore use every opportunity to create new high-quality and efficient parks and green urban districts. Their importance and need are confirmed by air quality statistics and the average air temperature, which regularly rises from year to year.
The inspiration for the capital can be the just mentioned Vienna. Worthy of mention is the tree cadastre, in which experts record the condition of every tree on the city’s land, or the tree planting and care manual, which clearly defines suitable species for the city and how to care for them. Not only quantity, but also quality, durability and resistance to pests are key parameters that many green spaces in Bratislava do not meet. Hope can bring a conceptual approach that sets clear requirements for investors and creates conditions for the development of public spaces in which there will be a place for services, recreation and a better quality of life in a cleaner and cooler atmosphere. Good cooperation between the public, local government and urban developers can bear fruit in the form of higher quality development of green infrastructure in Bratislava.