Green and design statutes
- The city of Aachen is to become greener and has introduced new green and design statutes to this end.
- The new statutes are intended to improve climate protection and the quality of life in the city and provide investors with clear rules.
- It regulates the green design of parking and storage areas as well as flat roofs.
The city of Aachen should become greener. This could be the title of the City of Aachen's green and design statutes. The city council adopted it in summer 2017 and it has been officially in force since September 2017. "We are convinced that this is another important step towards improving climate protection and the quality of life in the city, while at the same time not placing an unreasonable burden on investors," said Dr. Markus Kremer, Head of the Environment Department.
With the new bylaws, the city is responding to the fact that more and more areas in the city are being built on and thus sealed. These include, above all, parking lots or storage areas of commercial enterprises, which in previous years could be built without trees or shrubs. The areas heat up very much on hot days, there is no shade to be found anywhere, they look loveless and off-putting. Trees and shrubs, on the other hand, provide cooling, which would do the built-up city good, and they beautify the built environment.
But that's not all. There are many flat roofs in the city that have rarely been greened up to now. This is also set to change with the city of Aachen's new green and design statutes. Green flat roofs provide a habitat for small creatures, have a positive impact on the microclimate and also help to cool down overly hot urban spaces.
The new bylaws stipulate that trees and shrubs must also be planted in parking lots and storage areas and that flat roofs must be greened from what size onwards. The rules apply to all private and public construction projects.
In future, every building application in Aachen will be checked to see whether the surface of the flat roof is large enough to require a green roof. Parking spaces will be measured to determine whether, and if so, how many trees and shrubs need to be planted in relation to the number of parking spaces planned. Storage areas must be adequately greened.