Urban Green Spaces: The city as a living system

In the context of climate change, land scarcity and social densification, the significance of urban green spaces is increasing. Rather than being decorative additions, they are now functional infrastructures that combine climate regulation, water management, biodiversity, and social interaction.
Design becomes the mediating factor between built space and nature in this context.

Green architecture, climate-adaptive open spaces and water-sensitive infrastructure all follow the same principle: nature is incorporated structurally from the outset, rather than being added on. Planted areas perform cooling functions, store and purify rainwater, create habitats and shape the spatial identity of a place at the same time. Urban green spaces therefore have an impact on ecological, social and aesthetic levels.

The Parc des Ateliers in Arles is a prime example of this approach. The landscape is part of the cultural repositioning of a former industrial site, where greenery is seen as supporting infrastructure rather than a backdrop. Over 80,000 plants come together to form a multi-layered landscape that improves air quality and the local climate, while also bringing the site to life as a public space. Rainwater is collected, stored and channelled through the site in a controlled manner. Vegetation plays a central role in cooling the area, regulating the water supply ecologically, and promoting biodiversity. The park revitalises the surrounding neighbourhood and acts as a connecting element between architecture, landscape and the public.

Another example of the connection between water, landscape and community can be seen in Karen's Minde Axis Park in southern Copenhagen, which was designed by the Danish landscape architecture firm Schønherr. This newly designed city park serves both as flood protection and as a public recreational area. During heavy rainfall, a lowered brick path acts as a temporary watercourse, directing large amounts of water into a retention basin.

However, it remains fully usable on a daily basis and can be crossed via small bridges. In close cooperation with the local population, existing uses were deliberately preserved, combining ecological adaptation with social continuity. Visible water flow, diverse planting and open accessibility bring the technical infrastructure to life as a designed urban space.

Even in highly densified urban contexts, existing infrastructure can open up new potential for green urban spaces. The Radbahn real-world laboratory test field in Berlin-Kreuzberg, designed by Fabulism+Nuko, has transformed an unused area beneath the nine-kilometre-long U1 subway viaduct into a covered green space for mobility and recreation. This combination of green infrastructure, sustainable mobility and social spaces creates a hybrid urban element that links ecological functions with everyday life in the city. Planted areas improve the microclimate and promote biodiversity, while the roofing provides protection and enables new uses. Design becomes a strategic tool here, transforming residual infrastructure areas into active components of urban space.

In addition to landscaped green spaces, the importance of green architecture is also growing. The Wonderwoods Vertical Forest in Utrecht, designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti in collaboration with MVSA, is a prime example of this trend. These two high-rise buildings incorporate around 300 trees and over 10,000 plants into their structure. The green balconies act as vertical gardens, improving air quality, providing sound insulation and creating new habitats at height. This approach takes the city further, not only horizontally, but also vertically, with architecture itself becoming a carrier of urban nature.

Together, these projects demonstrate that green urban spaces today must be understood as designed systems. They combine ecological performance with social use and architectural quality—and reveal how design can become the supporting infrastructure of a climate-resilient city.