The green corridors, forests or vineyards are very much a part of the character of the State Capital and this makes a significant contribution to the quality of life and public services. For this reason, over the past years the City of Stuttgart has been investing a great deal: for instance by planting new trees, setting up ecologically valuable flower meadows, increasing the upkeep of parks and playgrounds and promoting “urban gardening”.
The motto is: preserve, develop and create anew. The green infrastructure project includes taking care of the steep-slope vineyards and implementing a species protection concept. Some 200 animal and plant species are listed in the concept, all of which represent Stuttgart’s biodiversity. By protecting the species and their habitats, the status quo of Stuttgart’s nature will be improved on a permanent basis or at any rate sustained.
The City of Stuttgart is investing more in green infrastructure. The aim is to create a “green network” which will spread throughout the city.
Stuttgart is already a green city: more than 50 percent of it is woodland, agricultural or recreational space. The Office of Parks, Cemeteries and Forestry currently maintains some 1000 hectares of green area (without woodland) plus the maintenance of 900 areas on behalf of other offices or in-house operated enterprises.
This diversity in nature makes a significant contribution to the quality of life and well-being and also to air pollution control. For this reason, the City of Stuttgart is investing more in green infrastructure and will provide more money for the various measures. The aim is to create a “green network” which will spread throughout the city.
The forest is Stuttgart’s largest recreational area. With an area of some 5000 hectares the city is forested to 24 percent. 2700 hectares of it belong to the city. With the newly developed concept "Out into the woods" the city wants to promote the forest as an area of nature experience and a place of learning. As an ideal starting point for excursions into the woodlands, the municipal woodland playgrounds will be redesigned and made more attractive.
Urban Gardening and other funded projects play an important role in the "Municipal Green Programme".
Only a few years ago "Urban Gardening" was not taken very seriously. In the meantime it has become more and more popular. Therefore, such projects have been financially supported by the City of Stuttgart since 2014. The "Municipal Green Programme" promotes the greening of courtyards, roofs and facades.
To counteract the loss of biodiversity the State Capital Stuttgart has developed a species protection concept. In its richness of detail it is one of the first of its kind in Germany. Animals and plants are dependent on their habitat. It offers them food, nest material, protection from predators and living space. One main approach is the protection of the species’ habitat, since without this the animals and plants would have no space to live. The long-term goal is the preservation and further development of the biological diversity in Stuttgart.
The city promotes the restoration of dry-stone dykes, this means walls built without using mortar or cement. Due to the great response the project has been running on a permanent basis since 2019.