From the ‘Open Garden Day’ to the participation format ‘Planning for Real’: there are no creativity limits when it comes to activating the population for more greenery in neighborhoods and on buildings. Numerous cities, associations, and initiatives are leading by example – as shown by the large number of practical examples in municipalities throughout Germany.

In the “Green City of the Future” project, the research and practice partners worked on a series of participation formats to activate citizens, tradespeople and other stakeholders in order to strengthen the commitment to urban greenery.

This guideline supports representatives of local authorities, such as planning departments and independent planners from the fields of landscape architecture and urban planning, in order to increase civil society involvement in greening measures in private and public spaces. The guideline contains an overview of important steps and criteria for selecting a suitable activation format – with a focus on possible goals, target groups, consideration of the environment, relevant actors for cooperation and the effort to be planned. Selected case studies also show the diversity of options.

The website www.gruene-stadt-der-zukunft.de offers further implementation aids to strengthen climate adaptation in planning and municipal administration. The available fact sheets, guidelines and checklists as well as a workshop format support the planning of climate-resilient open spaces, neighborhoods and buildings. In addition, presentation slides (Download PDF, 14 MB, DE) with compactly prepared project results and positive examples from practice offer impulses for gaining the support of decision-makers.