Three quarters of Munich are built up. This makes the city by far the most heavily paved metropolis in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office, Berlin has 70.6 percent built-up, followed by Cologne with almost 61 percent, Hamburg with around 59 percent and Frankfurt with 58.5 percent. In contrast to other large cities, Munich has the problem that it has narrow borders and has therefore literally been reaching its limits for many years.
According to the Munich planning department, the areas already developed are already being used very efficiently “due to the tense situation on the land market”. Nevertheless, the city now wants to draw up a charter on how Munich’s remaining green and open spaces can be preserved and, if possible, more parks and squares can be created.
Even the Greens find it difficult to weigh up housing construction and green space protection
There are still some fields, forests and meadows, especially in the extreme west and north of the city. But they, too, are to be increasingly built on, and in some cases there are massive protests, such as in Johanneskirchen and Daglfing or in Feldmoching. The criticism is partly justified, because in view of the climate crisis, fresh air corridors have to be kept clear, especially in the outskirts of the city, so that Munich does not heat up even more when temperatures rise. In addition, the biodiversity in the city should be preserved as much as possible. On the other hand, the lack of living space is so great that even the Greens on the city council are finding it difficult to weigh up the necessary housing construction on the one hand and the protection of green spaces on the other.
The planning department therefore looked at other large cities to see how they deal with their “green infrastructure”. Berlin, for example, decided last year to “consider, consolidate and further develop the development of urban greenery consistently and sustainably as an integral part of urban development”. The program is to be implemented by 2030.
In Hamburg there is also a self-commitment to enlarge nature protection areas, to attach more importance to public space and nature conservation and to develop public parks in densely built-up city districts as far as possible. Vienna, on the other hand, decided on a model in 2020: Among other things, there is now a distinction between high-quality green spaces that are definitely not allowed to be built on, future green spaces that are still sealed and a network of open and green spaces within the city that are accessible to all Viennese Viennese can be reached within 250 meters.
The planning department concedes that the primary concern is the creation of living space
Munich is still a long way from that. There are plans to develop a “free space” guideline this year or next. The “Step 2040” urban development plan also points in this direction. But concrete measures for more green are not yet in sight. The planning department also concedes “that development planning is primarily about creating living space or other structural developments.
In the meantime, however, the view of green spaces in the city has shifted. Because now it is no longer just planning – and the building department, but above all the new department for climate and environmental protection.
Two city council applications show how slowly the topic has been approached so far. In November 2019, the SPD called for a “Munich unsealing offensive” in an application, and at the end of July 2020 the ÖDP followed up with the application “Limit surface damage – Munich becomes a pioneer”. Both motions will be discussed at the city council meeting this Wednesday.