“Amsterdam residents have the right to make public spaces greener”

In recent weeks we have seen many puddles in the city: rainwater that cannot be drained due to the city’s fossilization. Climate change will not only make the Earth wetter, but also hotter, in the coming years. To address this problem and adapt the city to the climate, Amsterdam needs to be radically greener.

In recent years, enthusiastic Amsterdam residents have created green areas in many places in their neighborhood and laid tiles in their gardens. This is great, but greening can and should happen faster. GroenLinks wants to give Amsterdam residents the right to green public spaces. Under the slogan “Yes, unless”, Amsterdam residents who want to become greener are given the right to remove tiles and paving stones and place plants there.

Tiles outside and greenery inside? Submit an application to the municipality. As far as GroenLinks is concerned, the answer to your request is yes, unless there are good reasons why greening is not possible at that site. For example, because it impedes accessibility or threatens road safety. These are good reasons why greening is not possible at this location. Rejection because the new green bar does not meet design requirements is a thing of the past.

Green in the neighborhood

The right to green public spaces goes hand in hand with reducing the number of parking spaces in the city. Active locals can help by submitting a request to make their parking spaces greener. Car out, green in!

To make the right to green possible, GroenLinks submitted a proposal to the budget during the Council session. This suggestion has been accepted!

This makes it easier to make public spaces greener. 800,000 euros will be made available for this purpose every year. Through the Green in the Neighborhood scheme, we not only give Amsterdam residents the right to green, but encourage them to actively participate. In this way we make the city greener and healthier.
Jenneke van Bijpen (GroenLinks Consultant), Amsterdam