Applying the Stockholm Solution to enhance Green Infrastructure in Austrian Cities and Towns.
About this good practice
The Association of Municipal Authorities ‘Ökoregion Kaindorf’ (c6.000 inhabitants) and the City of Graz (c280.000 inhabitants) are both applying the ‘Stockholm Solution’ for planting trees in urban and sub-urban areas. The specific method was developed and promoted by Bjorn Embren in City of Stockholm, Sweden. Due to its structure and integrated approach, the Stockholm Solution provides trees with better growing conditions and has numerous ‘side-effects’ like stormwater management, infrastructure integration and climate change adaption. Improved conditions for city trees lead to enhanced positive effects of Green Infrastructure and to more cost-effective measurements for public authorities.
The Ökoregion Kaindorf is enhancing and adopting the Stockholm Solution by also integrating the benefits of bio-charcoal into the plant bed. Thus, the nutrient supply is enhanced and the potential as a CO2 sink is improved. Both examples in Kaindorf and Graz also show an increased cross-departmental collaboration (eg. between the green and road infrastructure department) because this method generates win-win-situations also in terms of cost-effectiveness.
Expert opinion
Tree planting is widely regarded as one of the solutions to climate change and carbon offsetting. The European Union has made a pledge to plant three billion trees by 2030 and published a new EU Forest Strategy. An important aspect is that the methodology of planting and growing needs to be fully respectful of ecological principles. This means that the right tree has to be planted in the right place and for the right purpose. The newly planted trees should be planted not only in forests, but also in rural and urban areas. Trees planted in cities, also called urban forests, have the ability to sequester carbon, provide shade and mitigate flooding. The Stockholm solution deploys a combination of strategies, including the use of structured soils, to effectively re-create a more natural environment for urban trees and to mimic natural hydrological pathways and filtration mechanisms. Many European cities can benefit from adopting this method.
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Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Ökoregion Kaindorf & City of Graz