Abstract
Climate change could be seen as a 21st century phenomenon. This topic has been taken up equally by professionals as well as the general public. Adaptation and mitigation actions are needed, especially in cities where the concentration of population and an increased demand for resources (e.g., water, food, land) are expected in the coming years. Already, 400 cities have been declared to be in a “climate emergency” state. There are no longer any doubts that current environmental state requires actions and solutions for both the alarming climate situation and urban quality life development. If such action is not going to be taken, the environmental state will deteriorate. One possible solution could be the use of green infrastructure. This research compares approaches to green areas and green infrastructure development in Bratislava (Slovakia) and Wrocław (Poland). A comparison was made for projects realized between 2013 and 2018—i.e., since the publication of the European Union (EU) Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change in 2013. The research presents an overview of delivered projects regarding land use. The overview, which is supported by a density map of implemented green projects, verifies whether the new greenery fits and fills in the existing natural areas. Secondly, the green projects were analyzed according to years and land use types using Tableau software. Moreover, the legislation of climate adaptation mechanisms and practical aspects of green infrastructure implementation are shown. Finally, actions concerning the greening of the cities were categorized into practical, educational, and participatory ones, and the potential of green infrastructure as a positive landscape, micro-climate, health, and aesthetic influence was examined.
Highlights
Climate change is a topic that resonates with professionals, politicians, cities and the general public as well
The capital city of the Lower Silesia region and has been chosen as the most representative allowing for a comparison of similar features: strong business service focus (Wrocław is the third business service centre in programsto implemented kindergartens and (Poland), after Warsaw and Kraków [45]; Bratislava is the most frequented location for business service centres from all Slovakian and Czech cities [46]), rapidly spreading suburban zone [47,48], having a similar value of the Quality of Life Index [49]
Since the publication of European Union (EU) Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change in 2013, Bratislava city realized 53 projects connected with blue-green infrastructure
Summary
Climate change is a topic that resonates with professionals, politicians, cities and the general public as well. According to the World Economic Forum Global Risks 2013 Report, climate change ranks among the top five most serious problems of our times [1]. Global warming is still an issue of discussion, there are no longer any doubts regarding its progress—individual scenarios only differ in the value of temperature increase (1.5–4.0 ◦ C on average) [2]. Temperature increases are more related to weather extremes, uneven rainfall levels, more frequent windstorms and floods, soil degradation, and a higher frequency of forest fires, etc. Climate change brings a wide range problems, of which the implications can be seen for natural systems, as well as in all sectors and spheres of human life [5,6].
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