Baltimore in the USA and Stuttgart in Germany are 4,000 miles apart, yet they share similarities in size and represent their respective countries in unique ways.
Cities globally recognize the significance of GreenInfrastructure in addressing environmental issues and promoting livinggreen for well-being and prosperity of their residents.
In a 4-mile radius around my home in Baltimore, there are 8-10 Green Infrastructure projects that are consistently highlighted when positive news coverage is needed.
Within a 4-mile radius of my family’s residence in Stuttgart, I am unaware of all Green Infrastructure projects, having stopped counting when the number exceeded 500. I estimate there are now over 800 GI projects within this radius, encompassing approximately 10,000,000 square feet of GreenRoofs, SolarGardenRoofs, and Blue/Solar Green Roofs.
Despite their significant presence, these Green Infrastructure projects in the vicinity rarely receive media coverage, as they are simply carried out through the application of commonsense rather than seeking attention.
American cities should aim to be more like German cities. Over the past 20 years, North America has been inundated with an overwhelming amount of white papers, blog posts, data sheets, lengthy articles, online experts, guidelines, and minimalistic research in academia.
This excessive focus on talk rather than action raises the question of whether North America is hesitant to embrace nature, especially in terms of Green Infrastructure.
For America it is time to move beyond endless discussions, minimize the slowing-down influence of industry lobbyists, and embrace practical solutions to address the challenges posed by urbanization and climatechange.
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