In the neighborhoods De Laar, Spijkerkwartier, and the area around Velperweg, residents and the municipality of Arnhem will jointly implement the Neighborhood Green Agenda in 2026. Through these agendas, Arnhem is working towards green neighborhoods ready for the climate of the future, enhancing biodiversity and ensuring pleasant living conditions for future residents.
Cathelijne Bouwkamp, alderwoman for Green and Climate Adaptation: “With the Neighborhood Green Agendas, we green our neighborhoods together with the residents of Arnhem. They know best what suits their neighborhood. Thanks to the Neighborhood Green Agendas, our neighborhoods are becoming greener. This not only looks nicer but does much more. It provides cooling on warm days. Ensures that rainwater can better infiltrate the soil. It is good for biodiversity in our city. And all that greenery is healthy. We see that residents go outside more and meet each other more often.”
Greening Together
The municipality of Arnhem has been working with Neighborhood Green Agendas since 2021. This joint approach accelerates the greening of the city, which is good for biodiversity. Instead of imposing greening plans from above, active collaboration takes place with the people living in the neighborhoods. So far, 14 of these agendas have been successfully rolled out.
Customized per Neighborhood
Because every neighborhood is different, greening requires customization. In De Laar and most neighborhoods around Velperweg, the focus this year is on making private homes and gardens climate-resilient. In the Plattenburg neighborhood, the focus is more on public spaces, for example by planting trees. In De Laar, the municipality is also working on climate-resilient design of the Oostburgwal shopping center, together with entrepreneurs and residents. The whole neighborhood benefits from this.
The challenge is greatest in Spijkerkwartier. This neighborhood has a lot of paving, causing high temperatures on summer days. In cooperation with the residents initiative Buurtgroenbedrijf Spijkerkwartier, efforts are underway to reduce heat stress and limit water nuisance.
More Information
You can find more information about the Neighborhood Green Agendas at www.arnhem.nl/wijkgroenagenda.