Main Green Structure (Hoofdgroenstructuur) - Amsterdam

The Main Green Structure is a planning instrument initiated in 2003 that protects Amsterdam's metropolitan green structure. It delimits a minimum required amount of green areas that the city wants to safeguard to be a "livable and sustainable city," consisting of areas that are deemed valuable for the metropolis so that they can deliver the services of promoting green recreation, improving the living environment, and increasing biodiversity. All new plans or initiatives in areas that are part of the Main Green Structure must be approved by the mayor or aldermen early in the planning process. To receive approval, developments must be assessed to contribute to the development of ecosystem services in the Main Green Structure. The policy instrument was introduced in 2003, and has been revised and recently expanded. The Amsterdam City Council voted on the most recent update to the Main Green Structure policy in 2022, which will be valid for ten years. The Main Green Structure instrument originates from the 1996 structural plan "The open city," and has evolved through subsequent long-term plans, such as Amsterdam Structure Vision 2040 and Amsterdam Green Infrastructure 2050.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Urban planning mechanisms

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Water management (e.g. reuse)
Heat stress and heat island effect
Human health, comfort and well-being
Other, please specify

Green space and biodiversity protection

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The instrument aims principally to improve human health, comfort and well-being, but also to ensure ecologic connectivity, water balance, contribute to climate goals, mitigate high temperatures, reduce stress, and facilitate exercise. It does so through protecting and preserving green areas that are culturally and historically significant and/or provide important ecosystem services.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Innovative

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Amsterdam City Council

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The Amsterdam municipal government first discussed the need for a sustainable metropolitan green structure in the process of producing the 1996 structure plan "The open city", leading to the first mention of the Main Green Structure in the 1996 plan. The Amsterdam City Council requested further elaboration on the Main Green Structure and implemented the planning instrument through the 2002 Supplementary Assessment Framework for the Main Green Structure. The municipal government has expanded on the instrument through several master plans and structural vision plans, such as Amsterdam 2040 Structural Vision. Various local departments have contributed to these initiatives, with some public involvement. For example, the Amsterdam Physical Planning Department produces long-term structural vision plans. Most recently, the Amsterdam City Council had a public consultation period for its newest Main Green Structure policy framework, which permitted citizens to send comments and receive answers from the Amsterdam municipal government.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Type of actor involvement:

Public consultation

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The Main Green Structure clarifies preferred developments in designated areas for project leaders, residents, stakeholders, and companies. When projects are submitted for approval, they must go through the mayor or aldermen. The Amsterdam City Council appoints expert members to a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for each term of office to advise the mayor and aldermen and assess new plans and initiatives on the basis of whether they strengthen the Main Green Structure. However, the TAC does not have any control over the areas selected to be a part of the Main Green Structure and only serves an advisory role on project decisions.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory role)

Targeted actors:

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public local authority’s budget

Details about instrument financing:

The Main Green Structure is a planning instrument, and thus, does not necessarily receive funding but rather changes the framework for approving new developments in protected green space.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The Main Green Structure has led to the protection of green space from new developments that negatively impact ecosystem services, thereby ensuring that residents have access to green space and that green space can serve to improve life and avoid environmental problems in the city. The Main Green Structure has been expanded over time, meaning that more green space is now protected.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The instrument is effective since it protects green space in the city in the long-term, as population growth leads to tension between new developments and protecting green space. Furthermore, the Main Green Structure is also innovative in that it does not require in-house expertise, but rather relies on local experts to ensure that new developments do not hinder the delivery of ecosystem services. The instrument is sustainable in the long-term, since it plans for a livable city far into the future, while remaining flexible due to the policy structure being updated every ten years. However, various parties have criticized the policy for failing to safeguard green space outside of the protected areas, so the policy framework is not perfect and needs to be complemented by other initiatives to ensure that green space is available, accessible, and safeguarded outside protected areas.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

City of Amsterdam. (2021). "Amsterdam Green Infrastructure Vision 2050." Available at: http://carbonneutralcities.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Amsterdam-Green-Infrastructure-Vision-2050_toegankelijk_02092020.pdf (Accessed: 28 July 2022).

City of Amsterdam. (2022). "The Main Green Structure." Available at: https://www.amsterdam.nl/bestuur-organisatie/organisatie/ruimte-economie/ruimte-duurzaamheid/hoofdgroenstructuur/ (Accessed: 28 July 2022).

City of Amsterdam. (2022). "Follow the policy: environmental vision." Available at: https://www.amsterdam.nl/bestuur-organisatie/volg-beleid/stedelijke-ontwikkeling/ (Accessed: 28 July 2022).

Sustainable Amsterdam. (2014). "Structural Vision 2040. Available at: https://sustainableamsterdam.com/2014/07/structural-vision-2040/ (Accessed: 28 July 2022).

City of Amsterdam. (2022). "Main Green Structure." Available at: https://www.amsterdam.nl/wonen-leefomgeving/hoofdgroenstructuur/#hd57287f8-ab7f-bfed-b200-3ef2243387fe (Accessed: 28 July 2022).

City of Amsterdam. (2011). "Structuurvisie Amsterdam 2040." Available at: https://131f4363709c46b89a6ba5bc764b38b9.objectstore.eu/hior/Documenten/Structuurvisie%20Amsterdam%202040%20(2011).pdf#PagCls_14659468 (Accessed: 28 July 2022).

City of Amsterdam. (2021). "Concept Beleidskader Hoofdgroenstructuur."

Further documents

Weblinks:

https://data.overheid.nl/en/dataset/xb1qf6_h1q7aug

https://131f4363709c46b89a6ba5bc764b38b9.objectstore.eu/hior/Documenten/Structuu…

Photos

@De Weesper Vereniging