Parks Day. How to plant greenery in Kyiv and save the city from concrete

Viktoriia Hubareva

Every year we celebrate May 24 as European Parks Day. It was on this day in the early twentieth century that the first National Parks were founded in the Old World, but this day was first celebrated almost 100 years later, in 1999. On this day, various events are held to promote green spaces in cities, i.e. exhibitions, lectures, film screenings about parks. Rubryka, as a solutions media, decided to explore what interesting solutions can be applied in Kyiv to restore the capital's reputation as the greenest city in Europe.

How many meters of greenery should there be in Kyiv?

You need to know that green areas in the city aren't a privilege, but our right. In Ukraine, state-building regulations control the number of green areas both inside and outside the city. The share of green areas in residential areas, neighborhoods, boulevards, and in schools, kindergartens, hospitals, etc., is clearly regulated.

For example, within the block (the area limited on all sides by streets), there should be at least 6 square meters of greenery per person, and within the residential area, the park should be within walking distance of 1,500 meters. Within the community center, the green area should occupy at least a quarter of the total area, and in the historic parts of community centers, this figure should be no less existing, that is, you cannot reduce the number of plantings.