Congress “The City in Climate Change”

At the beginning of September, the congress “The City in Climate Change” )Kongress „Die Stadt im Klimawandel“) took place in Osnabrück – an inspiring forum that impressively demonstrated how urgent and diverse the challenges of climate change are for urban areas. The central question was: How can cities be designed to be climate-resilient, sustainable, and livable?

Green City Solutions was represented by CEO Peter Sänger as a speaker, contributing innovative impulses for green urban development.

Climate Change and Urban Health: Why Green Solutions Are Essential

In his opening speech, Dr. Fabian Feil emphasized how closely the impacts of climate change are linked to the health of urban populations. Rising temperatures, new pathogens and increased particulate matter particularly affect vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and pregnant women.

Photo: Petra Dörr, Klima-Frieden Osnabrück und Osnabrücker Land

Nature-based urban design and innovative greening concepts are therefore essential to ensure quality of life in urban spaces and to minimize health risks.

As Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Hoffmann and Dr. Britta Neuweger pointed out, more vegetation in cities is a crucial lever for binding pollutants, improving the microclimate and sustainably increasing air quality. “The importance of plants in cities and on commercial sites was also emphasized by Dr. Weert Canzler from the Berlin Social Science Center and Prof. Hubertus von Dressler from Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.”

This insight aligns with the mission of Green City Solutions: With innovative, moss-based air filters and urban greening, we create green oases that improve the urban climate, enhance quality of life and make cities healthier and more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

A “true Firework of Ideas“: Innovations for the Green City

The innovation and startup section of the congress clearly showed how diverse the solutions to the challenges of climate change in cities are. In addition to traditional tree planting, projects such as façade greening, moss-based air filters, mobile trees, urban vegetable production, temperature reduction through innovative materials, and biodiversity-rich corporate sites were presented.

Our CEO and co-founder Peter Sänger reflected on the event on LinkedIn:

„Climate change has long since reached our municipalities. I was particularly struck by the reports from emergency services about a hospital evacuation. For me, this was a tangible example that today’s inaction on adaptation will drive up costs in the future. […] With climate adaptation, we can take preventive action and, above all, mitigate extreme situations.“

In the foyer of the DBU, participants were able to experience the presented products and innovations up close. The solutions on display – from moss-based air filters and façade greening to mobile trees – as well as other information stands, were present throughout the exhibition.

All projects attracted great interest from the approximately one hundred participants and stimulated professional exchange.

This made it clear how important practical, innovative solutions are for sustainable urban development and the improvement of the urban climate.

Photo: Petra Dörr

Climate Adaptation Is a Shared Responsibility

Another highlight was the presentation by Ulla-Britt Krämer (FutureBEEing), who introduced the German-Dutch project for the development of sustainable residential quarters. The goal is to bring innovative approaches such as urban greening, biodiversity, and smart data integration into broader application, making cities fit for the future.

The reports by Marc Hübner (Volunteer Fire Department Coesfeld) and Philip Hergt (Crisis Team Diocese of Osnabrück) on the flood disaster in Eschweiler made it clear how important it is to understand climate adaptation as a shared responsibility.

„Our safety systems are outdated and need to be renewed at great expense – to protect against floods, fires, and other natural disasters“, Peter Sänger also emphasized.

Only through forward-looking measures and innovative solutions can cities become more resilient to the consequences of climate change.

Green Innovations for Livable Cities

The congress “The City in Climate Change” has shown: Green infrastructure, innovative technologies, and joint action are the key to resilient, healthy, and livable cities. Green City Solutions is passionately committed to making cities fit for the future through sustainable greening and smart air purification solutions.

Photo: Klima-Frieden Osnabrück und Osnabrücker Land

We would like to thank the organizers and hosts of the event, such as Klima-Frieden Osnabrück and Osnabrücker Land e.V., with the support of Osnabrück and Hannover Universities of Applied Sciences, the Berlin Social Science Center, and the EU Interreg project FutureBEEing, as well as all participants and sponsors BingoStiftung Umwelt, Sparkasse Osnabrück, and AOK Niedersachsen for providing this important platform for exchange and inspiration.

Would you also like more exchange and inspiration, and to make your neighborhood or city greener, healthier and more resilient?

Get in touch with us now – our team will be happy to support you with sustainable greening, smart air purification, and customized concepts for livable cities.