Author(s)

A. Kruuse af Verchou

Abstract

The residential district Bo01 in Malmö, south Sweden, was built in the years 2000-2001 on former industrial land. Measures have been undertaken to counteract the negative impact of urban sprawl on the ecosystem. Houses are built close together to use the land efficiently. Still, it is a green district, thanks to two planning instruments, green space factor and green points, e.g. a majority of the buildings have green roofs. The greening of the area aims to present an attractive green surrounding for people, promote biodiversity, and minimise storm water run-off. Storm water is managed in an open system which includes ponds with native vegetation. The green space factor means that different types of surfaces are given different credits. Plant beds, climbing plants, green roofs, and ponds are given high credits. No credit is given to sealed surfaces. The green points include for example: a bird nesting box for each apartment, a courtyard containing at least 50 Swedish wild flower species, food for birds all year round in the yard. In the parks, semi-natural biotopes have been built comprising meadow, oak and beech woodland, and alder carr. The soil and the species composition of grasses, wild flowers, bushes and trees conform as far as possible with their natural counterparts. Before the area was developed, sea birds such as avocet and terns, nested on the old industrial sites. A compensation biotope for birds will be created in the northern harbour of Malmö. Studies show that the inhabitants are very satisfied with the quality of the parks and gardens. Biodiversity is lower than in a similar, but older residential district that has been used as a comparison. Biodiversity is expected to increase with time. Keywords: urban, biodiversity, green roof, storm water management, biotope, habitat.

Keywords

urban, biodiversity, green roof, storm water management, biotope, habitat.