Szczecin's local government has recently been proving that it cares about greenery in the city. Over the course of three months, the city has halted several investments to carefully check their designs for interference with vegetation. The idea is to save as many trees and shrubs as possible from being cut down. The move by the Szczecin authorities is a good example, especially since such decisions are still rare in Polish cities.
In early August, the Szczecin local government announced that it was halting the modernization of Brodziński Street, which involves the renovation of the existing roadway, pedestrian walkways, the construction of exits to properties and the reconstruction of the rainwater drainage system and water supply system. The reason? An analysis of the project combined with an on-site inspection showed that the proposed solutions, which primarily concern the modernization of sidewalks, threaten the trees growing there, specifically more than a hundred mature specimens of small-leaved lime trees.
The issue is the uplifting of the roots, which would have to be cut off during the reconstruction, which could lead to the weakening and even death of the trees. Therefore, the sidewalks should be redesigned in such a way that their construction would not require interference with the root system of the lindens , reports Paulina Lątka of the City Information Center.
It turns out that the area on Brodziński Street is not the only one in Szczecin's Pogodno region with such a problem. Therefore, the Szczecin local government has decided to develop systemic solutions for future projects in this location, based on this investment. As a result, the planned modernization of Brodziński Street has been postponed until next year. The authorities argue that all these measures are aimed at protecting trees from felling, which will entail many benefits for residents. It seems that in this context the postponement of the city's investment should rejoice.
Not the first responsible action to protect greenery in Szczecin
For the same reason, the Szczecin local government also announces a review of other projects that could threaten the city's greenery. These include the project to revitalize the park on Hoza Street, the implementation of which has also been postponed until next year.
In May, in turn, the local government halted work on the recreational development of another city park. The park in question is Kutrzeby Park, located between Kutrzeby and Taczaka streets. The expansion of the park was to include, among other things, the construction of a small pumptrack, two skateparks and a running track, unfortunately, all at the expense of 25 trees and a thousand square meters of greenery. The mayor of Szczecin issued an order to halt the investment and have it checked by the City Gardener for rational management of tall greenery. The conclusions were clear - the development concept entails negative consequences for the greenery found in that area, so it should be stopped.
The authorities of Szczecin are successively implementing the assumptions of the pro-ecological policy, which aims to protect the existing urban greenery, as well as planting new ones. Many of these measures are implemented under the "Green City" program.
