A popular new initiative proposed for the Swiss city of Basel could see 1 percent of its street areas turned into green spaces and hubs for public transport each year. 

Climate proposals for Basel garner significant support

UmverkehR, the Swiss environmental organisation, created plans for two urban climate initiatives which each received 4.250 signatures in support.

On August 25, the group announced that its plans - the “Gute-Luft-Initiative” and the “Future Initiative” - would see parts of the city’s streets redesigned for a newer, greener purpose. "Trees instead of asphalt" is the stated aim of umverkehR, who said that new policies for the construction of cities in Switzerland should be built around cyclists and pedestrians, modelled after other European cities like Amsterdam.

The organisation has already made proposals for other regions, including St. Gallen, and is planning new initiatives for Geneva, Winterthur, Zurich, and Bern.

Redesigning Swiss cities to make them greener

The “Gute-Luft-Initiative," or clean air initiative, proposes a designation of 0,5 percent of the city’s land each year for the creation of green spaces. This could mean that the city will be given more trees or “urban meadows” to help make the region more green. 

UmverkehR’s second initiative, the “Future Initiative” would see a further 0,5 percent of the city’s land also designated for environmental protection purposes each year. Rather than being used for green spaces, however, the group wants these areas to be used as public transport hubs, cycle zones and pedestrian areas, so as to reduce people’s reliance on cars and driving.