Berlin.
Almost half of the settlement areas in German cities are concreted over. Where it is particularly bad – and why insurers warn
Almost half of the settlement area in Germany cities is built on, concreted or asphalted. The nationwide average is 44 percent, according to the results of a current study commissioned by the German Insurance Association (GDV), which is available to our editorial team in advance. The average degree of sealing in the settlement areas of 134 cities was examined.
According to the GDV, the increasing sealing is a problem. “Sealed surfaces prevent rainwater from seeping away. This can happen during extreme rainfall floods lead to considerable damage,” says Managing Director Jörg Asmussen. Another danger of surface consumption is the increasing heat in the cities. Asphalt and concrete absorb sunlight and convert it into heat.
Municipalities should therefore give more consideration to the risk of heavy rain in their urban and landscape planning. In order to give the water more space to seep away, play or soccer pitches temporarily serve as flood plains
Cities should turn playgrounds and soccer fields into flood plains
“The unsealing of areas must also be on the agenda,” says Asmussen. This is important to prevent local. “The sewage systems in the cities are only designed for certain amounts of water. an extreme one heavy rain they usually don’t hold up,” says Asmussen.
In Germany, the Regional Planning Act and usage plans regulate which areas can be built on. “In order to prevent further sealing, a mandatory climate risk assessment should always be carried out with building permits,” says Asmussen. In the case of projects with large areas being sealed, ecological compensation areas be created. Also interesting: Where our earth becomes uninhabitable
According to the study, Baden-Württemberg is ahead
“There are already concepts like that of the that bring urban planning and protection against heavy rain into harmony,” says Asmussen. This also included green ones roofs or additional retention basins that temporarily store the water.
According to the study, the most heavily sealed city in Germany is Ludwigshafen. Around 67 percent of the settlement area is concreted or asphalted. Mannheim and Rüsselsheim follow behind Ludwigshafen with degrees of sealing of 66 and 65 percent respectively. All three cities have a high rate of sealing due to large chemical industrial areas Industry or automotive industry are within the settlement boundaries, explains the GDV.
Shows the lowest degree of sealing wallow in Thuringia with around 30 percent. In a comparison of the federal states, Baden-Württemberg has the highest degree of sealing (50 percent), Brandenburg the lowest (36 percent).
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