Tallinn has one of Europe’s greenest urban space

According to a recent publication by the European Environment Agency, Tallinn ranks in the top ten of European capitals in terms of the extent of green infrastructure. Tallinn is positioned seventh in terms of urban green space and eighth in terms of urban tree cover. The study highlights the Garden for the Senses in Tallinn Botanical Garden as a good example for improving accessibility to urban nature.

Tallinn was selected as the European Green Capital of 2023. One of the key themes of the Capital Year for Tallinn is biodiversity, and the city plans to further increase the number of accessible green spaces as well as protected areas. Almost 1/5 of Tallinn’s area is covered by nationally and locally protected areas, and Tallinn is the only European capital that has a bog.

“A high position in rankings is no reason to boast in itself. Tallinn is not yet ready, and our plans to expand, enrich and interconnect the city’s green spaces still need a lot of work,” explained Vladimir Svet, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn. “Tallinn’s long history of valuing and developing its green spaces and parks has undoubtedly contributed to the Green Capital title. The Tallinn 2035 Development Strategy sets a target of at least 65% of Tallinn’s land surface being natural, and in the coming years, we plan to further invest in the city’s biodiversity and in working with communities to preserve and develop our urban nature. Good examples are the 14 kilometre linear park on the Pollinator Highway as well as the Klindi Park on the Lasnamäe cliff-top,” Svet added.

There are often inequalities in cities in terms of the availability of green spaces and how accessible they are for people with special needs. A study by the European Environment Agency (EEA) has highlighted Garden for the Senses in Tallinn Botanical Garden as a model for considering people with special needs, allowing plants to be experienced through all senses. The Garden for the Senses is aimed primarily at people with special needs, but also at professional and amateur gardeners, herbalists, foodies and school children. In the garden, you can look at plants, touch them, smell them, sometimes taste them and even listen to them.

The EEA study can be found here: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/who-benefits-from-nature-in/who-benefits-from-nature-in.