Walking trees in Zollstock: Green meeting place brings life to the district!

Walking trees in Zollstock: Green meeting place brings life to the district!

In Cologne- Zollstock, ideas for more green oases in urban areas are sprouting. Since the end of October, there have been two mobile trees on Theophanostrasse in front of the popular Café Lalibee, which were initiated by the local Greens, represented by Sabine Müller, Bodo Schmitt and Hartmut Neuber. These innovative walking trees are part of a project to transform the gray streets into an inviting green landscape. The owner of the café, Befkadu “Alex” Alemyehu, takes care of the plants so that the trees become a welcome refuge for the neighborhood for around six to eight weeks.

The concept of hiking trees, which originally comes from Munich, has been implemented in Cologne since summer 2019 under the sponsorship of the Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD). These trees stand prominently on mobile wooden platforms that also serve as seating. There are already 44 walking trees spread across the city, primarily mulberry, crabapple and ornamental cherry trees, which not only brighten up the cityscape but also provide a source of food for bees, bumblebees and butterflies. The initiative not only promotes the quality of stay in public spaces, but also makes an active contribution to greening the city.

A place for meetings

Walking trees are more than just a green phenomenon. They create non-commercial seating and meeting places for neighbors, which promotes social interaction. A parking lot will be redesigned during the standstill period and transformed into a green meeting place. The aim is to provide an impetus for the permanent greening of squares and streets in order to ultimately enrich city life and improve the microclimate through more green spaces. Studies show that trees not only improve air quality, but also have a positive influence on people's well-being, as shown, for example, by research at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. These results show that an urban environment with a variety of trees not only protects against extreme weather events, but also serves as an attractive recreational space.

There are also two walking trees on Cäsarstraße in Bayenthal, which are positioned in front of primary schools. Sabine Müller plans to actively involve the schools in the project in order to bring the importance of urban green spaces closer to younger generations. The top priority is the suitability of the locations, which is checked together with the city, so that every tree in its place can really make a difference before moving on.

This way, citizens can help shape things

The Wanderbaumallee offers interested citizens the opportunity to actively participate in greening the city. If you have your own ideas or would like a walking tree avenue on your doorstep, you can contact the VCD and clarify the suitability of the location. There is already a detailed guide that makes the implementation of such projects easier. In addition to the appropriate permits, committed neighbors are also required to take care of the care and removal of the trees. In this way, citizens can become part of a sustainable movement that not only contributes to the beauty but also to the health of their city.

The walking trees in Cologne are not just a fashionable phenomenon, but an important step towards a livable and climate-resilient city. They remind us how important greenery is for our quality of life and that every greening initiative contributes a little to a better urban climate. Over half a dozen districts, including Raderberg, Rodenkirchen, Bayenthal and Meschenich, have already benefited from this initiative.

If Sabine Müller and her colleagues have their way, more fresh greenery will soon sprout where gray streets dominate. And who knows, maybe Cologne will soon become one of the greenest cities in Germany.