Living, Working, & Recreation

Cities are growing all over the world. This growth requires changes in the design and use of the city. In the world of Living, Working, & Recreation, you can work on solutions to keep growing cities livable.

Livable city

Temperatures are rising in our cities. This is due to the presence of lots of people, buildings, and pavement. It’s important that cities stay cool enough, especially given global warming. One way to keep cities cooler is to plant the right trees in the right places. Will you be the landscaper who plants and cares for those trees?

There are more ways to make a city green and livable. Green roofs help to purify the air, and vertical gardens bring greenery to tight spaces. Green playgrounds in and around the city contribute to a pleasant, livable environment. Will you contribute ideas about the green layout of cities?

Nature is also important to making working and living more pleasant. Employees who work in offices with plants stay fit and healthy for longer. Eco-neighborhoods house people who live self-sufficiently, without using natural gas. You could help build green offices and homes using natural materials.

Soil & infrastructure

Soil and infrastructure are important elements in a green world. Soil must be dumped, excavated, or prepared for the construction of parks, roads, and agricultural businesses. Will you help to improve the use of our soil? Could you be an engineer who develops new machines and apps? Or will you invent smart infrastructure and solutions for water storage in the city? Would you rather work with your hands in the clay?

In this world, you use the power of nature and new technologies to ensure that our living and working environments are pleasant and healthy 

Urban agriculture

The city of the future is a circular city; self-sufficient and built with sustainable, natural materials. This also includes urban agriculture, which helps make it easier to feed growing cities. Will you grow tomato plants and herbs in greenhouses on office roofs? Or would you prefer to deliver fresh city vegetables to restaurants in the city? Or perhaps you will find commercial solutions for circular agriculture on the outskirts of the city?

Beauty of green

Green is not only functional, but also beautiful. Indoors and outdoors, greenery creates a pleasant living environment. For instance, a living wall inside a house can provide better acoustics and healthy humidity. Will you create green art as a stylist? Will you make people feel at home in public spaces? Or will you design green living concepts on your drawing board?

Having animals in your environment makes you feel at home. They can also prevent loneliness: for example, among elderly people. Would you like to one day start a dog-walking service? Perhaps with a grooming service on the side?

Back to The Worlds of Green

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Stock photos  

If you would like to use these pictures, please go the Shutterstock where you can purchase the high resolution pictures.

How do they do it?

Find out on the website of Groeien door Groen (website in Dutch), a collaboration of VHG, Colland, CNV Vakmensen, and FNV Agrarisch Groen.

Another inspiring example with beautiful stories of the future is Mooi Vakman from Cumela (website in Dutch).

JINC ensures that students from neighborhoods with a lot of socio-economic disadvantage learn more about the labor market and their own talents.

The Green Worlds are created in collaboration with Colland
(Photo source: Shutterstock - Design images: Imagro)