In the future, urban green spaces are expected to play a much more important role – to help prevent floodings, lower temperatures and boost biodiversity. This increased sustainability focus will place new demands on green space professionals, who will need to learn new skills as well as use other types of tools.
In the future trend report Re:thinking urban green spaces – from Nice to Necessary, Husqvarna has interviewed experts, professionals and citizens in six European markets to find out what role urban green spaces will play in the future, and how this will impact the profession and technical tool development.
Husqvarna has interviewed experts, professionals and citizens in six European markets to find out what role urban green spaces will play in the future, and how this will impact the profession and technical tool development.
The new European report from Husqvarna, which includes Sweden, France, Germany, UK, Belgium and the Netherlands, outlines how green spaces are expected to evolve in the coming years. The new sustainability focus means among other measures that manufacturers of outdoor power tools need to speed up their journey to alternative power sources – 44% of professionals expect petrol-powered products to be banned by 2027.
– Urbanization is ongoing and the role of green spaces in cities has evolved. At Husqvarna, we are determined to innovate towards independency from fossil fuels. And in the not-too-distant future, we expect our main business to consist of electric tools and autonomous solutions, says Yvette Henshall-Bell, President Global Professional Business Unit at Husqvarna.
New heroes and new skills
When asked about the future, 66% of green space professionals believe that more trees in urban areas will be one of the key changes to impact the industry over the coming ten years. Although it is a long-term commitment, the planting of new trees will be necessary for future cities, primarily serving the purposes of cooling the city and supporting an increasingly thriving ecosystem.
Trees do not only need to be planted but also cared for, as old trees are much more valuable both to fight climate change and to promote biodiversity than younger trees. This requires professionals to learn more about tree care, as well as how to create the best possible conditions for biodiversity to flourish in an urban green space. 60% of professionals see a significantly greater focus on biodiversity in the near future.
Barriers and solutions
Staff shortage is a big challenge that the industry faces today, cited by 37% of professionals as a critical barrier to developing urban green spaces in their city. This drives the need for robotic lawn mowers and other autonomous solutions to take care of the monotonous tasks, freeing up time for green space professionals to focus on more complex tasks.
– As so many green space professionals have difficulties finding qualified staff, it’s clear that a complementary autonomous workforce is essential for the future. Autonomous solutions also help to address another two important challenges for the future – the need to reduce CO2and noise emissions. This will be positive for green space professionals, who will be able to focus on more valuable tasks and develop new skills, as well as having a more pleasant working environment, says Yvette Henshall-Bell, President Global Professional Business Unit at Husqvarna.
Future patchwork of green
39% of green space professionals say that competition from real estate and other commercial interests is a big barrier to sustainable green development. Almost as many also see lack of political interest as a barrier.
Within five years’ time, however, 38% of experts and professionals expect there to be strict legal rights for all citizens to access green spaces in their neighbourhoods, which is likely to incentivize city planning to incorporate smaller green puzzle pieces into the urban environment in new ways.
In the future, 49% of professionals expect “parklets” (microparks) to become more common, and 41% believe in green roofs. The many new green spaces of the future can, however, be more time-consuming to manage due to transportation. Autonomous solutions may yet again provide the answer, as lawn mowing and watering can be relatively self-sufficient with the right systems in place.
About the survey:
The report, conducted by Kairos Future on behalf of Husqvarna, consists of interviews with 23 green space professionals and data from two surveys, one directed at 100 green space professionals, the other at 3313 members of the public across six countries. The survey was conducted between 25/5 and 16/6, 2022.
