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First Utrecht turned its 316 bus stops into bee stops — now other cities are catching the buzz!

4 min read

Sustainable Planet
First Utrecht turned its 316 bus stops into bee stops — now other cities are catching the buzz!
Source: BrightVibes

In 2019, the Dutch city gave its 316 bus stops a green makeover, which has since “pollinated” other cities around the world to follow suit.

Utrecht’s bus and bee stops inspired other cities to catch the buzz

In 2019, the Dutch city gave its 316 bus stops a green makeover, which has since “pollinated” other cities to follow suit. The roofs are covered with sedum plants, and contribute to clean air by capturing particulate matter, providing cooling when it’s hot and promoting biodiversity in the city — and now other cities are catching the same buzz!

The UK city of Leicester is installing 30 ‘living’ bus shelter roofs as part of a new programme to revamp its infrastructure while supporting the environment.
Leicester installs bee-friendly bus stops. The UK city of Leicester is installing 30 ‘living’ bus shelter roofs as part of a new programme to revamp its infrastructure while supporting the environment. Source: Cities-Today.com
The soon-to-be-constructed gardens on the St. Pauli Bunker are only the latest effort in a long list of ambitious green roof projects in Hamburg, including the new bush shelter green-roofs. © PlanungsbüroBunker
Bee bus stops & bunkers for Hamburg. The soon-to-be-constructed gardens on the St. Pauli Bunker are only the latest effort in a long list of ambitious green roof projects in Hamburg, including the new bush shelter green-roofs. © PlanungsbüroBunker Source: Hamburg.com
This first 60 square foot bus stop green roof was based on Roofmeadow's idea to create a prefabricated kit that can be used to install a green roof on any standard bus shelter in Philadelphia and is meant to help promote PWD's efforts to raise awareness around urban storm water issues.
Philadelphia plants its very first bus stop green roof! This first 60 square foot bus stop green roof was based on Roofmeadow’s idea to create a prefabricated kit that can be used to install a green roof on any standard bus shelter in Philadelphia and is meant to help promote PWD’s efforts to raise awareness around urban storm water issues. Source: Inhabitat
A new plant-topped bus shelter has officially opened – becoming the first of its type in the South of England. The solar-powered shelter is located in Palmeira Square in Hove, East Sussex, UK.
Brighton’s first plant-topped bus shelter launched. A new plant-topped bus shelter has officially opened – becoming the first of its type in the South of England. The solar-powered shelter is located in Palmeira Square in Hove, East Sussex, UK. Source: TheArgus.co.uk
On Monday 8 November, the Czech City of Pilsen proudly shared that it now has green roofs on two of its public transport stops. The bus stops have green roofs that contain a layer of substrate and several types of stonecrops. According to the municipality, these stonecrops have been grown in Czechia and are, therefore, suitable for the local climate and insects. Photo: Pilsen City District 1 on Facebook.
Pilsen begins installing green roofs on bus stops. On Monday 8 November, the Czech City of Pilsen proudly shared that it now has green roofs on two of its public transport stops. The bus stops have green roofs that contain a layer of substrate and several types of stonecrops. According to the municipality, these stonecrops have been grown in Czechia and are, therefore, suitable for the local climate and insects. Photo: Pilsen City District 1 on Facebook. Source: TheMayor.eu
In the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, many bus stops are covered with fragrant Trachelospermum jasminoides.
Tokyo, Japan. In the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, many bus stops are covered with fragrant Trachelospermum jasminoides. Source: Pinterest
Utrecht’s bus stops are outfitted with efficient LED lights and a bamboo bench.
LED lights illuminate Utrecht’s bee stops. Utrecht’s bus stops are outfitted with efficient LED lights and a bamboo bench. Source: BrightVibes
In summertime it can provide cooling, and its plants contribute to cleaner air. Once the pilot scheme has proven successful, Amsterdam could start transforming all 500 tram shelters. Oh, and did you know that Amsterdam’s trams are 100% powered by Dutch wind energy?
Amsterdam introduced the first green tram shelter that automatically waters the plants, using its own irrigation system that works with locally collected rainwater. In summertime it can provide cooling, and its plants contribute to cleaner air. Once the pilot scheme has proven successful, Amsterdam could start transforming all 500 tram shelters. Oh, and did you know that Amsterdam’s trams are 100% powered by Dutch wind energy? Source: BrightVibes
Sedum was chosen for the roofs of the bus shelters at the time, as this plant can do well without water in dry periods and requires little maintenance. However, now the municipality is curious as to whether other plants and herbs can also do good work on the bus shelters. The sedum in some bus shelters was therefore replaced by other plants and the effects of this will be examined in the coming period. Among other things, it will be examined whether, for example, more bees are attracted to it.
The bus stop at Willem van Noortplein, Utrecht, has been given other plants. Sedum was chosen for the roofs of the bus shelters at the time, as this plant can do well without water in dry periods and requires little maintenance. However, now the municipality is curious as to whether other plants and herbs can also do good work on the bus shelters. The sedum in some bus shelters was therefore replaced by other plants and the effects of this will be examined in the coming period. Among other things, it will be examined whether, for example, more bees are attracted to it. Source: Robert Oosterbroek/DUIC.nl
Dutch city Utrecht turned bus stops into bee stops and now has other cities buzzing too. Shortly after the more than 300 bus stops in Utrecht were planted with sedum, the news went viral, and many international media wrote about the green roofs, igniting copycat schemes far and wide. Source: Facebook/BrightVibes
Make an Impact

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN URBAN GREEN SPACE

The opportunities afforded by cities have attracted millions to live in these urban areas. While these offer their own impressive sights, there are every few green spaces that people can go to for relaxation and renewal. They are often forced to travel far because they don’t have sanctuaries of their own.A better way would be to create your own green space outside your door, thus allowing you to enjoy nature at your own convenience. You can follow these tips from CIVIL ENGINEER BLOG and start right away.