Tampere adopts Green Services Programme to expand and connect urban meadows

According to the City of Tampere, the Green Services Programme was adopted at a community committee meeting on 28 April 2026. The move will expand and better manage the city’s network of urban meadows and landscape fields.

The programme replaces the previous maintenance plan for meadows and landscape fields. It aims to boost ecological, scenic and recreational values by mapping priority meadow sites in the inner city and improving connectivity across the network. Guidelines cover mowing schedules, promote hand-managed maintenance and set measures to control invasive species. Landscape fields were included in the network review; other cultivation practices will be defined in a separate farming plan.

A 2024 resident survey has already driven on-the-ground changes: more than five hectares of lawn have been converted to meadow, one new grazing area has been established and benches have been added. New meadows have been created in Näsinpuisto, the Santalahti waterfront park, Saukonpuisto and Litukanpuisto. The draft programme was open for feedback on the city’s website in February–March 2026 and received two site-specific responses. Any changes to maintenance classifications will be assessed during site visits next summer.