Green and infrastructure: 'We need to stop designing from separate worlds'

ARTICLE

Heleen Kommers, Wednesday 1 July 2026

145 sec

New GreenMax talk show brings ecologists, infrastructure experts and green professionals together

Green or grey? According to GreenMax, that debate is long outdated. Yet in practice, roads, cables, parking areas, trees and biodiversity are still often designed separately. And that is where problems arise, according to the company. 'In practice we increasingly see things go wrong when green and infrastructure are designed in isolation.'

From left to right: Jan Willem Burgmans, Mark Bode, Pieter van den Braak, Robert Dolieslager and Cecil Konijnendijk

That is why GreenMax is launching a new live talk show in which exactly that discussion takes centre stage. Host Pieter van den Braak speaks with Cecil Konijnendijk, Jan Willem Burgmans, Mark Bode and Robert Dolieslager. Not to discuss products, but the broader question behind public space: how do you ensure that green, biodiversity and infrastructure reinforce rather than conflict with each other?

'Green is still too often added afterwards'

According to GreenMax, this is the main challenge. In many projects, green only gets a place once the infrastructure is already fixed. 'While cooperation between the two is essential for a healthy, future-proof living environment.'
This leads to familiar situations. Trees are given too little growing space. Greening has to be retrofitted later. Water remains after heavy rainfall because paving was leading in the design. And biodiversity is lost during execution because it was not structurally included in the plan.

'Green and infrastructure should not get in each other's way, but strengthen each other'

From separate disciplines to one design

The selection of guests is deliberate. All three approach the same public space from different angles.
Konijnendijk is internationally known as a specialist in urban forestry and urban green. The focus is not only on planting trees, but on how green becomes a structural part of cities and towns.
Burgmans works at Heijmans on biodiversity within infrastructure projects, where biodiversity is increasingly becoming a fixed part of design and execution.
Mark Bode of Rebel Flora & Fauna and Robert Dolieslager of Heembouw also work from this integrated approach on nature-inclusive solutions in the built environment.
According to GreenMax, these worlds increasingly overlap. Municipalities must simultaneously work on climate adaptation, biodiversity, mobility, liveability and health, all within the same limited space.

'Public space now has to fulfil many more functions at the same time'

Climate adaptation forces different choices

Where infrastructure used to focus mainly on accessibility and engineering, heat, water retention and biodiversity now also play a major role. Especially in urban areas, municipalities increasingly reach spatial limits.
A tree today must not only be visually appealing, but also provide cooling, store rainwater and contribute to biodiversity. But that requires space to be reserved in the design phase. And that is still where things often go wrong, according to GreenMax. Once cables, utilities, paving and parking spaces are fixed, little space remains for greenery.

'You can no longer see green as something added at the end'

Biodiversity is no longer a side issue

The role of biodiversity is also changing rapidly. Nature-inclusive design used to be limited to isolated measures, but is now increasingly a firm requirement in municipal policies and tenders. This means designers and contractors must think early about nesting facilities, green corridors, water retention and suitable planting for insects and animals. Management also plays a greater role, because green design only works if it is maintained properly afterwards.

'Biodiversity is no longer something you just add on a bit'

'We still work too much in silos'

According to GreenMax, this remains a persistent problem. Infrastructure designs the road. Green focuses on trees. Ecologists assess nature values. And in the end, everything still has to fit into the same limited surface area.
That is why GreenMax deliberately chose a talk show format instead of a traditional webinar. The aim is less broadcasting and more dialogue between disciplines. According to the organiser, the solution lies not in more separate measures, but in better cooperation between fields that depend on each other in daily practice.

The public space as a whole system

The common thread is that public space must increasingly be seen as one integrated system. A tree is not only green. A wadi is not only water storage. A verge is not only decoration. Everything serves multiple functions: cooling, biodiversity, social use, health and climate adaptation.
This also changes the role of designers and contractors, who must look beyond their own discipline and focus on the bigger picture. 'The era of green or grey is over.'

This article was previously published on 29 June 2026 on the website of Stad + Groen.

GreenMax Group

Heijmans Vastgoed

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