Tiefbauamt Basel-stadt

What Tiefbauamt Basel-stadt does

The Stadtgärtnerei Kanton Basel-Stadt is a municipal department under the Bau- und Verkehrsdepartement of Canton Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, responsible for maintaining and developing all public green spaces within the canton. It manages approximately 260 staff across six operational divisions — leisure gardens and gardening advisory, cemeteries (Friedhöfe), green space maintenance (Grünflächenunterhalt), urban green planning (Grünplanung), logistics, and business administration — serving all residents and visitors of Basel-Stadt through parks, public gardens, leisure gardens, cemeteries, natural areas, and urban tree canopy. Services are provided free at the point of use, funded entirely through cantonal government budget allocations.

The department conducts active research and development in sustainable urban horticulture, including Pflanzenkohle-Kompost (biochar compost) as a soil amendment and carbon sequestration method, Schwammstadt (sponge city) water management for climate resilience against heavy rainfall and drought, and Feldforschung Baumschule Arlesheim — a field research partnership with the Arlesheim tree nursery on urban tree cultivation and species adaptation. It also runs biodiversity promotion programs (Stadtnatur fördern) and nature conservation initiatives, and operates citizen-facing programs such as leisure garden leases, tree subsidies for private properties, composting advisory, and public exhibitions including the 'Auf immer und ewig' show at Wolfgottesacker cemetery.

As a cantonal government entity, the Stadtgärtnerei holds a statutory monopoly on public green space management within Basel-Stadt and generates no commercial revenue. It is led by Emanuel Trueb (Leiter Stadtgärtnerei) and operates from Dufourstrasse 40, 4052 Basel. The department maintains active public communications through the canton website, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and recently issued a joint cantonal decree with Basel-Landschaft to control the invasive Japanese beetle (Japankäfer), effective June 24, 2026.

Name

Tiefbauamt Basel-stadt

Legal name

Stadtgärtnerei Kanton Basel-Stadt

Website

https://stadtgaertnerei.bs.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Stadtgärtnerei Basel is a municipal department of Canton Basel-Stadt managing approximately 260 staff who maintain public parks, gardens, cemeteries, nature areas, and urban trees for all canton residents. It conducts R&D in biodiversity, sponge city water management, and biochar composting, funded entirely by the cantonal budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Horticulture and Public Green Space Management

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Landscaping Services (561730), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tree Care & Arborist Services (BPABADAD), Tree Care & Arborist Services (IMAIAIAB), Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Municipal green space management
• Urban horticulture services
• Public park maintenance
• Urban biodiversity conservation
• Cemetery management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Sector Funding: Funded entirely through cantonal government budgets (Canton Basel-Stadt). Services are provided free at point of use to residents as public infrastructure. Revenue is not generated through commercial transactions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Stadtgärtnerei Kanton Basel-Stadt is the municipal department responsible for the maintenance, development, and research of public green spaces, parks, public gardens, leisure gardens, cemeteries, nature areas, and urban trees within Canton Basel-Stadt, Switzerland. The department delivers its services free at point of use to residents through approximately 260 staff organized across operational divisions including green space maintenance, urban green planning, leisure gardens and advisory, cemetery management, logistics, and business administration. It also operates research and development programs in biochar compost, sponge city water management, and urban tree cultivation field research.

Product overview

Stadtgärtnerei Basel is a municipal department managing urban green spaces in Basel-Stadt. The organization operates as a unified service offering with multiple interconnected divisions including parks and public gardens maintenance, recreation gardens with advisory services, cemetery management, green space maintenance, green urban planning, and research and development initiatives focused on biochar compost and sponge city water management concepts. The department employs approximately 260 staff and is headed by Emanuel Trueb.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parkanlagen und öffentliche Gärten (Parks and Public Gardens) Municipal parks and public gardens management service responsible for maintaining and developing green spaces including parks, public gardens, recreation gardens, cemeteries, natural areas, and urban trees in Basel-Stadt. Provides free public access to well-maintained green infrastructure for residents and visitors.
• Freizeitgärten und Gartenberatung (Leisure Gardens and Garden Advisory) Allotment-based leisure garden leases and professional gardening consultation services offered to residents of Canton Basel-Stadt. Applicants can apply through the cantonal website with a streamlined online process.
• Friedhöfe (Cemetery Management) Cemetery management services covering the Wolfgottesacker and other public cemeteries in Canton Basel-Stadt, including maintenance and public exhibitions.
• Grünflächenunterhalt (Green Space Maintenance) Operational green space maintenance service covering public parks, green areas, and recreational zones throughout Canton Basel-Stadt. Includes routine care, mowing, planting, and infrastructure upkeep.
• Grünplanung (Urban Green Planning) Urban green planning and design services for the development of new public green areas and the redesign of existing spaces in Canton Basel-Stadt.
• Forschung und Entwicklung - Pflanzenkohle-Kompost (Biochar Compost R&D) Applied research program developing biochar compost solutions for sustainable urban soil amendment and carbon sequestration. Includes Kompostierung (composting) advisory programs for residents.
• Schwammstadt (Sponge City Water Management) Research project on sponge city water management designed to make urban areas more resilient to heavy rainfall and drought by retaining and slowly releasing water through green infrastructure.
• Biodiversität - Stadtnatur fördern (Urban Biodiversity Promotion) Urban biodiversity program focused on promoting urban nature, protecting habitats for plants and animals, and implementing nature and landscape conservation within the city, including Ruderalflächen (ruderal areas) in parks such as Erlenmattpark.

Quantifiable outcome

• Management of all public green spaces, parks, leisure gardens, cemeteries, nature areas, and city trees within Canton Basel-Stadt.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Baumschule ArlesheimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative field research partnership with Baumschule Arlesheim (tree nursery in Arlesheim) to conduct applied research on urban tree cultivation, tree health, and species adaptation to urban conditions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Davey Tree Expert Company: Large North American commercial provider of urban tree care, arboriculture, and landscape services. Demonstrates the private-sector alternative model for arboriculture and grounds maintenance services that public entities like Stadtgärtnerei perform in-house.
• BrightView Holdings: Largest U.S. commercial landscaping services company, providing maintenance, tree care, and green infrastructure services. Industry reference point for the commercial scale and capital structure that public-sector peers operate alongside but do not replicate.

Direct peers

• Stadt Bern - Stadtgrün: Bern's municipal parks and urban forestry division, providing a third direct Swiss cantonal peer managing parks, cemeteries, and urban trees under similar statutory and funding arrangements.
• Stadt Karlsruhe - Gartenbauamt: Karlsruhe's municipal horticulture office responsible for parks, cemeteries, and green planning. Comparable mid-sized German city structure with directly analogous service portfolio.
• Ville de Genève - Service des espaces verts: Geneva's municipal green spaces service managing parks, cemeteries, and urban trees in another Swiss francophone canton. Direct functional equivalent with comparable scope and public-sector delivery model.
• Wiener Stadtgärten (MA 42): Vienna's municipal parks and gardens department (Magistratsabteilung 42). Directly comparable DACH municipal entity managing public parks, cemeteries, and urban green spaces with similar breadth of scope and public-sector mandate.
• Berliner Senatsverwaltung für Mobilität, Verkehr, Klimaschutz und Umwelt: Berlin's state-level administration covering urban green spaces, tree care, and environmental programs. Functions as a broader German municipal green-space counterpart with comparable public-sector mandate.
• Baureferat München (Gartenbau): Munich's city building/parks department responsible for municipal green spaces, cemeteries, and urban trees. Same German-speaking major-city municipal model and similar service portfolio to Stadtgärtnerei Basel.
• Grün Stadt Zürich: Municipal parks, gardens, and urban forestry department of the City of Zurich. Same Swiss municipal-government model, same statutory mandate over parks, cemeteries, and urban trees, and similar cantonal funding structure as Stadtgärtnerei Basel.
• Stadt Frankfurt am Main - Grünflächenamt: Frankfurt's municipal green spaces office, responsible for parks, cemeteries, and urban tree management. Comparable German municipal structure with similar mandate and operational responsibilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tiefbauamt-basel-stadt
• Instagraminstagram.com/stadtgaertnereibasel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tiefbauamt Basel-stadt