The article presents current trends in the planning of green areas in Poland and around the world. It highlights opportunities for the use of contemporary material solutions and technologies promoting the sustainable development of urban areas. The main objective of the research was to extract the most important principles relevant to crystallising greenery as a pro-ecological solution towards improving the quality of life and mitigating the effects of climate change. A representative sample of 'green' solutions in built-up and undeveloped areas of the city structure or existing green areas was collected, in which the following solutions were analysed: the choice of surface, plants, accessories and modern systems. The most interesting pro-ecological, innovative ideas, realistic for implementation in the agglomeration areas, were presented. On the basis of data collected in the form of a table, conclusions were formulated, which were used to develop charts showing the correlations between variable parameters: location, date of establishment or revitalisation of the place, environmental factors affecting the selection of specific development elements and ways of forming space, versus the choice of specific design solutions. The developed data showing an overview of the global directions were compared with information about parks and squares in Poznan known to the authors of the article from their autopsy, with the presentation of new concepts of student studies indicating the possibility of transforming the space in order to improve the quality of life in areas with different functions and improve the aesthetics of streets, squares and building quarters.