The GSZ is responsible for creating, preserving and maintaining the city's park system, sports facilities, urban forests, cemeteries, public swimming pools and playgrounds.

The municipal plant nursery, which organizes various courses and events on all aspects of ‘Green Knowledge,’ belongs to this division too, as well as the lease of roughly 6,000 garden allotments.

The Services Division's activities are apparent at the job market, as the results of regular user surveys that generate an impact balance sheet, on annual and financial reports and through quality management.

It ranges from future planning and concept design of new green and open spaces to the promotion of concrete building projects to the protection and development of valuable parks within the city.

[1] Gottlieb Friedrich Rothpletz took over in 1900, the promenade formerly being the responsibility of the city gardener, and in 1902 was made the head of the new horticulture office.

[3] At the end of the 1920s, cactus grower Jakob Gasser wanted to sell his collection to the city of Zurich.

In 1929, the department store owner, Julius Brann, purchased the collection and gave it to the city as a gift.

[5] From 1940 the city's green spaces were converted into farm fields to provide enough food during World War II and increase the self-sufficiency of the country.

Over the course of his career, he developed other projects, such as the rose facility "Muraltengut" (1960), the "Seeuferweg" (1963), the lake promenade "Utoquai" (1971), the "Schanzengraben" (1982–1984) and the "Irisgarten" (1985).

In 1975 a full-time Human Resources Department, including an administrative secretary, was formed that was responsible for about 400 employees.

In 2006, the GSZ published The Green Book of Zurich which describes the department's strategy for the next ten years.

In 2008 Grün Stadt Zürich had the opportunity to temporarily use a fallow field with the objective of promotion of nature, especially for schoolchildren.