Cultural (museum, concert areas)

The project refers to the development of a vacant plot to create a social garden. Activities and plans implemented included: planting greenery, creating flower meadows and flowerbeds, common flowers planting by citizens, common vegetable growing area and a greenhouse, recreational area (hammock, trampolines, field games, sun loungers and sofas for recreation), cultural zone (outdoor cinema, exhibition space), workshop area (for artistic, ecological and sports workshops), canteen area (open-air kitchen, outdoor bar, communal dining space). The garden was open for the public between 2016 and 2018.(1)(4)

The Svoradova small park is an NBS site of the Bratislava zelenaj project. The newly renovated park (once part of the historical Pálffy Garden) on Svoradova Street in Old Town was previously abandoned and neglected. (14) It is part of the citywide Bratislava zelenaj project aimed at protecting and promoting the welfare of the city’s vulnerable citizens from the effects of climate change, (1) providing a safe recreational space for children (with a small playground for playing and swings). The park also has new lighting, and the whole space is home to new flowers, bridges and trees. (10, 12, 18)

In 2014, the Bielefeld Botanical Garden was expanded with a 2,700 land, previously owned by the local municipality. The extension area and the “old” part of the Botanical Garden were visually and functionally separated by the dense, sometimes gloomy woody vegetation of the "new" area where the watercourse and the small reservoirs were barely noticeable. The aim of the redevelopment is to integrate the entire extension area into the old botanical garden using pathways between the old and the new areas of the botanical garden, the improvements of water body and vegetation areas. The redevelopment also includes the renovation of buildings in the "old" area of the botanical garden, the installation of new recreation facilities and the building of a pharmacy garden. The planning and implementation process is lead by the Friends of the Botanical Garden Bielefeld Association (Verein Freunde DesBotanischen Gartens Bielefeld e.V) in close cooperation with the Environmental Agency of the local municipality (1,2, 7,10,11)

Bastion Theresia Timisoara was built as a defensive perimeter for the Romanian town of Timisoara and has languished for decades in the center of the city. The bastion was rehabilitated and it incorporates green spaces and a community center. The old fortress' location in the middle of town makes it a natural hub for transportation and assembly, and the extensive green roof incorporates it into the city's urban green belt. (1)

Together with citizens, municipality, NGOs and urban green space developers and managers, GREEN SURGE contributed to the improvement of Ljubljana’s urban green spaces in the LivadaLAB initiative. This project combined research insights with the expertise of the youth NGO Zavod Bob, University of Ljubljana, the Institute for Sustainable Development, construction company LAVCO, urban management company TISA, and a number of local businesses. Together, they implemented a project which successfully integrates youth and environmental policy goals for the City of Ljubljana. It engaged over 30 young citizens in developing a multifunctional open public green space with the aim to further promote, support and foster the active role of citizens, especially marginalized groups, in improving the quality of urban green spaces in Ljubljana. This project is one of the initiatives under the overarching Uran Learning Labs (ULLs) project by Green Surge, which was applied to 20 European cities. (1, 4 and 5)

The area around Selma Lagerlöf’s square is one of the city's main development areas. The Park and the Parks and Landscape Administration is responsible for creating a new park in the area. It will be like a hub for meetings, greenery, relaxation and activities in the new Selma city. Together with the square area, it aims to become the basis for the common social life in the district. The park will attract visitors of different ages and with different interests and be an attraction for all of Göteborg. The project is currently ongoing and is expected to get completed in 2023. (Ref. 1, 4)

Oslo is completely surrounded by old forests full of wildlife and native species, providing important ecological services. This “Green Belt Boundary”, known as Marka, has been approved to be protected by the City Government in order to “ensure that the forests are protected against urban development. The management of the city’s forests follows a multi-user plan based on ecological principles and places the emphasis on a long-term and target-oriented development of a varied recreational forest that allows for nature conservation and outdoor activities”. 1,700km2 are protected by the Marka Act, of where 310km2 are located within Oslo municipality. (Ref. 1,9)

The action proposed by the Municipal Technical Service of Parks and Gardens at the Department of the Environment, aims at the regeneration of the forest with the repopulation of pines of different ages, to imitate a mountain in a natural state with the plantation of the Cartagena Cypress and Tetraclinex articulata, which has a good adaptation to the environment. Several plots (Plots 3, 5, 6, 8 and 12 of the project) have been repopulated with shrubs and trees such as cypress, esparto, rosemary, tomillos, lentiscos, tetraclinex and palmito, in the solana area, deciduous and riparian species, and to other silvicultural treatments, which increases the variety of existing vegetation. (Ref. 1) In addition, the project contemplates the construction of two viewpoints (Ref 1, 3). A new irrigation system is put in place for the re-use of water for sustainable use and water savings. (Ref. 7)

The recreational and educational centre (RIC) area along the Sava river stretches from Tomačevo to Sneberje and totals 144,618 sqm. The area is intended for children, people with disabilities and other residents of the region, visitors and tourists. The intervention made this once degraded, illegal dumping area attractive for those seeking recreation, visitors and tourists, also in the evening as street lighting was installed along the path powered by photovoltaics. A large children's playground offers free socializing and children can develop their basic motor skills, which is exceptionally important in life's early years. (1)

Since 2012, Gothenburg has worked with the Rivercity, an urban development project in the city centre, that uses different ways of working, with innovation at the core of its urban transformations projects. Frihamnen is one of the RiverCity Göteborg most vital projects which aims to unify the centre of Göteborg across the river and out towards Kvillebäcken, Lindholmen and Backaplan (districts). The environmental goal is to create climate adaptation by flood control & stormwater management. Additional benefits of the project are to make the area more attractive and create recreational areas. As part of the BEGIN project, the Frihamnen project aims to use 'blue-green' solutions (i.e. Blue Green Infrastructure through Social Innovation). (Ref. 1, 2)