Cultural (museum, concert areas)

Eko Ekipa Prečko is an alternative urban garden in Zagreb which was initiated and promoted by the locals. The initiative was not supported by the government initially. Regardless of the lack of support, citizens jointly cleaned an illegal waste disposal site and the bushes and shrubs there to initiate a communal garden. Besides ecological food production, they also organize educational workshops for children and adults to get familiar with life in nature (Ref 1). People of all ages, the majority between age 30 and 40, from Prečko and neighbouring districts are involved with the garden (Ref 4).

Oslo municipality is underway with the large-scale project of opening up rivers that previously were running in underground pipes. Alna Environmental Park is a part of this project and includes major transformation and environmental upgrade of the river Alna. The Environmental Park runs along the river and has transformed grey structures to accessible parks and recreation areas and now acts as an important resource for Oslo's citizens. Central aims of the project are to improve the self-cleaning ability of Alna, while maintaining biodiversity in the region and to inspire future urban development. (Ref. 1, 3)

The area of Neuschönefeld where the park is located was built in the 1970s. With residents continuously leaving the area, housing fell vacant and the quality of the area decreased. Therefore, it was identified as a major regeneration area of Leipzig. The expansion and redevelopment of the Rabet park between Volkmarsdorf and Neustadt-Neuschönefeld was aimed at creating important impulses for leisure and recreation and develop a central “green switch” which contributes to sustainable urban development that also extends beyond the district (2, 3, 6).