Educational and research amenities (nature protection centre, monitoring stations)

The Urban Environment Observatory Building (OMAU) was built in Malaga as part of the URB-AL 1998 project, it is a construction planned for environmental conservation and includes an ecological cover for the use of rain water in the supply to the structure's watering system. (Ref 2, 3)

The project called “The Apiary of Kraków” includes several interrelated initiatives to establish beehives on the rooftops of various institutions in Cracow. The aim is to provide habitat for bees, and protect biodiversity, support urban pollination, increase social awareness on the topic. Urban honey is of better quality than honey produced in rural areas where pesticides are more common. The local administration-led initiative aims to promote Cracow as a pro-ecological city which soon will be selling its honey [1,2,3,4].

The project provides some improvements in the first part of the itinerary of the Navile river. In particular, it focuses on the restoration of the green system and the recovery of historical-architectural components in the area stretching between the Park of Villa Angeletti, the ancient village of Corticella and the municipality of Castel Maggiore. Restoring the route along the canal is the first step in an ambitious retraining hypothesis that sees Navile and its rich cultural and environmental heritage as the privileged axis for the recovery and development of the adjacent urban area (1).

The reserve is a biodiversity hot-spot within Cardiff Bay. The reedbed and other aquatic plants, are very productive vegetation and a habitat for birds. Prior to the construction of the Cardiff Bay Barrage, it was made up of mudflats and salt marsh. (Ref 1) The site was chosen by Cardiff Harbour Authority to create a new environment and compensate in part for the loss of the mudflats which were submerged after completion of the Cardiff Bay Barrage. Floating timber structures serve as breeding areas for birds, an underwater bund prevents wave erosion, and a boom keeps out waterborne debris (Ref 5).

Cardiff City Council and Urban Buzz brought together local organizations, community groups supporting wildlife, to create environments to encourage more bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other insects. (ref 1). One project inspired by Urban Buzz is Pharma Bee, a project housed and run by Cardiff University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, that worked to create a bee-friendly campus through their PharmaBees team (ref 7). In association with Urban Buzz, a project run by BugLife, it renovated the Cardiff University’s Redwood Building by planting bee-friendly plants (ref 2), installed beehives and trained bee-keepers (ref 7). The efforts were then expanded to the Hayden Ellis building on Cardiff University's campus (ref 7).

The Sunderland Greenspace Audit explained the city's green space in detail and set guidelines and standards that will help to ensure that all areas of the city have a range of quality green spaces available to them. Hereby the Sunderland City Council wished to improve the green public spaces to retain existing residents and attract new ones, to enhance the image of the city and for it to be used as a means to attract future investment in the form of new shops and jobs (Ref 1).

The Aa promenade, created in 1950 to provide the citizens of Muenster with a green experience trail in the inner city, was redeveloped in the 90s with several planting measures on riverbanks, walls and in adjacent areas. Next to a brochure, a nature trail which combines the existing recreational with an educational component was created with 18 site-specific signposting points. They cover multiple benefits and ecological functions of urban green spaces, city trees and green facades/walls (microclimate regulation, air quality, CO2 capture), anthropogenic threats, unknown biodiversity hotspots and natural monuments (Ref. 1, 3 and 6).

Urban gardening or gardening in the city is a form of agriculture that is about more than just producing food: community gardens involves also social, cultural and political components. It's about actively participating in urban development, creating new living spaces or making a contribution to biological diversity (ref. 3). The campus garden on a surface area of 1,200 sqm provided by the university was created by a group of students in 2013. It is open every day to everyone interested in gardening and serves as a place for recreation and exchange for students of different disciplines and citizens. Apart from herbs, vegetables and fruits, also flowers are planted. Seeds and materials used as plant beds, such as tires or rice bags are often donated from the city or local businesses (ref. 3 and 4).

Appletree is an outdoor community resource, where people of all ages and from all walks of life, get together to grow e.g. fruit, and contribute to developing and maintaining the area. The growing space and garden are divided into different areas, offering a range of gardening experience. The community also contributes to their permaculture, wildlife and wildflower areas. The community is constantly planting and regenerating areas of the garden. (Ref. 1)

Arcosur is a new residential neighbourhood project approved for construction in 2008 after the hosting of the Zaragoza Expo 2008. In its structure, it seeks to develop a space of 4 500 000 m2 into around 21 000 new homes, and out of which around 1 500 000 m2 will be squares, parks, and other green spaces. These green spaces would connect the neighbourhood and ensure all residents have access to green areas. (Ref. 1)