Sports areas and equipment

A project for the creation of a new central park was launched in 2018, where a harbor consisting of three docks used to be and is now used as primarily as a car park. The park was planned to consist of three large green spaces that are the exact same size as the original docks. As the green areas are planned to be surrounded by rows of trees, the park will look like New York’s Central Park. The park is set to contribute to Antwerp’s climate change resiliency as the central green area will contain a water basin in which stormwater can be stored temporarily and slowly infiltrate, which is enhanced by the riverbank vegetation (Ref. 1, 2, 6).

Pegnitztal West is a new corridor and recreation zone along a section of the Pegnitz river in Nurnberg suitable for all kinds of social groups and intended for recreational activities (1). The project instrumentalizes green and blue infrastructure for creating conditions for sport, leisure, and recreation, as well as serving a transitional function for the dwellers of the neighboring Gostenhof and St. Johannis districts (1). The green corridor also provides a protected urban habitat for various species, including more than 8 different tree species, water bats, green woodpeckers and swamp warblers. The project also stabilized the water level of the river and helps flood protection efforts. (2, 7)

This intervention was a proposed citizen project to connect the southern districts with Murcia by converting the abandoned railroad tracks into a green corridor. The intervention aims to transform the abandoned space into a green mobility corridor for various forms of transportation, from public buses to bicycles, and for pedestrian and leisurely use as well. (Reference 1 and 2). In 2019, there was the opening event to show this Green Corridor's construction, which is now the longest in the region.

The municipality aimed to establish a zone in Murcia that worked as a "green lung" for the city while making it its engine for economic, social and cultural development (Ref 2). For this, the municipality planned and implemented the project of "Integrated Alcantarilla Parks". It includes several parks, with the priority of creating one in the surroundings of the Ethnological Orchards Murcia's Museum (Ref 1). The project is called integrated as it is based on the integral values of sustainability where the environment, the economic development and the socio-cultural needs are compatible (Ref 2). For this, there will be sustainable architecture, recovery of the natural environment, as well as incorporating the historical heritage in the public green areas of a specific zone (Ref 3). There are many parks that are part of this project, the last one was the Ibarra de Murcia Park in 2020 (Ref 7 and 8).

On the brownfield of an abandoned train station and its surrounding terrain, active citizens and neighbors developed Utopia town, a living lab for creative urban development, cultural and creative industries, and citizen engagement. Under the guiding principle “edible train station – edible town", next to other projects, an urban garden with organic cultivation was developed on 1,000 sqm of the terrain at the former train station Mirke as a focus area for their activities due to its favourable location in order to show that gardening is possible in urban spaces, even on balconies or terraces (Ref. 1, 2, and 3). The main building of the Utopiatown has a bar, a concert venue, a food sharing station, and a free bicycle lending service that is operated by volunteers. (Ref. 9). Gardening workshops that are offered to citizens with little experience of gardening are planned to be further extended with seminars and practice classes for students (Ref. 3). Since its beginning, the area of the “utopia town” has grown rapidly and is now providing opportunities for multidisciplinary academic research. (Ref. 12)

In 2011, the Great Lines Heritage Park was formed by connecting the Great Lines, Lower Lines, Inner Lines, Forst Amherst and Medway Park together. To do so, a former military area was transformed. The intervention connects the heritage towns of Chatham and Gillingham and the Chatham Waterfront. By connecting the heritage of the town and the waterfront, the project aimed to emphasize both these aspects of the area, but also to improve visitors' access and be a habitat for a number of species (Ref 2). The area has been created from a site that is of international heritage significance. The park is located within the Thames Gateway priority housing area, Europe’s largest regeneration project (ref. 3).

This intervention is part of a broader masterplan regarding harbours and seacoast in Palermo, with a specific focus on the Cala coastal area. The waterfront has importance for the city not just as a harbour, but for its relational, cultural and recreational functions as well. In particular, the Molo Trapezoidale can become the new “water district” in which compatible port functions will be integrated with the existing urban functions and the new residential areas, as well as the new cultural and recreational services with new infrastructures linked with natural features such as green areas and trees. (Ref.1.)

New recreation zone "Norikus Bay" in Nurenberg was completed in 2018 on the south bank of the Wöhrder lake, an artificial lake created in 1968 to protect the city from flooding. The dam itself, which is a 400m long path separating a part of the water surface from the bigger part of the lake, has become a tourist attraction with a water playground and other recreational amenities being offered. The water is naturally cleaned through the regeneration zone with natural plant filter, and simultaneously improves the habitat of fish and makes recreational swimming in possible in the cleaner water. New green areas are organized on the shore in order to improve environmental, aesthetic and recreational conditions of the area (1, 7, 8).

Park Track North (Park Spoor Noord) is built on a former railway territory and was aimed to provide a social, green and mobility 'corridor' as the territory disconnected parts of the city (Ref. 1,4). Now, the park has a sustainable drainage system, allows a maximum diversity of people to use the park and has trees that will last for a long time. The park is further considered sustainable because of the use of FSC wood, re-used materials and energy-efficient lighting while the historical railway elements are restored or reused (Ref. 1,7).

From 2006 onwards, the urban stream Wupper and its riverbanks were redeveloped and ecologically improved via several water management and planning measures across the city of Wuppertal. Initiated by the city administration and the public sector company Wupper, they aimed at improving the environmental- and water quality or the area and enhancing biodiversity in and around the Wupper. These efforts were accompanied by additional citizens' initiatives with the same goal. (Ref. 1, 2, 3, 9). According to the EU Water Framework Directive, 27 percent of the Wupper and its tributaries are now in good condition, which is well above the German average of 8 percent. The complete renaturalization is planned to be completed by 2025. (Ref. 12)