Sports areas and equipment

The North Green Belt was developed and built up in connection to investments and structures for the 2008 Expo. (Ref. 1,2) The North Green Belt is a series of connections extending the green corridor and network of green spaces in Zaragoza, with the Ebro and Gallego rivers as the two main axes of the belt. (Ref. 1,2)

Püspökerdő is a 250-hectare large forest in Győr, situated in the inner part of the city. The forest is split into two parts by Moson-Danube river. The forest is maintained by the company Kisalföld Erőgazdálkodási Zrt, which since 1998, has added new facilities to the area with the primary goal of serving the needs of those who visit the forest (Reference 1). It is equipped with educational trails, fireplaces, a clearing suitable for playing ball games, an outside gym and a playground. The educational trails give information about the flora and fauna of the forest in their natural environment. In 2013, a new adventure park was established to attract the nature-lover visitors looking for active recreational opportunities. In 2017, the local government planned a large-scale watersports project in the area, but it was cancelled due to criticism from citizens. In 2020, the forest was granted environmental protection by the local municipality (Reference 9).
Step by step the area has been developed since 1998, with the help of municipal and regional funds (educational trails), and private investment (adventure park). The adventure park was opened in 2013 and the latest development happened there in 2016.

A 1.96-hectare insidious unused land in the District 2 of Bucharest has been transformed into a modern park through a project funded by European funds. The project was selected in the top 100 Regional as an example of good European practice.Initially, the park was a storage space for household waste (1, 3).

Named after the first mayor of Lisboa after the 25 April Revolution, the Aquilino Ribeiro Machado garden and the horticultural park provides an area of 25000 squared meters of green space, connecting Alvalade to the Alta de Lisboa. Divided into various zones interconnected by walkable trails and paths, the park offers fields where locals dedicate themselves to farming and gardening, several fitness types of equipment, a children playground, tables and benches and a different kind of viewpoint for a different sight of the city, watching the planes of the Humberto Delgado airport landing or taking off. There are bicycle roads along the park as well. (7)

The project created a green recreational park in the family housing area, where there had been a lack of such facilities. The park contains a multifunctional sports pitch, open-air gym and a playground. Additionally, as the park is located next to the nature reserve ‘Żurawiniec’ it serves as a buffer zone for the reserve and mitigates the pressure caused by the proximity of the city [1].

Vine Court is a student residential complex located at the heart of the University’s city campus. It is equipped with both green and brown roofs, providing environmentally friendly habitats for local flora and fauna, utilizing local plant mixes and building material rubble from the excavated site. (Reference 2). It is at the forefront of sustainable residential development in the UK higher education sector and it was built to a high standard of sustainable design and energy performance. In addition to the eco-technologies incorporated into the structure, the brickwork includes built-in nest boxes for swifts and bats. It has been awarded a design stage BREEAM Excellent certification (Reference 1).

The Mab Lane Community Woodland was planted on a former playing field at Mab lane and Croxdale Road West in Liverpool. It is a part of the larger Mersey Forest initiative which has been increasing the amount of woodland and green spaces across Cheshire and Merseyside since 1991.
The new woodland which has a network of native trees, wildflower meadows a community orchard as well as seasonal wetland areas and footpaths, was officially opened by the local community in 2010. It also includes new pathways for walkers and cyclists and areas for family picnics (Ref. 2, 10). Mab Lane Community Woodland is a partnership project involving the Forestry Commission, Northwest Development Agency, Mersey Forest, Big Lottery, Riverside Group, Liverpool City Council and the Local Community (Ref. 10).

This NBS is part of a strategy of urban development including social, economic and urban dimensions, aiming at implementing green streams within and between neighbourhoods to enhance the liveability of the area. The main project is the “Green Stream”, which embeds a new vision of urban infrastructures meant as urban and environmental regeneration, by creating public green spaces. The East area of the city hosts a green flux of green corridors, parks, as well as cultural spots, sports facilities and recreation. It is highlighted the social value of this project in terms of creation of public sustainable spaces (Ref.4)

The project revitalized beaches around three lakes near Poznan: Kierskie, Strzeszynskie, and Rusalka. Over 1000-ha of forest and three lakes located within the city borders make this a unique recreational area for the inhabitants of Poznan and its surroundings. The project aims to modernize the neglected beaches and build basic infrastructure and communication paths. The plans involved cleaning of the area, planting greenery, regulation of the lake beachline, introducing environmentally friendly solutions (e.g. solar lamps), open-air playgrounds and gyms, and renovation/installation of the new bridges over the lakes [1].

In 1995 the city of Munich decided to implement a new green residential district in the derelict area of the former Munich-Riem airport which was closed in 1992. (Reference 9) The area was designed to have an intensively used residential area in the north and an extensively used green recreational area in the south. The project was completed in 2005. It is 210 hectares large, making it the third-largest public park in Munich. (Reference 1) The park includes a 10-hectare large artificial lake, a 15-hectare large forest and two 20 meter high artificial observation and toboggan hills made from the demolition material of the former airport. (Reference 9) The park is appreciated by people but concerns about the loss of biodiversity have been raised. Citizens use the park for walking, cycling, swimming in the lake or simply for relaxation. (Reference 4)