Green space and habitat

The first new park in Sofia since 30 years was created, which had very positive reviews from the citizens of the capital. The park features attractive grey infrastructure, grass lawns, and more than 600 planted trees. It has become a popular place for recreation. The aims of the project were to improve the public environment so that it is more suitable for rest; create conditions for sport and recreation in an urban park environment; and to thereby improve the economical state of the region by attracting investments and new employment opportunities. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2; Ref. 3). Extension of a 6.6 acre water park and additional 18.2 acre green area was also completed in 2020 (Ref 8 and 9).

The acronym VERDIR stands for Sustainable Rehabilitation and Responsible Innovation (Valorisation de l’Environnement par la Réhabilitation Durable et l’Innovation Responsable) and is a project of the University of Liège, about the development of local economic activities based on urban and peri-urban agriculture. It aims to convert existing brownfield sites according to the needs of the population. This involves the large-scale production of vegetables and plants which can be used for food but also for the pharmaceutical industry and the production of biomass, which is increasingly needed (Ref. 1).

The Hofgarten is a green area in the old town of Augsburg. It is part of the former prince-bishop's residence rebuilt in the 18th century and was built between 1739 and 1744 by Johann Caspar Bagnato (Ref. 1). The park was reconstructed in 2006 providing a barrier-free access to the park for disabled people (Ref. 2).

The Sea Heroes Garden is a community garden that was initiated by citizens on an empty lot with the goal to create a garden in which children can play, fruit and vegetables are grown organically and social activities are organized.(1) In the garden, multiple measures allow for storm water retention and the vegetation provides habitat for a broad variety of species. (5).

The Faktory project claims to be the first European smart greenhouse, located in the Science Park of Liege. The building serves as a Private Incubator of young start-ups focusing on tech, but it has sustainability goals, too; it is a showcase of urban agriculture, there is biodiversity integration, and the plants produced in the building contribute to supplying the cafeteria (Ref. 1).

The aim of ReWaM was to show ways how different forms of use of water bodies can be reconciled with their protection in order to sustainably maintain the diversity and efficiency of the different water ecosystems. This applies to both rural, suburban and urban regions (ref. 8). Increased sealing of urban surfaces and combined sewer systems for rain- and wastewater pose major challenges for urban water management. Therefore, the university of applied sciences and the city of Münster participated in a research project as one of three pilot cities running from 2015 to 2018 concerning improved rainwater management and the development of respective planning instruments. Several green roofs at the university campus were used as test spaces to explore and monitor rainwater infiltration efficiency and feasible green roof compositions. Also, different permeable surface coatings were tested at the urban depot (Ref. 1 and 4).

3000 trees were planted on 7 decares of land by 500 volunteers in park Zapaden on Earth day (22 April) in 2017. The initiative was supported by the Municipality of Sofia, and had the aim of making the city cleaner, greener, and more beautiful. The initiative also compensated for the illegal logging which had taken place in the park. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2; Ref. 3)

The Naturfreibad Haunstetten is an artificially designed bathing lake in the south of Augsburg with a water surface of 9,200 m² and a maximum depth of four meters. After the regeneration of 1,5 hectares of green space surrounding the lake, the baths were reopened in 2010 (Ref. 1).

The new sports campus that has recently been opened in The Hague contains multiple NBS solutions including one of the largest green roofs in the area, permeable paving of parking spots, a creek and trees that can stormwater storage. The building of the sports campus on which the green roof is created is completely CO2 neutral as it runs on solar and geothermal energy. (1,2,5,6,7,8).

Until the 1990's Bidston Moss was a landfill site and was "unsafe for public access", thus giving a negative impression (close to several residential areas). Restoring work begun in 1995, and in 2006 development started in Bidston Moss through a Newlands scheme: including new features and landscape enhancements to “unlock the full potential” of the area (“as a valued and well-used community woodland for local people and wildlife.”). (Ref. 1, 2)