Improved soil quality

Mariahof is a community garden in which a large variety of actors is involved including citizens, schools and an NGO that supports social inclusion. In the garden, vegetables are grown for non-commercial food production, organic waste is composted and bees are kept for pollination and honey production (1,2,3,6). The garden works to raise awareness about sustainability and nature stewardship in an urban setting (2).

The Urban Park of Pasteleira is a public park located in the parish of Lordelo do Ouro, in the city of Porto. The park extends over an extensive area (7 hectares) of forest, divided into two plots by the street of Afonso de Paiva. The forest, an example that remains of the natural vegetation of the Porto area, consists essentially of wild pines and cork oaks, and enrichment of vegetation by the planting of trees and shrubs of Portuguese flora and exotic species. It was designed in 2004 and completed in 2009 (1).

Situated next to Bebington railway station, the site is of biological importance within Wirral. This urban nature reserve was developed on a former railway sidings and is now an oasis of green tranquility in densely populated urban area; its industrial past has been put to good use as a home for wildlife (e.g. on the thin, nutrient there are now carpets of wild flowers, including wild carrot & occasional bee orchids). Up to 26 species of butterfly have been recorded here, with 18 species breeding on site - giving the park its rather apt name. (Ref. 1, 2)

New Ferry Butterfly Park has been awarded a Green Flag for the seventh year, which signifies that the space boasts the "highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities". (Ref. 12)

The Pré Muché garden is part of the AJONC, Amis des Jardins Ouverts et néanmoins clôturés. This is the community garden of the St-Maurice Pellevoisin neighbourhood. Located behind the church of St-Maurice des Champs and the new Maison de quartier, Pré Muché has been in existence since 2007 on the initiative of the inhabitants. The garden is arranged according to the principles of the natural garden, a space that combines a place of life, cultivated plots and more wild areas. Its maintenance is ecological. It is a living garden where the pond meets the flowered meadow and the regional shrubs (Ref 2).

Within the territory of the Region of Attica there are more than 100 wetlands including streams and their estuaries, coastal marshes and lagoons, lakes and constructed wetlands. They constitute “biodiversity islands” within a broadly degraded environment and offer the inhabitants of the Attica Region the opportunity to stay in touch with nature. A strategy and an action plan were developed for the conservation and restoration of these ecosystems in fighting climate change within the EU-funded OrientGate transnational co-operation project. (Ref. 1)
Climate Change is expected to put additional pressure on these habitats as, based on future climate projections, Attica’s vulnerability to drought is expected to rise from low to moderate by the year 2100. Drought episodes are expected to last longer and occur more frequently than in the past. This phenomenon is expected to have a serious impact on Attica wetlands as most of them are rain-fed. (Ref. 1)

EPAEM (Euromediterranean public development establishment) launched the development a new park of 14 hectares. Located in former industrial area at the gates of the northern districts of Marseille, it is considered to be one of the poorest districts in France (Ref. 1). The planned park Aygalades is divided into two parts: the southern part of 4 hectares called Bougainville Park and the northern part of 10 hectares which runs along the Aygalades river (Ref. 1). Development work on Bougainville Park is set to begin in September 2020 with completion in 2023 (Ref. 12). The park is described as "the first step of a large project to restore a highly degraded industrial site" (Ref. 12).

The ANNALINDE gGmbH operates multifunctional urban agriculture and demonstration projects in the Western part of Leipzig: a community garden, a nursery and a fruit garden on a former train station where the emphasis is on community development and mutual learning processes in addition to food production. This is safeguarded by an events portfolio consisting of garden working days, workshops and collaborations with schools, kindergartens and like-minded organizations. In addition to that, open urban labs are operated for a number of initiatives and projects covering subject areas like urban agriculture, recycling, composting, urban bees, urban resilience and sustainable urban development (1).

This NBS refers to a curtain protection forest that was planted 6 km out of the city of Iasi in 2015 by the mayor of a commune next to the city. The benefits of this NBS embrace also the city of Iasi as a method to prevent flooding and to avoid strong winds in the area. Afforestation was seen also as a response to the existence of arid soil and abandoned crop fields in the area due to a large population movement of immigration towards Western countries (1)

The City of Marseille has three pedagogical farms which are intended to raise awareness of nature and encourage citizens to "discover to love and respect the environment; Study and experiment to act responsibly" (Ref. 1). "Among the various awareness-raising and environmental education tools developed by the City of Marseilles, pedagogical farms are the most concrete way to re-establish contact between urban youth and the rural world" (Ref. 1). The "Collet des Comtes" is one such farm and its "three hectares of land are occupied by open-field and greenhouse crops, grazing areas, an orchard, a pond and a pedagogical garden" (Ref. 1). The farm hosts educational events for children and organic markets (Ref. 5,6).

Allotment gardens have a long tradition in Hannover, with approximately 20.000 gardens stretching around the city as a green belt. In the last decades, some gardens were threatened by disappearance due to investment interests (Reference 1). With the goal to protect these gardens, the city employed a so-called "Kleingartenkonzept" (allotment concept) in 2016 with the help of the association of allotment gardens (Bezirksverband Hannover der Kleingärtner e.V.). The concept aims to keep the number of existing gardens for social and ecological considerations while allowing for new residential investments which is vital for the growing city. (Reference 2).
As part of the concept, extensive inventory examinations were conducted on areas affected by conversion and restructuring, along with the start of implementation of smaller development projects for housing and the creation of replacement gardens in some areas. Because the need for residential spaces has been covered for until the end of 2019, the conversion of allotments for the said land use has been stopped; it will be revisited in 2024. (Reference 2)
To address the problem of future allotment garden losses, gradual elimination of permanent vacancies has started by creating new smaller and more attractive gardens from oversized ones, by improving accessibility and optimizing spaces, and by modernizing allotments (Reference 2).