Improved stormwater management

'Grey to Green' is one of the most invested projects in Sheffield, to transform the Riverside Business District. In Phase -1 this project will transform a 1.2 km unused road to attractive new public space, which will include innovative perennial flower meadows, an interlinked sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS), rain gardens, public art and high quality paved footways (ref 2). The whole project and landscape have been designed by the City Council, partnership with the University of Sheffield Landscape School, Amey and Robert Bray Associates. The SUD was designed by leading national experts on landscaping, and it is believed that SUD will help in flood relief in this part of the city by soaking up run off to the river within the ‘flood zone’ (ref 2). In Phase-2, the scheme will link Castlegate to the under-used Victoria Quays area and transform the almost redundant former inner ring road with sustainable drainage, floral meadows, segregated cycle lanes and public art. (ref7)

The conservation of agricultural activities allows for the preservation of the landscape for all, with the possibility to offer to Milaners a place of leisure, tranquility, nature and tradition within the city, where to taste - also while tasting the products of the earth - what is the the Milanese agricultural world. It is located in the South West of Milan, within the Parco Agricolo Sud, in an area between the two Navigli, the Grande and the Pavese (1).

This project was the first green roof in the city of Bologna, and it has been carried out by the University of Bologna in collaboration with the Columbia University of New York with the aim to prove more evidence on green roof stormwater performance. For the Engineering School of Bologna University the existing roofs had a load capacity that was able to host only an extensive roof, without the costly need of being reinforced. In the extensive roof type the vegetation is usually very drought resistant and plants can adapt to difficult environmental conditions, therefore sedum was chosen (1).

Fornebu used to be Norway’s main airport, but was abandoned in 1998. The Fornebu project aimed to restore the 340 ha site in order to provide a sustainable, multi-use built environment with sustainable drainage systems and other green infrastructure in focus. The site now consists of residential and industrial buildings with a focus on green space and natural storm water management, involving the use of open and natural water retention methods, including swales, filter strips, permeable surfaces, detention basins and retention ponds (Ref. 1).

The El Patriarca Park aims to rehabilitate and restore 60 hectares of land for ecological benefits and recreational purposes for the inhabitants of Cordoba (Ref.1,3,4,6). It takes place on a site with distinct areas, including a holm-oak forest with Mediterranean scrubland of extraordinary environmental value. This NBS is an effort to protect natural values, erase the traces of urbanization attempts of the seventies, and repair damages caused by human action (Ref. 6). Implementation of the project is expected to start in early 2021 (Ref. 6).

“The purpose of the C/O City project is to highlight the value of nature in the city, create planning documentation and develop concrete solutions that facilitate work with ecosystem services in urban planning.” The three phases of the project were to develop tools and methods, verify and adjust the tools and make them available to key actors. The final phase was to test the tools/methods and evaluate them. (Note: the starting point of the project was the environmental profiling of the Royal Seaport; i.e. Norra Djurgårdsstaden). Now as the project is completed, the results and lessons are continued by a non-profit association. The purpose of the association is to draw attention to and highlight the value of urban ecosystem services and contribute to increased knowledge in the public construction sector. (Ref. 1, 7, 8)

Via Gandusio is a social housing complex in the North of Bologna that was originally built for hosting workers that migrate from South Italy in the 60s. Nowadays, it hosts two different communities: advanced-age Italians and current international immigrants. The differences create some conflicts and limits relationships among the community. In 2010 a group of researchers tried to implement a community garden that was designed with the aim of setting a meeting point for the community where food production is the link between neighbours to exchange knowledge, culture and experiences. The 250 m2 roof garden started in 2011 becoming the first of the city of Bologna and of Italy (Ref. 7 and 8).
Over the years the project has undergone changes and variations, has seen the end of funding and known voluntary management (2013). Since 2013 there is an urban vegetable garden cared for by some residents with the support of the Biodiversity association. (Ref.10)

“Central Stockholm has around 12,000 planted trees in its street environment. During the second half of the 20th century, the circumstances for the city’s trees changed dramatically as competition for land increased. Concrete and asphalt were laid closer and closer to the tree trunks. This project aimed to improve conditions for trees in the city’s urban environment as they are very important to the cityscape and the air environment. They also bring residents joy and a sense of well-being. Moreover, this is a way of increasing biological diversity.” The intervention is part of the 'Environmental Billion project'. (Ref. 1, 2).

No new data found for this project in 2020. Many similar initiatives have been taken up in the city in other parts, but it is unclear whether they are part of the same project or are separate projects.

Pilestredet Park project was one of the largest urban ecology projects in Scandinavia and included redevelopment of a neglected inner-city quarter of Oslo while meeting high standards of sustainable construction. The project included energy efficient buildings with high quality indoor environments, plenty of green areas, as well as an extensive stormwater runoff management system for the whole site. Pilestredet Park also contributed toward the development of more sustainable construction techniques and products, much thanks to the strict requirements from the Environmental follow-up program developed by Statsbygg and Oslo Municipality's (Ref. 1)

“The Guadalquivir River offers some of the best landscape, ecological and environmental values. There is an exceptional variety of flora and fauna and the river is considered as one of the main lungs of the city and as a privileged area for the residents”. (Ref. 12) The river is an essential element of Cordoba, having been declared a natural monument in 2001. (Ref 3, p.4) There are ongoing efforts to maintain and restore the river as a natural and cultural heritage site (Ref. 1,2,5,8,9) and a space for recreational activities (Ref. 12).