Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters

“Balne Lane Fields are an area of land close to the city centre of Wakefield. The site comprises of an area of nine hectares, which includes a former landfill site that has been restored to open green space. Part of the site is within a flood zone (Balne Beck).” “The field is popular with the local population for informal recreation. The potential to improve the variety of recreational uses, ecological value and environmental quality together with its links to both local communities and strategic greenspaces make it an important piece of green infrastructure in the City of Wakefield.” (Ref. 1)

An urban garden on a private citizen's terrace in the city of Aix en Provence, has been created with the help of the organization "Pays d'Aix en Transition" working towards permaculture and urban gardening. The main objective of this urban garden is to produce vegetables and fruit for personal consumption, to install plants in a very urban environment, and use permaculture techniques. Another objective is to grow climbing plants to decorate the walls. (Ref.1 )

In 2013, St Davids shopping centre, which has over 200 stores and restaurants (ref 5) completed the installation of a green roof, which included bird boxes and beehives and the centre is looking to expand its green roof further. The city shopping centre has become the home of a 60,000-strong colony of bees. A second green roof was developed in 2015 in the parking garage to expand educational programs (ref 4). School children from Cardiff were involved in the planting of seedlings to create pollinator habitats for bees, butterflies and other local wildlife around the ‘Hayes’ area (ref 3). The customers and local community, with the help of this project, have been taught about the value of adopting an eco-friendly approach to public space. (ref 1)

In response to floods that had been afflicting the Rhiwbina area of Cardiff, a capital scheme was promoted in order to develop an integrated Rhiwbina Flood Defence Scheme. First, a pond was built in the Caedlyn Park to capture peak flows during extreme rainfall (ref 2; ref 8). The City of Cardiff also built low walls alongside the brook that flows through the neighbourhood to better channel water while also removing debris and reinstating the banks that had eroded over time (ref 1; ref 2). Additionally, by realigning and widening the watercourse, establishing earth bunds and creating a large attenuation pond downstream that aligns with the drainage system (ref 7). Taken together, flood risk decreased for the area overall, assisting local residents.

In the new district ‘Kop Zuidas’, water green strip is created along the sidewalk in which stormwater is temporarily stored by means of high-grade vegetation and a drainage system. The stormwater slowly infiltrates into the soil and only reaches the sewage system in case of extremely heavy rainfall. It is a pilot project for stormwater retention and will be upscaled throughout Amsterdam when successful. (1,2)

The renaturalization of streams is a common strategy for improving the ecological quality of water bodies as mandated by the European Water Directive. For that reason, parts of the Aa stream in Münster upstream until its flow into the Aa lake covering 2.6 km were renaturalized from 2012 to 2013. Renaturalization is a means to restore the natural river banks, local ecosystems of the Aa rive and improve the water quality of the Aa lake (Ref. 1 and 3).

“The Went Water Vole Project, a two year project working with local people and landowners throughout the River Went catchment to secure the future survival for one of the most significant water vole populations in West Yorkshire. Work also involves carry out habitat restoration and creation schemes across the area to link up isolated water vole colonies and encourage the re-population of some of their old ranges.” (Ref. 1)

A number of studies were carried out since 1984 to determine a suitable flood prevention scheme for the White Cart Water and its tributary to provide protection up to the 1 in 200 years event (corresponding to protection up to 1 in 100 years event by 2050s, according to considered climate change projections). In 2002 the development of the scheme began with the help of consulting engineers. The resulting White Cart Water Flood Prevention Scheme, the largest flood protection scheme in Scotland, was published in November 2004 and approved by the Scottish Government in 2006 (Ref 1). Phases 1 and 2 of the White Cart Water Flood Prevention Scheme were completed by late 2011 as part of Glasgow City Council's strategy, working with other key stakeholders, to reduce flood risk to residents and businesses in the south side of Glasgow. In 2017, Glasgow City Council secured funding to enable the completion of the third and final phase of the scheme. This phase involves the construction of 9 sections of flood defence - a combination of flood defence walls and embankments which will provide direct flood defence along sections of both the White Cart Water and Auldhouse Burn. Through 2017 the project team has been finalising the design and undertaking surveys etc. The project is currently ongoing (Ref 3).

In 2008, a green wall of more than 500 m^2 using a hydroponic watering system was developed on the side of the Max Juvenal bridge. Designed by Patrick Blanc, french botanist and pioneer in the development of green walls, it is considered an "authentic work of art, which evolves over time and the seasons and contributes to "renaturing" the urban space" (Ref. 4, page 7). The wall is intended to illustrate the benefits that green walls can bring to the environment, such as the reduction of heat islands in urban areas and their contribution to cleaner air due to the production of oxygen and the reduction of CO2 rate by photosynthesis (Ref. 1).

The historical canal that was disconnected by a road in the 1970s is currently being restored by the municipality, creating a lively atmosphere allowing for water recreation, a boulevard and green spaces (ref. 1). A small element of this restoration is the addition of green elements by a citizen group, which entails improving ecological, aesthetic and historical quality of the canal by implementing eco-friendly riverbanks, green connecting zones and floating vegetation islands (ref. 3,9,11,12).