Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters

Appletree is an outdoor community resource, where people of all ages and from all walks of life, get together to grow e.g. fruit, and contribute to developing and maintaining the area. The growing space and garden are divided into different areas, offering a range of gardening experience. The community also contributes to their permaculture, wildlife and wildflower areas. The community is constantly planting and regenerating areas of the garden. (Ref. 1)

Due to the challenges caused by climate change, Hamburg decided to become greener and developed a comprehensive, pioneering green roof strategy. The strategy aims at creating 100 hectares of new green walls by 2019 by providing grants for building owners for greening roofs and offering them rain water fee reduction owing to the rain water retention of the green roofs. (Reference 1) The financial support offered until the end of 2019 is 3 million EUR. (Reference 2) The services offered by the city in this plan consist of four pillars: promotion (financial incentive), dialogue, regulation, and scientific support. (Reference 7)

The project aimed to test the potential to use existing surface water drainage charge mechanisms to incentivize increased implementation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Schemes (SuDS) to improve flood resilience and improve water quality in the city of Manchester (ref 1). Working with partners from The Water Taskforce, and funded by the DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, UK Env agency), BITC (Business in the Community) and CLASP, these partners have been testing the concept that implementing SuDS on a school site could generate savings for a school, by reducing their hard-standing area and so their charges from their water supplier. Working with two schools in Manchester, the project team carried out detailed audits and SuDS interventions were identified that could divert or slow the flow of water into the sewer system, or reduce the amount of chargeable hard-standing area. Using this information, a trial version of a simple, user-friendly tool has been developed to help schools identify if there may be a cost-effective way to drop a chargeable surface water band (ref. 2).

The city of Salford has experienced several floods and is at risk of flooding once every 100 years (Ref1). The majority of properties in the city that lie in a high-risk flood zone are in the floodplain of the Irwell. The UK's Environment Agency and the council, designed a flood prevention scheme which included temporary water storage areas which will store floodwater on the existing Castle Irwell playing fields and public open space, and double as sports area otherwise (Ref 5). It aimed to have its own wetland and wildlife habitat, and will help protect hundreds of homes and businesses (Ref 4).

The Carbon Landscape is a pioneering project in landscape restoration in Wigan, Warrington and Salford. Led by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, it will revitalize a landscape left devastated by decades of coal-mining and peat extraction (Ref 5). It works to restore key habitats and reconnect local people with their unique natural heritage, preserving it for future generations. The restoration of the peat base to lowland raised bog provided an opportunity for carbon sequestration and storage (Ref 1). There is a strong vision to reconnect local people with their rich natural heritage, creating opportunities and a sense of pride in the local area (Ref 4).

In 2010 a new drainage system was installed in Traktoros Street that solved the disposal of surface-water so that bigger storms would not cause damages in the area and separates rainwater from the sewage. The rainwater is directed to the lake in Adyváros. The project was the third phase of the complex reconstruction of draining in the Szabadhegy neighbourhood. While the first two phases (the construction of the main pipelines and drainage of Pannónia Street; drainage of Vak Bottyán Street and paving streets) were financed by the municipality, the third phase was implemented with the help of the EU. (Reference 1, 2)

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust has completed an urban river restoration on the Guphill Brook that aims to restore the brook's natural features and enhance the surrounding habitat. "The project [is expected to] bring multiple benefits to diminishing wildlife and deprived local communities but also importantly to flood risk reduction, which is becoming ever more important with the increased negative effects of climate change." (Ref. 1)

Champratel Eco-District is mainly a housing development plan with new green space areas which will be part of the green corridor of the city. "It will be a real "Garden-District" to offer participatory housing: "For La Grande Plaine, the city of Clermont-Ferrand wanted to go beyond the simple redevelopment of a neighborhood by implementing an innovative approach: participatory housing. It's a new way of collectively designing, creating and managing individual homes" (Ref. 11). It will offer harmonious urban forms and vast green spaces. It will mainly offer a concordance between two desires: the proximity of the city and a pleasant living environment" (Ref. 2). Three main green spaces have been created including a meadow in the north, a green square Rose-Parks to create a meeting place for the inhabitants, and diverse gardens (some of which are maintained and others which are wild" (Ref. 5).

The project relating to the waterfront of San Girolamo di Bari is an important piece of the mosaic that provides a new design for the entire city waterfront, from North to South: Santo Spirito, Palese, (precisely) San Girolamo, the connection between Bread and Tomato and Torre Quetta, temporary uses on the San Giorgio waterfront, up to the redevelopment of the South promenade. The project which is almost completed, regenerated the seaside part of Bari, making the seaside accessible and link the city with the coastal area by creating a multi-functional space where playgrounds, a cycling path and green open spaces were built to enhance the liveability of the area. In this way, what was previously considered just as an economic and working part of the city became a new center of social interaction by creating a new institutional green space. (Ref.1, Ref.6).

The park has been upgraded to include newly planted trees and shrubs, a meadow, children playgrounds, sitting areas for adult visitors, a wooden footbridge, and a water retention pond which collects rainwater from the roofs of nearby houses. The aim of the project was to establish and restore near-natural vegetation in the urbanized area, enhance biodiversity at the site, handle rainwater in a smart way, and provide a place for recreation (Ref. 2; Ref. 3; Ref 4). Additional restorations have included the creation of barbecue areas for gathering and cooking, and events are hosted at the space as well (Ref 8). Through voting, wider park expansions have also been approved (Ref 9).