Public Greenspace Area

A greening project in Laval aimed to replace impermeable surfaces such as asphalt with vegetation. This process would allow water to infiltrate the soil on a surface area of 3000 square meters and plant 7200 plants on land located near or inside urban heat island zones of the city (Ref. 1,2,3,7). The project takes an integrated approach to mitigate the impact of urban heat islands, which make up 12-13% of the territory in Laval (Ref. 1,7). Particular focus of this project is placed on planting on sites of vulnerable communities (Ref. 1,3).

The green belt was created not only as an aesthetic element but also to serve as the lungs of the city. The forest planting works around Nur-Sultan have been carried out since 1997 [6, 7]. The area of ​​the green belt of Nur-Sultan is 100 thousand hectares, of which 15 thousand hectares are planted within the city limits. The main idea of the project was to provide comfortable conditions for the residents of Nur-Sultan city, which would serve as a mechanism for improving air quality, mitigating climate and as a natural barrier to protect the city from dust winds and snowstorms [2, 4, 5, 6, 7]. An important aspect that was taken into consideration are the animal species of the forest, as the territory of the green belt is inhabited by foxes, hares, corsacs, white and grey partridges, roe deer, wild boars, etc [1, 2, 7, 8]. The primary importance of biodiversity efforts is assigned to the breeding of birds, especially pheasants [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], as pheasants are an element of local cultural heritage, and on the territory of the green belt, traditions and cultural events related with the pheasants are organised every year [2, 4]. The young forest should turn into an improved recreation area, a favourite pastime for city residents at any time of the year [2,7].

The 'Step Garden' is a 14-tier green roof atop the Asian Cross Roads Over the Sea (ACROS) Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall in Fukuoka, Japan (Ref. 2). The Hall itself is a centre of international, cultural and information exchange, and sits amidst the Tenjin Central Park (Ref. 3). As the building displaced a plaza, the architect, Emilio Ambasz, created the “image of a mountain" through the design and installation of the roof terrace (Ref. 2), "want[ing] to give back to Fukuoka’s citizens all the land the building would subtract from the city" (Ref. 3). In combination with the Central Park, the rooftop garden is considered to be the only open green space in the city centre (Ref. 4), and since its inauguration in 1995, has been open to the public, accessible via two entrances on the park side of the building (Ref. 1).

The Million Trees project was a programme launched by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff in 2017 to plant a million predominantly native trees and shrubs over a period of three years (Ref. 1,2,3,4). It aimed to make Auckland a greener, more beautiful place while creating carbon sinks, protecting the city’s waterways and improving the city’s living environment (Ref. 2,4). The programme engaged a variety of actors in the planting activities, including local boards, iwi, schools, service and social sector groups, private entities, the council group, the New Zealand Transport Association (Ref. 1). Particularly notable partnerships included those with the Department of Corrections and the Trees that Count Trust (Ref. 2,4,6).
The initial goal was met in 2019, and the project has been renewed for 2019-2022 (Ref. 1,7).

In 2015 an innovative project called the "Sweet City" (Ciudad Dulce) was launched in Curridabat. Its main goal was to bring wild spaces into 21 urban neighbourhoods of Curridabat ("spaces of sweetness") and eight corridors ("transitions") and thus linking neighbourhoods and parks through a participatory re-design approach with local stakeholders [3]. The main objective of the Sweet City model is to reintroduce biodiversity into the urban space by focusing on five fundamental dimensions: Biodiversity, Infrastructure, Habitat, Co-existence and Productivity. The interventions of this project included park improvements, sustainable drainage systems, the protection of wetlands, spring water recovery, promoting organic farming practices, and many strategies that help improve biodiversity and motivate citizen participation, finally, as ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction measures and climate change adaptation actions [1].

Assiniboine Landing is a 21 ha housing development to raise the bar for environmental responsibility and evolve the landscaping practices in local communities, particularly regarding stormwater runoff and retention, and parklands. It is one of the neighbourhood communities developed by Qualico Communities in cooperation with Native Plant Solutions, a branch of Ducks Unlimited Canada. The project resulted in integrated systems of native grasses, shoreline vegetation and wetlands, creating communities conducive to the cycles of nature and offering stunning natural landscapes for residents to enjoy (1,5,6,7)

The Recreio green corridor project, launched in 2012 by the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment and several city departments, aims to protect and enhance the rich biodiversity and ecosystems of the area, to help with the resilience and adaptation of the west side of the city, an area affected by coastal flooding and erosion. The project mostly focused on preserving, connecting, and expanding the existing local urban nature elements and protecting their ecology. Lastly, the project also aimed to educate the residents about native vegetation and help build social interaction and cohesion between the local communities [Ref 1]. The project was designed to preserve and connect 320.76 ha of protected areas and add 60.73 ha of open public spaces and squares. And in total, the corridor has a linear extension of close to 8 kilometers, passing through very diverse urban areas (Ref. 7), including natural parks, a lagoon system, water canals, and social housing areas.

Two River Urban Park is a public space located towards the confluence of the Liesbeek and Black Rivers and is one of the largest urban green lungs in the City of Cape Town. It is approximately 240 hectares in extent. The Park comprises sensitive ecological systems and habitats, extensive open space areas, institutions, historical buildings and cultural landscapes (2). The City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Province own significant proportions of the park and in 2011, the Western Cape Government started considering the sustainable redevelopment of the TRU Park into a mixed-used urban green area including housing development, heritage protection, the rehabilitation of the degraded environment and recreation opportunity creation (1). Since 2016, the project has been on hold due to the modification of the planning law Local Spatial Development Framework that affects the redevelopment plans of the Two Rivers Urban Park (1).

The Urban Forest Fund (UFF) was launched in May 2017 by the City of Melbourne to provide financial support to new greening projects that otherwise would not be able to be funded. Such projects include green spaces, tree planting, vertical greening or green roofs on private land" (1 p20). The City of Melbourne has multiple strategies and programs in place to increase the quantity and quality of green space in the city. The UFF aims to support such sustainability lead initiatives by providing match-funding grants to green projects in the private realm. The UFF is a key initiative in tackling sustainability challenges in the entire city, as 75% of its land is privately owned (1)

"The Urban forest strategy (UFS) is a central part of an innovative overarching policy framework of the City of Melbourne underpinning the city's aim to create healthy ecosystems for people and nature" in the period between 2012-2040 (1 p9). The UFS outlines a scientifically-vetted long-term process to re-nature the city with a diverse selection of urban trees and open space for and with the citizens, combining elements of an eco-managerial governance arrangement with an open and reflexive co-governance approach. (1 p11). The Strategy concentrates on 6 areas to achieve its goals: canopy cover, forest diversity, vegetation health, water quality and soil moisture, urban ecology and environmental stewardship among citizens. (1)