Public local authority budget

The Sun Lane nature reserve in Burley-in-Wharfedale is the second site in Bradford to receive the Local Nature Reserve (LNR) status. The land was used as a garbage dump and reclaimed in the 1970s. (ref1) Pollution from the landfill site was leaching into nearby watercourses and in 1993, Bradford Council undertook a scheme to cap the landfill and restore the site. They installed a reed-bed purification system, to eliminate pollution from contaminated water and add to the reserve’s biodiversity. The Burley Village Wildlife Group began conservation work to enhance biodiversity. (ref4) In 2003 a group of volunteers took over the maintenance of the area and now help to manage it in collaboration with Bradford Council (ref 5). As the site heals at its best, forty-two Common Blue butterflies were recorded together in 2006 (ref 5).

Bowling Park is a public urban park and the key purpose is to grow fruit, develop wildlife habitats and create sociable urban green space as well as maximise the biodiversity of the site and minimise any adverse impact on the environment. The orchard, along with allotment sites, as a whole is a valuable part of the Green Infrastructure Network in Bradford (ref 1). The orchard is developed on six disused allotment plots adjacent to Bowling Park. In March 2003 the orchard has planted over 40 trees including- 35 varieties of apple, 6 pears and 4 plums (ref2).

In 2017 the municipality of Lisbon approved the program called "A Square in each neighbourhood". The municipality was seeking to revamp different neighbourhoods' green areas with the help of the citizens and collect contributions from the population most directly linked to the intervention sites. In this context the redevelopment of Campolide Street was based on the need to create better pedestrian accessibility in the detriment of traffic, improving the circulation of elderly in wheelchairs and children, the creation of a playground and the increase of green areas by planting more trees and create an element of water (Ref. 1).

A digital tree path was launched in Nancy in 2011. This is a path linking 24 trees equipped with QR codes (Quick Response Codes) throughout the city in order to discover them and their richness by scanning the code with a smartphone (Ref. 2). Information on the trees is also available online through the city's website as well as an Instagram account (Ref. 6).

This audit, consisting of two parts, maps all green spaces in the Doncaster borough and presents an analysis of the quality and quantity of these areas as subdivided into 88 communities in Doncaster. It aims to better understand the multi-functionality of these spaces as well as what are the leverage points to improve their quality.
The first part of the audit contributes toward the evidence base required for the Local Development Framework (LDF) Sites and Policies Development Plan Document. It will also be a useful reference document complementing Core Strategy policy (CS17) providing green infrastructure. Part two of the green space audit investigated the quality and value of the sites. It allows the council to identify priority green spaces, ascertain their formal and informal intended use and allow the council to make strategic decisions on priorities and long term management. It also looks at community profile areas where provision exceeds the defined standards and investigates if green spaces in these areas are surplus to requirement. (Ref 1 & 5).

Bercsényi grove, a large public park, was rehabilitated and functionally extended as part of the socially sensitive urban regeneration project of Győr-Újváros, a stigmatized, relatively underdeveloped area (Ref. 1, 3). The area of the park is divided into three main parts, 1. a recreational park including playgrounds, 2. a sports park and 3. a "traffic park" where children can learn interactively learn the rules of the road in a playful way. Although the project was mainly aimed at creating a place for active recreation, the intervention included the rehabilitation of the green areas and the plantation of several tree lines (Ref. 4). As a result, the area could become a popular meeting point for different generations.

The North Green Belt was developed and built up in connection to investments and structures for the 2008 Expo. (Ref. 1,2) The North Green Belt is a series of connections extending the green corridor and network of green spaces in Zaragoza, with the Ebro and Gallego rivers as the two main axes of the belt. (Ref. 1,2)

The project involves building two green roofs on saunas in Water Park ‘Termy Maltanskie’ in Poznan. The roofs serve multiple purposes including rainwater retention, thermal insulation, habitat for insects, improvement of the air quality by the production of oxygen and absorption of CO2, and aesthetic functions for the visitors to the amenities [1,2,3].

Püspökerdő is a 250-hectare large forest in Győr, situated in the inner part of the city. The forest is split into two parts by Moson-Danube river. The forest is maintained by the company Kisalföld Erőgazdálkodási Zrt, which since 1998, has added new facilities to the area with the primary goal of serving the needs of those who visit the forest (Reference 1). It is equipped with educational trails, fireplaces, a clearing suitable for playing ball games, an outside gym and a playground. The educational trails give information about the flora and fauna of the forest in their natural environment. In 2013, a new adventure park was established to attract the nature-lover visitors looking for active recreational opportunities. In 2017, the local government planned a large-scale watersports project in the area, but it was cancelled due to criticism from citizens. In 2020, the forest was granted environmental protection by the local municipality (Reference 9).
Step by step the area has been developed since 1998, with the help of municipal and regional funds (educational trails), and private investment (adventure park). The adventure park was opened in 2013 and the latest development happened there in 2016.

The Schwanheimer dune is one of the few inland dunes in Europe. Sand, silver grass and gnarled pines shape the landscape, but also orchards and ponds are part of it (8). The area was designated as a nature reserve by the State of Hesse in 1984. Since its expansion in 2002, it now covers 58.5 hectares. Since 2003 it has also been protected as a Flora-Fauna Habitat area under European law contributing to the Natura2000 landscape (8). An approximately 400-meter-long boardwalk made of chestnut wood leads through the center of the dune on which visitors can enjoy nature on site - without harming it (8, 10). It was built in 1999 and completely rebuilt in 2017 with a lot of effort on the old route (8).