Public regional budget

As part of World Tree day celebrated on March 21, 2017 the Sintra Service for Protection of the Nature and the Environment (SEPNA) as well as the Sintra Branch Segura School carried out several education workshops for school children to inform about the importance of tress for our natural environment and carried out afforestation and reforestation actions inside the green spaces of Sintra. (1)

The reduced green space in cities and the declining level of unstructured physical activity affect especially children as major developments in the immune system occur during the first years of life. Interacting with nature also increases perceived well-being and promotes environmental responsibility. The KOTA-project was funded by Helsinki Metropolitan Region Urban Research Program and the University of Helsinki conducted the study. KOTA examined how greening of kindergarten yards affects children’s health and well-being in the urban environment. Six kindergarten yards were transformed and a control group of non-modified kindergartens was used. The project extended beyond Helsinki, with the transformed sites being not only in Espoo (part of the Helsinki Capital Region). (ref. 1).

Nelson Mandela Square is located on the south side of the main railway station in Nurnberg. Serving as an important transition zone for pedestrians (25,000 people daily), the neglected square, which was mostly used as a car park is to be redeveloped into a green park providing recreational facilities in the densely populated residential area. (2, 7). The square and the bicycle storage facility opened on September 15, 2020. 70 new trees, a spacious lawn, safe bicycle paths, benches, parking spaces and Nuremberg's first bicycle parking garage now ensure both quality of stay and functionality. (7)

As part of the Fifth Dimension research program of the University of Helsinki that examines green roofs from the perspectives of biodiversity and the three dimensions of sustainable development (ecological, social and economical sustainability), 8 green roofs were installed in Helsinki. The aim was to find economically viable solutions that are applicable to Helsinki’s and Finland’s conditions. The project experimented with green roofs in different parts of the country, over half of which are in Helsinki (ref. 1, 2, 3).

To test the newly developed Green Factor Tool for the City of Helsinki, with a focus on water management, two test sites (ätkäsaari pilot block and the three model yards in Kuninkaantammi) were created at residential blocks in Jätkäsaari and Kuninkaantammi. The tool itself is an Excel interface that calculates the quantity and quality of the city's green spaces per unit of area, It is part of the larger iWATER (integrated stormwater management) project (Ref 2). Specifically, after testing it on these two pilot sites, it is to support land use planning processes by providing a way to account for the quantity and quality of green space. The project aimed to analyze the cost-benefit of implemented sustainable stormwater solutions, compile stormwater-related planning tools as well as increase and strengthen the capacity of cities to work with stormwater issues (ref. 2).
One of the key objectives of developing the green factor method was to create green urban environments that have social value. Also, functionality was the second most important and cityscape (or landscape value) was the third most important category in green factor scoring.

The experimental green facade system consisting of four different types of green wall was installed in Nurnberg from 2013 until 2016 on Adolf-Braun-Strasse 33 and is an integrated greening system that enables self-sufficient, low-maintenance "hanging gardens" on facades and other vertical walls. The aim of the project is to experiment with recreating green spaces in the streets, asphalt surfaces, and backyards of some parts of Nuremberg overcoming numerous constraints and competing uses (1) The implementation has helped improve air quality, thermal insulation, wind and rain protection and lowering local temperatures in its proximity. (2)

The Reconstruction of the Southern Bank of Schütt Island is the starting point of the regeneration of the Old City of Nurnberg. Within the project, the access to water and recreational functions of the river banks were improved. (1) The project was completed on an 1800 square meter large area, which includes open meadow areas, a 170-meter-long bank terrace, trees, and benches. (6) Public participation through co-planning and consultation was also involved in the planning process. (1)

Zorrotzaurre is an artificial peninsula located within the Deusto district of Bilbao, Spain. It was formed during the 1950s and the 1960s, when a canal was built to facilitate navigation in the estuary of Bilbao. The Zorrotzaurre project is the latest major urban renewal project to commence in Bilbao. It is an integral and sustainable plan that recuperates a currently derelict site to convert it into a new quarter, and which also includes a flood protection system with water tanks to retain water and a flood protection barrier (Ref 1)

GIFT-T (Green Infrastructure For Tomorrow - Together!) is a four-year European project of which Medway was one of five case studies. In this project communities, businesses and governments were brought together to facilitate bottom up planning and implementation of green infrastructure (Ref 1). The product of this is a general business plan, and the planned intervention of focus here is the "Thames Terrace Invertebrates - corridors for wildlife" (Ref 2). Hoo Island already has areas that serve well to sustain invertebra species, but as of yet also has underutilised potential in this respect. This intervention addresses the latter.

Based on an urban regeneration project in the city district of Arrenberg, an association called “Awakening of the Arrenberg” formed in 2008, consisting of citizens, entrepreneurs and real estate owners seeking to transform their district. Under the umbrella of the project “climate quarter Arrenberg” initiated in 2014, whose goal is to make the district CO2 neutral by 2030, the development of a city farm covering 60,000 sqm on former railway premises - a Europe-wide unique project in urban farming – is one of their most important plans that make up their vision of becoming carbon neutral. (Ref. 1, 2 and 3). The goal of the farm is to produce healthy and locally produced food, while creating employment opportunities and remaining carbon-neutral, using power only from the sustainable power plant that will be installed for the project. (Ref. 2) In February 2020, the implementation has not yet started, but the “Awakening of the Arrenberg” association says the vision of the urban farm is stronger than ever before and that the project has received funding approval, with experts now working on feasibility studies. (Ref. 8).