Earmarked public budget

In this neighbourhood, this is the first initiative of this type which have utilized the neglected area for the creation of an open-air dog runway with agility track and a park for the residents. The project seeks to improve the aesthetics of the surroundings by planting greenery in the park and along the track. The wider goal of the initiative is to protect the area from further urban development in favour of more greenery in the city [1].

The Chartreuse Park has been chosen as a pilot site for the EU-funded VALUE project, enabling the City of Liège to finance and pilot a participatory requalification process for the Chartreuse Park. Since the acquisition of the site (about 20 hectares of park and green spaces), the City has taken several steps to recognize the historical and environmental potentialities of the Park and to integrate its values in the operations for the urban development of this old military site (the Fort de la Chartreuse). As a result of broad consultation with citizens, between 2012 and 2014, three circular walkways were created in the park connected to each other, enabling greater access to the park (Ref. 1).

The project aims at realizing a large urban park to link the city and the sea coast. It is a project of significant social value, as it takes place in a neighbourhood which has been in a state of decay for 50 years. The intervention includes new facilities for recreation and sport, but first of all new plantations and the creation of rooftop gardens. It would be the second-largest park of the city, by linking the city and the sea. (Ref.1.)

The aim of the project was to extend and cover one of Germany’s busiest highways, the south-north highway (A7). The highway had divided neighborhoods from each other and had had negative environmental effects like noise and air pollution. The new green roof will have three parts that connect the existing green surfaces to each other, these parts constitute the three phases of the construction. The urban areas in the vicinity of the noise-reduced motorway will be developed for residential construction. The project also includes the reconstruction of the Langenfelder Brücke in a way which makes the bridge wider, and also provides better noise protection for locals. (Reference 10) In September 2020, only the first phase has been completed, and the final completion is planned for 2028. (Reference 1, 3, 12).

The project is a part of a larger initiative to revitalize this neglected district of the city and involves redevelopment and expansion of rain drainage system in Gdynia Chylonia. It resulted in the construction of rainwater retention systems and rainwater sewage systems with safe rainwater discharge to the Chylonka River. The aim of the wider initiative is to ensure a more decent standard of living and social cohesion by revitalizing the neglected areas of Gdynia [1,2,4].

A botanical garden in a forest was created owing to the cooperation of Gdansk Forest District with the city of Gdynia and the University of Gdansk. It consists of 27 thematic collections, covering ca. 50 ha, and adjacent forest phytocoenoses. The garden is specialized in showcasing trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants of the nemoral and boreal zone, particularly species indigenous for the Pomorze Gdanskie region. The garden protects a collection of species endangered and rare in the region and protected by law, as well as an orchard of old forms of fruit trees and shrubs [1,3].
The initial works have been completed, but greenery planting and further investments in the garden are ongoing. The botanical garden is a long-term undertaking and many plants were planted long before the construction began and the garden will "grow" up to 20 years [5].

In 2017, under a bigger project, the municipality of Sintra started the work for the rehabilitation of an area that included beaches and rivers, such as the Mata river. The NBS solves a problem of accumulation of water and sludge that was unsolved, through the recovery and cleaning of Ribeira da Mata (small river/brook), planting trees and promotion of an improvement in water quality and sand on the beach.
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The Strasbourg Grandeur Nature Plan is engineered by Strasbourg Metropole and is focused on optimising the actions and resources and resources of local authorities in the maintenance of local biodiversity and improving the living environment (Ref. 7). It combines with local associations and citizens through organising interfaces (e.g. workshops, online tools) that allow relevant local authorities to engage with local projects and make interventions on the basis of proposals made by the community. The project aims at improving the maintenance and development of green spaces and biodiversity due to the environmental issues surrounding urban sprawls (Ref. 4).

Based on a neighbourhood survey the results pointed to a lack of green recreational spaces, in 2015 the citizens initiated a project to develop a new green square at the Zielona Street 19 in Gdynia. The project was implemented in 2018 and it aimed at improving the aesthetics of the district and provide green leisure space for the community. The initiative involves the management of the existing lawn, planting shrubs and trees, creating flowerbeds, building alleys and installing street lamps, creating variously-shaped wooden benches and litter bins, as well as building a fenced sandpit and a playground [1].

The Danube Eco-District project is Strasbourg's first eco-districy and is based on previous experimental designs in sustainable urban living (Ref. 27, 30). It is situated at the heart of the axis Deux Rives, and is thus a strategic point of the large Franco-German Deux Rives project (Ref. 28). The district will have the capacity for 20,000 residents, and will include green spaces, green roofs, insect hotels (Ref. 1), various water management facilities (ditches, swales... etc.), and composting facilities (Ref. 4). The project aims to improve biodiversity, social equality, ecology, reduce urban heating, and promote sustainable consumption (Ref. 30).