Earmarked public budget

The project involved the redevelopment of old military infrastructure at the periphery of the Zagreb city (Boronaj) into a green and carbon-negative university campus. The Boronaj campus has planned to be the green campus of the university and includes the use of renewable energy (biomass, geothermal and solar), treatment cell for wastewater and a huge green area (with trees and shrubs). The buildings (constructed and to be constructed) are planned to be carbon negative (Ref 1). A significant portion of the campus is the green areas (with trees and shrubs). This was created with the aim to contribute and maintain the native species diversity (Ref 3, 4). In addition to increasing the biodiversity of the city, the tree species has improved the air quality of the area and reduced the local air temperature. The project is partially completed. Some buildings are yet to be constructed. The Campus was officially opened on October 12th 2007 and for now, it hosts 4 university units: Centre for Croatian Studies, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Traffic Engineering and Faculty of Economics and Business (only vocational study programmes in economics and business). Five other faculties are also planning to relocate to the Campus in the next few years. Besides the (re)construction of university buildings, campus will be home to a sports centre, student residence hall and a number of institutes. The project is partially completed, some of the buildings are completed while some are yet to be constructed. (Ref 1, 3, 7).

Recovered section of gardens along the banks of the Guadalquavir river, from the Bridge del Cachorro to the Alamillo Park. The area was originally built up for the International Exposition of Sevilla of 1992 and it was abandoned after the event. The area has been recovered by the city and transformed into a park with a series of gardens and pedestrian walk ways along the river. (Ref 1-3) During the 16 years of closure, the flora kept on growing and was rehabilitated during the process of the intervention. The plan also sought to recover the historical gardens of La Cartuja and incorporate them into the garden network of the Paseo de la Ribera. (Ref 2,3)

Rehabilitation project of the Ranillas stream and its surrounding area, as part of the larger city project to rehabilitate the waterways connected to the Guadalquivir River. The project included transforming the covered canal into a green corridor connecting the Tamarguillo Park with the Infanta Elena Park. It sought to build pedestrian walkways, leisure spaces, lengthen the bike lanes, increase tree cover, and restructure the covering of the canal. (Ref 1-6)

In 2010, about 300 people participated in the planting program for the “350” project and under the “Verde por el Clima” program (Green for the climate) organized by the Department of Environment, Cordoba city council (Concejalía de Medio Ambiente). (Ref. 3)

The project addresses a current issue: the integration between cities and the countryside, and the relationship between the urban and the agricultural context. The NBS focuses on enhancing the west peri-urban area of Bologna through the promotion, recovery and valorisation of old rural settlements as new nodes of the productive-fruit network (4). The intervention is extended over 50 ha of municipal property and focuses on natural restoration of the rural landscape and the infrastructure in proximity of it in order to improve local agricultural businesses and recreational activities. As of July 2020, the project is still in full force.

This project was the first green roof in the city of Bologna, and it has been carried out by the University of Bologna in collaboration with the Columbia University of New York with the aim to prove more evidence on green roof stormwater performance. For the Engineering School of Bologna University the existing roofs had a load capacity that was able to host only an extensive roof, without the costly need of being reinforced. In the extensive roof type the vegetation is usually very drought resistant and plants can adapt to difficult environmental conditions, therefore sedum was chosen (1).

There is an old tradition to preserve the wall gardens and patios in the center of Cordoba. Every year, the Festival of the Courtyards of Cordoba opens the courtyards to the public and various prizes are awarded to residents based on the plant and floral arrangement of the patios, bars, and balconies. This festival was declared as a UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2012. (Ref. 2,3)

The rain gardens of the Great Mosque give an example of a sustainable urban drainage system built 1000 years ago (Ref.1,8,9). The Great Mosque is a world heritage site by UNESCO (Ref. 1); therefore the rain gardens are protected and will continue to provide a sustainable irrigation system needed for the arid climate of Andalusia (Ref. 8,9).

Bundek Park is one of the urban planning projects aimed to create a recreational and sports area for the citizens and tourists to support a healthy lifestyle (Ref 3). The lake is surrounded by Bundek Park which stretches for 2,000 meters in length with an area of 35 hectares. The lake is about 5 hectares. the lake was initially used for fishing, walking and swimming. With the increased and carefree use of the lake, the lake and the environment became a waste disposal site. In 2005, by the decision of the Mayor, Mr. Milan Bandić, the renovation of Bundek began. The project included cleaning of the informal waste disposal site and shrubs blocking access to the lakes, renovation of the access to the lakes, planting flowers and introduction of the benches and water also to allow citizens to use the lake for recreation and enjoy the nature (Ref 2).

Fornebu used to be Norway’s main airport, but was abandoned in 1998. The Fornebu project aimed to restore the 340 ha site in order to provide a sustainable, multi-use built environment with sustainable drainage systems and other green infrastructure in focus. The site now consists of residential and industrial buildings with a focus on green space and natural storm water management, involving the use of open and natural water retention methods, including swales, filter strips, permeable surfaces, detention basins and retention ponds (Ref. 1).