Cultural innovation

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 Green Urban Infrastructure in the municipality of Beira project aims to increase Beira’s resilience to climate change and flooding (Ref. 2). It is a two-part project that consists of rehabilitating the Chiveve River and constructing a public park along the river (Ref. 1). The river rehabilitation was completed at the end of 2016 and restored the natural flow of the river, enabling better flood control (Ref. 5,6). The public park was completed at the end of 2020 and serves as a recreation, catchment and overflow area through three basins of the river (Ref. 1,2).

The Nyashishi wetland is located on the western side of Lake Victoria some 15 km from Mwanza, a port city of the lake. The area is characterized by a double maxima rainfall, with heavy rains occurring during October to December. The wetland is traversed by the Nyashishi River, which is an intermittent river draining stormy waters and domestic waste water into Lake Victoria. Increased human socio-economic activities in Mwanza, such as horticulture, overgrazing and discharge of industrial effluents, have degraded the Nyashishi wetland. As a result, vegetation specifically elephantiasis and papyrus that used to flourish in the wetland and provide fish breeding grounds have disappeared. The crocodiles, large lizards and a host of other creatures that used to populate those areas cannot be seen today. Since the wetland and the river are part of the Lake Victoria Basin, both have been subjected to floods and droughts, impacting livelihoods, public health and the environment. The root causes of floods are irregular seasonal and year to year variability in rainfall patterns, combined with mismanagement of land and water resources, leading to soil erosion and increased run-off. Therefore restoration efforts in the area are much needed. (1, 5)

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].

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 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)

"In Winnipeg, there are several downtown neighbourhood groups (such as the Spence Neighborhood Association, and the West Broadway Community Organization) that make use of vacant urban space for the benefit of indigenous communities, and encourage them to maintain green spaces, ‘tot lots’, and a network of dozens of community gardens. There are also community-led indigenous ‘healing lodges’, Indigenous gardens, medicine gardens, as well as a land-based education programs (e.g. Marymound) using gardening to help at-risk indigenous youth heal from trauma and build resilience in these neighbourhoods." (1 p41).
One such community gardens are the Chief Grizzly Bear’s Garden (in its official, Anishinaabe name: Ogimaa Gichi Makwa Gitigaan) focusing on increasing the visibility of the indigenous community in the Spence Neighbourhood and providing public space for gathering and traditional indigenous ceremonies honoring their connection to nature. The garden is also the place for cultivating native plants significant for traditional medicine practices (1).

Another NBS initiative supporting the indigenous community in Winnipeg will be the Clan Mothers Healing Village and Knowledge Centre (CMVH) initiated by The Elders of Winnipeg. The CMVH will be located in rural Manitoba and provide a land-based, nurturing community living environment for indigenous women and youth who have been victims of intergenerational trauma, sexual/domestic violence, or human trafficking and support their reintegration into society. (1,2)

Winnipeg lies at the confluence of the Assiniboine and the Red River, a location known as 'The Forks', which is the cultural centre and meeting place of the city. "The winter use of the river went through an unprecedented change over the last 10 years, organized by a private company (The Forks North Portage Partnership), that began to operate the 'Red River Mutual Trail', the longest Guinness World Record-holding natural skating trails on the Red and Assiniboine rivers, offering opportunities for skating, curling, cycling, walking, and cross-country skiing, along with cultural events and unique, community-designed warming huts, a restaurant on ice, art exhibitions and other activities. The river trails also links otherwise distant neighborhoods, and functions as a transportation and commuting route with a variety of access and exit points during the city’s typically 4-5 months of winter climate." (Ref.1 p60)

This project started as a grassroots movement by Hunter’s Bar Infant School (HBIS) in Sheffield when they were seeking to actively help to protect children from air pollution. HBIS led a fundraising campaign that, in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, provided the base to create a green barrier in their playground. The NBS is part of a bigger study called BREATHE that provides the science behind the project, which involves the design of the green barrier, the assessment of its impacts and a feasibility evaluation for installing green barriers in other schools in Sheffield and in Buenos Aires. (1)

Urban gardening developed in Rome as a reaction to the unequal distribution of available green spaces in densely populated areas of the city, and to the lack of care for the already existing ones. Since 2006, a large number of associations and informal citizen groups have started to engage in collective gardening by performing both Guerrilla Gardening-style actions and long-lasting community gardens projects run by local associations. This social and spatial transformation is turning most of its urban voids and interstitial spaces into places for collective enjoyment thanks to the spontaneous engagement of local dwellers. [1]