Local government/municipality

Food for Good is a community garden in which citizens and disadvantaged groups work together to grow healthy crops in a sustainable way (ref. 1,5,6,7). Thereby, it promotes social cohesion in the neighbourhood and sustainable agriculture. It also contributes to social equity as crops are grown for the food bank which provides food for homeless and low-income citizens. Food is also sold to local people and a 'social' restaurant (ref, 5-7).

Isar River had been regulated at the end of the 19th century by forcing the river into a canal-type bed with embankments. This regulation made a negative impact on the flow velocity of the river, on its temperature balance, and increased the risk of flooding. The goal of the recent development was to restore the river's natural character on an 8-kilometre-long section of the river and to create a semi-natural riverside. (Reference 1, 2) This was considered especially important because the effects of climate change have already increased the frequency of heavy rain events and major floods. (Reference 3) The new concept leaves space for the river to shape and change its bed with every flood. Further aims of the project were to increase biodiversity and recreational quality.

Little France Park is the city’s newest park reclaiming unmanaged grassland for the local community and carving out a green corridor from the city centre to Midlothian. It will establish a new corridor for wildlife whilst offering a network of paths, cycleways spread across 45 hectares. ELGT have submitted a Pre Application Notice to create new public parkland. It will establish a new corridor for wildlife whilst offering a network of paths, cycleways spread across 45 hectares. It is expected to provide a valuable green asset to new and existing communities. The parkland will be an important part of the green network with enhanced biodiversity. The existing landscape features will be enhanced, including wetland habitats, woodland planting, meadow grassland and space for events or informal sports. It is an opportunity to create active travel routes integrated with green infrastructure. The fully realized Little France Park will include 3 parkland areas, which together create habitat and species-rich areas. The project is due in late 2020. (ref 1, 2, 5, 6)

Hailes Quarry Park (HQP) is a large open space in the south-west of Edinburgh. It covers an area of 12.15ha. HQP was a very boggy area in the centre of the park which was effectively out of use. A project was planned which aimed to make environmental improvements and engage the local community and encourage healthy living. One of the main features of the park’s recent development is the creation of a wetland area with a range of wetland plant species. This new habitat will be home to birds, amphibians and native wetland plants, and will be a part of the green corridor. Additionally, a Biodiversity enhancement project was carried out at the site (ref 1, 7).

“The Living Environment Trust is an environmental charity based in Coventry, which aims to promote environmental and sustainability awareness within local communities. Accordingly, the Trust uses the restoration of neglected inner-city green spaces as a way to engage a range of community groups, whilst also serving to enhance and expand the existing biodiversity and develop important community and educational resources.” (Ref. 1) “The Living Environment Trust was formed in 2007 to transform the neglected land around the Alan Higgs Centre into a community ecological and leisure resource.” (Ref. 2)

The project “Un parco da vivere” (a park to live) within the regional natural park of Lama Balice underlines the social, economic and environmental potential of the place. The project aims at reactivate green spaces in the park and at the same time improving the accessibility for disabled people, through the creation of innovative practices such as sensorial and social gardening. This results in promoting the naturalistic value of the area, to improve the health of people and to enhance biodiversity preservation. (Ref.1.)

In 2016 the Municipality of Lisbon started the renovation of the Botanical Garden of Lisbon, declared in 2010 as a national heritage monument. The botanical garden is both a vital urban open space and a significant cultural landscape of the city. This Botanical Garden is home to an important collection of plants with economic value, reflecting the strong links to the Portuguese expansion and the routes of the navigators that spread them across the various continents. The intervention is expected to provide improvements in the irrigation and water circulation systems, in the rainwater harvesting system, in the reorganization and improvement of garden green spaces, and in the restoration of paths. With the objective of requalifying the space, bringing significant improvements in terms of sustainability of resources, visitors safety, new cultural and recreational opportunity spaces (Ref. 3, 4, 8).

With an area of ​1.7 hectares, "Jardim da Cerca da Graça" (Graça garden) is the largest public green area in the historical area (Ref. 4). It's a green space located inside the fence (cerca) of the old convent of Graça, building previously occupied by the Republican National Guard. The garden was created from the requalification of part of the fence and its opening to the public, also has a function of passage, with new green spaces: a central lawn, a picnic area and an orchard. There is also a kiosk with a terrace and a children's playground (Ref. 2).

The Côtes site is a natural space of 1300 hectares surrounded by the urban area of the Clermont-Ferrand area, between the cities of Clermont-Ferrand, Durtol, Nohanent, Blanzat and Cébazat. (Ref. 1). Its fragile biodiversity has required special attention from the city with several actions being taken to protect it from growing urbanization. Part of the site is a Natura 2000 area and the Clermont part of the overall site is designated a sensitive natural environment (ENS). A management plan was developed for the ENS and put in place for the years 2019-2024 (Ref. 12).

This area of Keighley is drained by a combined sewer system operated by Yorkshire Water. The natural drainage system is poorly defined.
During extreme rainfall, water from the park and adjacent housing flows down the hill and into the surrounding area and causes flooding. Storage in the form of SuDS was provided in Devonshire Park using a series of “trench trough” structures. These take the form of depressions (swales) with gently sloping sides (ref. 1). Extensive flooding in 2008 and 2012, the local resilience group has been working tirelessly to reduce flooding in Devonshire Park areas (ref 4). Up to £170m of this has been brought forward to accelerate work on ‘shovel-ready’ flood defence schemes to begin construction in 2020 or 2021. The Keighley and Ilkley constituency are one of the beneficiaries, with improvements set to be made to Natural Flood Management aspect of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme, providing an immediate boost to jobs supporting the local economy (ref 4).