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Heinicke Square

The Heinickeplatz in the Muggenhofer Strasse and its peripheral areas are being upgraded as a new green area in accordance with the objectives of the city redevelopment plan. The new landscape design for the Heinicke Square was developed in dialogue with local citizens through planning workshops followed by the opportunity to vote for one of the 4 landscape bureaus who applied for the reconstruction of the square. (1, 2). The implementation of the plan began in 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2021. (4) The implementation will include the plantation of new trees, grass, the creation of sports areas and the establishment of a new playground. (2)

Utopia town Wuppertal urban gardening project

On the brownfield of an abandoned train station and its surrounding terrain, active citizens and neighbors developed Utopia town, a living lab for creative urban development, cultural and creative industries, and citizen engagement. Under the guiding principle “edible train station – edible town", next to other projects, an urban garden with organic cultivation was developed on 1,000 sqm of the terrain at the former train station Mirke as a focus area for their activities due to its favourable location in order to show that gardening is possible in urban spaces, even on balconies or terraces (Ref. 1, 2, and 3). The main building of the Utopiatown has a bar, a concert venue, a food sharing station, and a free bicycle lending service that is operated by volunteers. (Ref. 9). Gardening workshops that are offered to citizens with little experience of gardening are planned to be further extended with seminars and practice classes for students (Ref. 3). Since its beginning, the area of the “utopia town” has grown rapidly and is now providing opportunities for multidisciplinary academic research. (Ref. 12)

The Great Lines Heritage Park

In 2011, the Great Lines Heritage Park was formed by connecting the Great Lines, Lower Lines, Inner Lines, Forst Amherst and Medway Park together. To do so, a former military area was transformed. The intervention connects the heritage towns of Chatham and Gillingham and the Chatham Waterfront. By connecting the heritage of the town and the waterfront, the project aimed to emphasize both these aspects of the area, but also to improve visitors' access and be a habitat for a number of species (Ref 2). The area has been created from a site that is of international heritage significance. The park is located within the Thames Gateway priority housing area, Europe’s largest regeneration project (ref. 3).

Bay at Norikus

New recreation zone "Norikus Bay" in Nurenberg was completed in 2018 on the south bank of the Wöhrder lake, an artificial lake created in 1968 to protect the city from flooding. The dam itself, which is a 400m long path separating a part of the water surface from the bigger part of the lake, has become a tourist attraction with a water playground and other recreational amenities being offered. The water is naturally cleaned through the regeneration zone with natural plant filter, and simultaneously improves the habitat of fish and makes recreational swimming in possible in the cleaner water. New green areas are organized on the shore in order to improve environmental, aesthetic and recreational conditions of the area (1, 7, 8).

Green Roof and Courtyard on Campus Building

The green roof and courtyard/patio on a new campus building of the University of Applied Sciences consist of trees and plants that reduce temperature and improve air quality. The plants are grown on a thick substrate layer that allows for extra stormwater storage. The vegetation also provides habitat for species such as insects, filters particulates from the air and reduces noise, and creates aesthetic value for patients in a nearby hospital (Ref. 1).

Renaturalization of the Wupper stream in Wuppertal

From 2006 onwards, the urban stream Wupper and its riverbanks were redeveloped and ecologically improved via several water management and planning measures across the city of Wuppertal. Initiated by the city administration and the public sector company Wupper, they aimed at improving the environmental- and water quality or the area and enhancing biodiversity in and around the Wupper. These efforts were accompanied by additional citizens' initiatives with the same goal. (Ref. 1, 2, 3, 9). According to the EU Water Framework Directive, 27 percent of the Wupper and its tributaries are now in good condition, which is well above the German average of 8 percent. The complete renaturalization is planned to be completed by 2025. (Ref. 12)

Project „Wertach Vital“

Wertach Vital is a project to reconstitute the Wertach river between the southern Augsburg limits and its confluence with the river Lech. Starting from the south, the flood protection has been improved, the depth of the river bottom has been halted, the river bed has been expanded and the banks have been upgraded as a recreational area. A major part of the measures has been completed. The project is supported by the Free State of Bavaria and the City of Augsburg, co-financed by the EU (Ref. 1).

Regeneration of the Central station area

The Lolli-Malaspina area of the central station intervention aims to replace the current urban space and to replace it with a system that can complete and integrate the existing one, and generate a new centrality, transforming the current laceration into an urban seam. There are new gardens outside the central station, which link the different areas of the railway, and it has been implemented because the area of the central station is a strategical node for the city which has to be reinforced with new green areas. (Ref.1.)

Backwaters management in the city forest

Management of natural lime-dry grasslands on gravel banks in Augsburg is conducted by the Landcape Association of the City of Augsburg (Bavaria, Germany). 300 ha of biotopes within the municipal area is maintained due to sheep grazing, mowing management, scrub clearance and reopening of potential expansion areas as well as further activities to create initial stages of immature soils and recreational purposes (Ref. 1).

Groene Mient - Sustainable Neighbourhood

'Groene Mient' (Green Commons) is a citizen initiative that realized an exceptional social-ecological residential project consisting of three housing buildings of energy neutral homes and a 3,500 m2 communal garden (1,6). Storm water is captured from the roofs of the buildings into bioswales, permeable paving is applied, the shared garden is 'eatable' and houses run on sustainable energy (1). The houses do not have a gas connection and have three different sustainable energy systems: heat pump with heat-cold storage, solar boiler or electric heating (6).