Regional government

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).

The Sotos de la Albolafia Natural Reserve is situated on a section along the Guadalquivir River, that runs from the Roman Bridge to the San Rafael Bridge (Ref. 3,14). It was declared Natural Monument in 2001 and is part of the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA) due to its wide variety of birds (Ref. 5,15). "The declaration recognized the environmental value of the Sotos de la Albolafia, a singular natural enclave located in the urban center of a large city, in a monumental and historical environment also unique and with an unparalleled concentration in protected species, especially water birds and wetlands." (Ref. 3)

This intervention is part of an action plan by the Junta de Andalucia to develop an intervention model for disadvantaged zones to facilitate the social inclusion of persons at risk or socially excluded, and the socioeconomic growth of the area. (Ref 1) The project is a pilot to transform one of Sevilla's poorest neighborhoods, Los Pajaritos, into an eco-neighborhood. (Ref 14)

“The Royal National City Park, the world’s first national city park, was created in 1995 by the decision of the Swedish Parliament. The Park was established to safeguard and enhance the unique qualities of this area, containing outstanding natural qualities and heritage sites, ecologically important for the metropolitan area, and situated near and easily accessible from the central parts of Stockholm.” (Ref. 1)
One can experience a truly unique historical landscape, intertwined with parks, beautiful buildings, forests, open fields and beaches. In 2020, the park celebrates its 25 the year. (Ref. 12)

The El Patriarca Park aims to rehabilitate and restore 60 hectares of land for ecological benefits and recreational purposes for the inhabitants of Cordoba (Ref.1,3,4,6). It takes place on a site with distinct areas, including a holm-oak forest with Mediterranean scrubland of extraordinary environmental value. This NBS is an effort to protect natural values, erase the traces of urbanization attempts of the seventies, and repair damages caused by human action (Ref. 6). Implementation of the project is expected to start in early 2021 (Ref. 6).

Eko Ekipa Prečko is an alternative urban garden in Zagreb which was initiated and promoted by the locals. The initiative was not supported by the government initially. Regardless of the lack of support, citizens jointly cleaned an illegal waste disposal site and the bushes and shrubs there to initiate a communal garden. Besides ecological food production, they also organize educational workshops for children and adults to get familiar with life in nature (Ref 1). People of all ages, the majority between age 30 and 40, from Prečko and neighbouring districts are involved with the garden (Ref 4).

A recovered green area next to the Guadaira river, it opened as a park in 2014 (Ref 6). In its planning it reconciles the historical use of the river to power the historic mill and its new use as a green corridor on the Eastern part of the city. Its large dimension allows it to fulfill the quadruple ecological, landscape, leisure, and non-motorized mobility dimensions. (Ref 4,5,6). The park was officially inaugurated but it continues to face challenges. In 2007 the economic crisis led to construction being stopped and the budget of the park cut from 23.8 million euro. Construction was started and the budget re-established at 17.2 million in 2011. (Ref 5)

A citizen initiative to transform a derelict urban area into a park. From 1987 the park's construction was left abandoned until in 1993 when over 80 citizen committees from the area organized themselves to start cleaning and reforestation activities in the park (ref 5,7). The sum of their efforts included reforestation, the creation of a community garden, and the redesign of watering systems for the park. (ref 5,6,7)

“The Guadalquivir River offers some of the best landscape, ecological and environmental values. There is an exceptional variety of flora and fauna and the river is considered as one of the main lungs of the city and as a privileged area for the residents”. (Ref. 12) The river is an essential element of Cordoba, having been declared a natural monument in 2001. (Ref 3, p.4) There are ongoing efforts to maintain and restore the river as a natural and cultural heritage site (Ref. 1,2,5,8,9) and a space for recreational activities (Ref. 12).

The park was designed to simulate a Mediterranean forest with 18 native species of Mediterranean flora. The water is being reused in order to avoid the depletion of aquifers (Ref. 1). Ecological vegetable gardens were created destined to community horticulture workshops organized by the city council (Ref. 2 and 3). The park was awarded a special prize in environmental Justice in 2010 by the Biodiversity Foundation through the "Life + European Capitals of Biodiversity"(Ref. 7 and 8), as a project that promotes environmental protection and social integration in the city. The inauguration of the park took place in 2007"(Ref. 1)