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The "Jubilee Park" (Jubileumsparken) is a city park in the developing area of Frihamnen in central Gothenburg. The first part of the park finished construction in 2024, but the aim is that the park will continue to grow and develop until the year 2035 [Ref. 1-2, 5]. The park is said to be the result of the wishes of the people of Gothenburg to have better access to green areas and water before the city's 400-year jubilee in 2023 [Ref. 2]. To achieve this, the park has been constructed gradually in cooperation with residents, using a method called placemaking, where activities and amenities are tested in place to get feedback from residents before being made permanent [Ref. 2, 4]. Additionally, activities in the park are being run by a youth organisations, which also offers summer jobs to young people from across the city and aims to engage marginalised groups [Ref. 1, 6]. The park provides amenities a sculpture-based playground, an outdoor classroom, places to sit and a harbour bath at the edge of the park, with outdoor pools and a sauna. The park contains elements for biodiversity such as trees, meadows and an area for urban farming, increasing biodiversity and connectivity compared to the previous land use as a harbour [Ref. 1, 2, 9].

The Juan Angola River is an urban channel included in the system of rivers and channels of Cartagena, and it connects the Ciénaga de la Virgen wetland and the Bay of Cartagena, facing similar issues as the Cienaga de la Virgen such as illegal occupation of its shores, illegal waste dumping, deforestation of mangroves, and pollution. The recovery plan for the Juan Angola River is led by the EPA Cartagena (Environmental Protection Agency), with the support of other institutions, aiming to restore the Juan Angola’s ecosystem. This includes targeting the mangrove forest, dredging the natural channel, and delineating buffer zones with urban infrastructure to create public recreational spaces. The activities involve relocating people illegalling cupping informal settlements from the river shore, moving an existing bridge (the Benjamín Herrera bridge) which obstructs the current, recovering the low tide and riverbed areas, building pedestrian paths, clean the riverbank, recover mangrove areas and establish programs of education and environmental awareness (ref 1 and 2).

As an industrial city under climate change, Birmingham has been confronted with multiple environmental risks such as air pollution, fluctuating precipitation and flooding (Ref 3). The Big City Plan is a 20-year city center regeneration plan to support Birmingham’s sustainable transformation, where the delivery of the Eastside City Park was prioritized (Ref 1, 2). Completed and opened to public in 2013, this first new park in Birmingham for 130 years is a linear site which connects the city center along the frontage of Millennium Point eastwards towards the Digbeth canal. (Ref 1, 4, 5). Providing 2.73 ha of urban green spaces, the multi-award winning development features more than 300 trees, a 110 meter canal water feature and a public square with 21 jet fountains, and offers “a moment of green in a journey through the city” (Ref 1, 6).

The Taylor Park Community Garden is part of the After School Tutorial Program and is managed by the Methodist Inner City Mission. Located in the Maysville and Oakdale areas of Mobile, Alabama, the garden primarily serves children from these communities. After receiving homework assistance, students from elementary and middle schools participate in the Gardening Program, where volunteers teach various gardening concepts and engage the children in hands-on activities.
Taylor Park Community Garden is part of a network of community gardeners and urban farmers across the city called Mobile Urban Growers, which aims to increase access to fresh produce for everyone to contribute to tackling the high rate of diabetes (Mobile has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the United States) and food desert in Mobile (over 25% of Mobilians live in a food desert as defined by the USDA without access to fresh fruits or vegetables) (Ref 2). Taylor Park became part of the Mobile Urban Growers (MUG) after it began its operations around 2016 (Ref 2). The garden is open to the entire community, with Mobile Urban Growers and Mobile County Master Gardeners (a volunteer recruitment program) providing support and guidance.
The produce harvested is shared among gardeners, participating children, local residents, and the Food Pantry at Central Presbyterian Church. (Ref 1)

Phoenix faces substantial challenges related to extreme heat, air quality, and social inequity (1-11). The Phoenix Tree Equity Pledge, launched in 2021, is a comprehensive city-wide initiative focused on addressing urban tree inequity and reducing the effects of extreme heat, especially in communities most vulnerable to these conditions (1-12). Partnering with American Forests, the country’s oldest conservation nonprofit, the initiative aims to achieve “tree equity” by 2030, ensuring all neighborhoods receive the benefits trees offer (1).
To reach this goal, the city will focus on enhancing tree coverage in underserved neighborhoods through the development of a Residential Tree Equity Accelerator, which plans to plant 20,000 trees across 25 neighborhoods by 2030 (1-12). By utilizing the Tree Equity Score developed by American Forests, the city can monitor progress, identify areas of need, and measure the impact of these projects (2-4, 9, 11).
To foster public engagement, the initiative will collaborate with residents, businesses, and local organizations to support tree-related projects, raise awareness of the benefits of trees, and promote tree stewardship (1, 4, 15). Additionally, the project aims to create green opportunities within the community by establishing supportive policies and regulations for tree planting and care and by creating pathways to green jobs (1, 7-9, 13-14). Recognizing that heat affects communities unequally, the Tree Equity Pledge seeks to increase canopy coverage in targeted neighborhoods, improving air quality, reducing the urban heat island effect, and enhancing overall community health (1, 7-9, 13-14).

The Bahlui Forest project consists of a tree-planting initiative along the banks of the Bahlui River, which flows over a distance of 11 km through Iasi, practically dividing the city in two (1, 2, 6). The project aims to reduce the high levels of air pollution prevalent in the city, increase green spaces along the river and in the urban area, and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the surroundings, thereby improving the quality of life for local residents (1–3, 8, p. 188). The initiative was planned by the Municipality of Iași in collaboration with the Prut-Bârlad Water Basin Administration, the regional authority responsible for the river’s proper management (1–6). Furthermore, the "Ion Ionescu de la Brad" University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Iași provided the technical expertise needed to select and plant appropriate species (1–3, 7).
The planting completed in 2024, covers the river section between the Sf. Ioan bridge and the Stone Bridge (3–5). In total, 1,200 native species were planted, including four tree species—Willow, Malin, Red Maple, and Birch—and three shrub species (3–6).
This initiative is part of a broader municipal strategy to revitalize the riverbanks and address key issues (8, 9). Due to its natural geomorphology, the river represents a barrier in terms of accesibility between different parts of the city, and infrastructure and improvements need to be carried out to manage this problem (8 & 9). Therefore the areas around the river are sought to be revitalised to fullfil its touristic and recreational potential, ultimately becoming a green corridor and representing a new axis of development for Iasi (8, p. 344). Improving its green surfaces would also support efforts to increase green space sq.m. per inhabitant in the city, which falls short of the national requirement of 26 sq.m. per inhabitant (8, p. 189).

The Ciénaga de la Virgen is a coastal wetland (cienaga) located on the north side of the border of the city of Cartagena, separated from the sea by La Boquilla's sandy beach. It has a maximum width of 4.5 km, a length of approximately 7 km, a water body area of about 22.5 km², and depths of up to 1.6 m. It is connected to the city's canal system (ref 1). The recovery project of la Cienaga de la Virgen, led by EPA Cartagena, is proposed as a strategy to address the issues affecting the water body, local communities, the economic activities that depend on it, and the ecosystems that regulate the water cycle and provide multiple services, many of them essential, with an integrated and global management approach based on the basin as the unit for planning and resource management (ref 14). Some of the main problems of the wetland are related to illegal settlements on its shore, as well as illicit dumping of waste, pollution by wastewater from the illegal settlements and deforestation of mangroves (ref 4). Key activities include stopping illegal occupation by relocating established families, improving roads, promoting reforestation, encouraging social participation, managing wastewater, and enhancing tidal systems (ref. 1 and 15).
Alonside the EPA, other stakeholders involved include the regional authority "Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Canal del Dique" (Cardique), with jurisdiction in the rural area, and Cartagena Mayor's Office, and the local community, involved in all the stages of the plan thanks to the “mesas de governance” or "governance tables", discussion spaces where different actors participate in the decision-making (ref 2).

The Circle Forest project, led by Arboretum Detroit in partnership with Detroit Future City, is transforming a vacant lot the size of a football field in the Poletown East neighborhood into a green space. Once used as a dumping site, the area is being revitalized with 200 native trees, including oak, elderberry, white pine, and juniper. Supported by local groups like Detroit Audubon, Singing Tree, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the project aims to improve environmental quality and provide better access to nature for residents. Since 2019, over 120 trees have been planted, with plans to develop a native meadow. This initiative offers a space for recreation and reflection, benefiting the local community, including a nearby nursing home and rehabilitation center. Beyond ecological restoration, Circle Forest fosters connections to indigenous knowledge and respects the wisdom of the original stewards of the land. (Ref.1, 2)

The mangrove area of Morne Cabri, located in the municipality of Le Lamentin and sharing the bay of Fort-deFrance, is the largest mangrove area in Martinique. Since 2011, the municipality has led efforts to understand and better manage the area (Ref 1). The natural regeneration of the mangrove is threatened by fresh water run-off (from waste and rainwater), invasive species and pollution. However, it is an important protection against extreme weather events, operates as a carbon sink for the island and provides recreational activities (Ref 1). The municipality has led several initiatives supported by volunteers, local businesses, national subsidies and private donations (See: Ref 2, 3, 4, 11).

Lima is grappling with significant challenges driven by climate change, and one of the pressing issues is the shortage of green spaces. According to the PLAM 2035 report, Lima offers only 3.1 square meters of green area per inhabitant, well below the World Health Organization's recommendations (2). Moreover, food insecurity is on the rise, with Peru leading the region in this crisis (4). Compounding these issues is the lack of coordination among state actors tasked with addressing the country's food crisis (2).
In response to these challenges, the Energy Network of Peru (ISA REP) has been running the "Huertos en Línea" project since 2004 in the districts of Villa María del Triunfo and San Juan de Miraflores as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives (2, 3, 6). This project aims to establish community gardens that promote environmental awareness, reduce pollution in these affected areas (1, 2), provide food for vulnerable populations, and create income-generating opportunities through the sale of surplus produce (1, 6). The gardens are strategically located in power grid easement strips, which are often plagued by encroachment, burning, and waste accumulation—issues exacerbated by poverty, extreme poverty, and weak social organization in these areas (5, 6).
Originally planned with an annual development and growth strategy up to 2011, the project has been extended year by year and has now been active for nearly two decades. Beneficiaries continue to receive technical and material support, and the number of community gardens has grown. In 2019, the initiative expanded to include two bio-gardens in the Trujillo districts of La Esperanza and El Porvenir (7, 9). The project has contributed to improving soil quality, recycling and transforming waste, enhancing landscape aesthetics, reducing burning and waste accumulation, and implementing drip irrigation systems.