Questionnaire surveys / online surveys

The aim of ReWaM was to show ways how different forms of use of water bodies can be reconciled with their protection in order to sustainably maintain the diversity and efficiency of the different water ecosystems. This applies to both rural, suburban and urban regions (ref. 8). Increased sealing of urban surfaces and combined sewer systems for rain- and wastewater pose major challenges for urban water management. Therefore, the university of applied sciences and the city of Münster participated in a research project as one of three pilot cities running from 2015 to 2018 concerning improved rainwater management and the development of respective planning instruments. Several green roofs at the university campus were used as test spaces to explore and monitor rainwater infiltration efficiency and feasible green roof compositions. Also, different permeable surface coatings were tested at the urban depot (Ref. 1 and 4).

Until the 1990's Bidston Moss was a landfill site and was "unsafe for public access", thus giving a negative impression (close to several residential areas). Restoring work begun in 1995, and in 2006 development started in Bidston Moss through a Newlands scheme: including new features and landscape enhancements to “unlock the full potential” of the area (“as a valued and well-used community woodland for local people and wildlife.”). (Ref. 1, 2)

Due to the changing burial culture and the declining burial rates, Hamburg decided to establish a long-term development strategy called Ohlsdorf 2050 for the Ohlsdorf cemetery. The aim of the project is to preserve and develop the cemetery as a cultural landmark and a garden monument. The municipality aims to limit the burial services to a 120-hectare large area and develop a cemetery park in the remaining 280-hectare area. The strategy is being developed together with the locals, relatives of interred and experts. The participant's ideas included among others places for outdoor sports, allotment gardens and planting indigenous species. In any case, the entire cemetery will be preserved and maintained according to principles of garden heritage conservation and nature protection. Places for interaction, meditation, reflection and recreation will play a dominant role. (Reference 1, 2). In September 2020, the result of the consultations and the strategy itself is still unknown.

The Green Grid aimed to link urban and rural neighborhoods with a network of quality green spaces and corridors of landscape, recreational and ecological value. The aim was to achieve the added benefits by managing open space resources as a set of linkable sites rather than in isolation. It was a planning intervention that was focused on connecting a high quality, functional green space network (Ref 1). The intervention was part of "Greening the Gateway Kent & Medway" (Ref 2).

The Hort de la Masia de l'Antic Jardí Botànic is located within the city’s largest inner-city park Montjuic. It has been founded in 2008 by an association of volunteers and is supported by public and private entities. The garden is co-management by members of the association and a professional gardener. Its major objective is the maintenance and reproduction of traditional landraces (Ref. 2). The task of the Citizen's Commission of Support of the Botanical Garden, presided by Pere Duran, was supported by the promotion work from the Botanical Institute. It was therefore a necessity generated by a local group of people (citizens) that developed into an implementation plan (Ref 1).

In 2014, local residents of the St. Pauli neighbourhood of Hamburg supported by architects decided to reshape the Hilldegarden bunker built during WW II. They managed to convince the owner of the bunker, who currently leases the rooms of the bunker to a nightclub, a music school, an instrument store and a photography studio, to re-create the bunker in a way that pays special attention to ecological and social aspects. (Reference 1-3). ”The new project would see the space continue its mixed-use atmosphere, but topped with a massive public rooftop garden with walking trails.” The 800 sqm garden will use sustainable techniques for its operation, including renewable energies and greywater collection for irrigation and will offer a public garden where residents can engage in urban food production. (Reference 2) In September 2020, the reconstruction of the bunker is still in its early phases. (Ref. 8)

The Strasbourg Grandeur Nature Plan is engineered by Strasbourg Metropole and is focused on optimising the actions and resources and resources of local authorities in the maintenance of local biodiversity and improving the living environment (Ref. 7). It combines with local associations and citizens through organising interfaces (e.g. workshops, online tools) that allow relevant local authorities to engage with local projects and make interventions on the basis of proposals made by the community. The project aims at improving the maintenance and development of green spaces and biodiversity due to the environmental issues surrounding urban sprawls (Ref. 4).

The idea of ​​the project Redevelopment Of Place d'Austerlitz was to create an autonomous ecosystem, including plants and animals, with wild grasses and native trees that attract insects, mammals and birds (Ref. 4). The restructuring involved a whole mixture of paths, fauna, flora and riverside, all within a framework promoting urban ecology and biodiversity (Ref. 5). The project was conceived as "an archipelago of nature in the city" (Ref. 10, 12).

The Deûle park is a periurban park in northern France, which was created to protect the irreplaceable capture fields of the south of the Lille conurbation. It is an important element of the Regional Green Trail and an important recreation area in a region that is particularly densely urbanized and poor in green spaces. The park is the winner of the " Landscape Award 2006" and the European Landscape Award from the Council of Europe in 2009 (Ref 2).

The water treatment station in Marquette-lez-Lille had a makeover in September 2014. The facility was renovated and rebuilt with cutting-edge technologies and included a new energy production unit. The plant serves 37 municipalities with treated water. The renovation project enabled the station to be integrated into an urban environment. Almost 17 acres have been transformed into a wetland with the planting of more than 20,000 trees and shrubbery. Encircled by a high-speed road, the Deûle canal, a forest and homes, this classified site is marked by exceptional biodiversity. The Marquette station is recognized as a leader in its industry and was nominated by Global Water Intelligence (GWI) as one of the four projects of the year worldwide for 2014 (Ref 1).