Collection of monitoring data continuously throughout the project to aid evaluation

The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC) is a bilateral project between Singapore and China with a large scale private-sector involvement with the objective to "transform the 34 km2 barren, non-arable land and polluted wastewater ponds into ... a thriving city which is socially harmonious, environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient – a model for sustainable development for 350 000 residents. (1,2). The Eco-Valley is an S-shaped, 11 km green spine that runs through the whole Eco-City connecting its centre with sub-centres, all four residential districts, community spaces, multiple parks, commercial zones, and waterside areas as a scenic park providing a place for connectivity, transit, leisure and recreation for residents (1).

The Cheonggyecheon Stream Restoration Project saw the dismantling and removal of an elevated freeway and the uncovering of a 5.84km section of the Cheonggyecheon historic stream in the centre of Seoul, South Korea (Ref. 2). One of the world’s largest and most densely populated cities, the revitalisation of the Cheonggyecheon Stream has provided Seoul with an ecologically sensitive green pedestrian corridor in an area that was previously recognised as being congested, overpopulated and polluted (Ref. 4). The restoration has provided environmental, social and economic benefits within its immediate proximity (Ref. 2). In addition to becoming a "vehicle for revitalisation, urban renewal and economic development", it has "also signified a shift in Korean planning priorities", with both city authorities and residents now placing an emphasis "on health, sustainability and social responsibility" (Ref. 4). It has further "become a template for planning intention and action across South Korea" (Ref. 4).

The Million Trees project was a programme launched by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff in 2017 to plant a million predominantly native trees and shrubs over a period of three years (Ref. 1,2,3,4). It aimed to make Auckland a greener, more beautiful place while creating carbon sinks, protecting the city’s waterways and improving the city’s living environment (Ref. 2,4). The programme engaged a variety of actors in the planting activities, including local boards, iwi, schools, service and social sector groups, private entities, the council group, the New Zealand Transport Association (Ref. 1). Particularly notable partnerships included those with the Department of Corrections and the Trees that Count Trust (Ref. 2,4,6).
The initial goal was met in 2019, and the project has been renewed for 2019-2022 (Ref. 1,7).

The wetlands to the east of Kolkata are well known over the world for their multiple uses. The locals are using the naturally occurring wetlands for wastewater fisheries and vegetable farming on garbage substrate & effluent irrigated paddy cultivation. In the process, the wetlands treat the wastewater and have saved the city of Calcutta from constructing and maintaining a wastewater treatment plant. Currently, encroachment has deteriorated the wetland ecosystem significantly. This intervention is about the management of the degraded wetland to recover it the best way possible. The goal of management planning is to „maintain East Kolkata Wetlands in a healthy condition to enable the delivery of its full range of ecosystem services and sustain biological diversity values’. [1, 2, 3]

The Green Urban Infrastructure in the municipality of Beira project aims to increase Beira’s resilience to climate change and flooding (Ref. 2). It is a two-part project that consists of rehabilitating the Chiveve River and constructing a public park along the river (Ref. 1). The river rehabilitation was completed at the end of 2016 and restored the natural flow of the river, enabling better flood control (Ref. 5,6). The public park was completed at the end of 2020 and serves as a recreation, catchment and overflow area through three basins of the river (Ref. 1,2).

The city of San Salvador was built at the foot of a volcano and down its slopes, it is prone to droughts, floods and landslides. In 2020, Tropical Storms Amanda and Cristobal struck the city with torrential rainfall and gale-force winds triggering landslides and floods, causing damage to homes, infrastructure and roads, and with severe impacts on topsoil depletion affecting the fertility of economically and environmentally central coffee plantations[3].
To meet the economic and environmental challenges caused by such events, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) together with El Salvador’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, local organizations and coffee growers launched an project focusing on the Arenal Monserrat watershed located on the slopes of the volcano [3,4]. Through the integration of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) the initiative aim to address the effects of climate change by restoring coffee plantations and forests and digging infiltration ditches to be used as sponges to reduce flood risks for 115,000 people by 2022 [1,4,5]. The project was launched as part of the multi-city CityAdapt Project of UNEP and GEF, aiming to provide tools to local governments plan for adaptation and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from their cities while conserving their ecosystems.

The green roof pilot project is part of eThekwini Municipality's Climate Protection Programme, initiated in 2004, it was focused initially on understanding the vulnerability of the city of Durban to the impacts of climate change. A strong emphasis has been placed on identifying climate change adaption projects that will improve the resilience of the city to future developmental, social and environmental challenges. Basically, the green roof pilot project is a response to the higher temperatures and increase in the frequency and severity of floods and droughts that are expected as a result of climate change. From an urban environment perspective, these changes will exacerbate the already high temperatures experienced as a result of the Urban Heat Island effect and the high levels of surface run-off and flooding that result from the hardening of permeable surfaces. (1,3)

In 2015 an innovative project called the "Sweet City" (Ciudad Dulce) was launched in Curridabat. Its main goal was to bring wild spaces into 21 urban neighbourhoods of Curridabat ("spaces of sweetness") and eight corridors ("transitions") and thus linking neighbourhoods and parks through a participatory re-design approach with local stakeholders [3]. The main objective of the Sweet City model is to reintroduce biodiversity into the urban space by focusing on five fundamental dimensions: Biodiversity, Infrastructure, Habitat, Co-existence and Productivity. The interventions of this project included park improvements, sustainable drainage systems, the protection of wetlands, spring water recovery, promoting organic farming practices, and many strategies that help improve biodiversity and motivate citizen participation, finally, as ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction measures and climate change adaptation actions [1].

Assiniboine Landing is a 21 ha housing development to raise the bar for environmental responsibility and evolve the landscaping practices in local communities, particularly regarding stormwater runoff and retention, and parklands. It is one of the neighbourhood communities developed by Qualico Communities in cooperation with Native Plant Solutions, a branch of Ducks Unlimited Canada. The project resulted in integrated systems of native grasses, shoreline vegetation and wetlands, creating communities conducive to the cycles of nature and offering stunning natural landscapes for residents to enjoy (1,5,6,7)

Mexico City's (CDMX) Water Fund was established in 2015 by The Nature Conservancy Mexico on behalf of the Latin American Water Funds Partnership aiming to reduce the imbalance of the aquifers providing significant water supply for the territory of the CDMX and promoting positive long-term water balance (1). "The Water Fund emphasises good science in relation to the selection of sites and interventions, and in comprehensive monitoring. It seeks to make the business case demonstrating that these activities show returns with respect to water security" (1 p22). The first pilot project of the CDMX Water Fund engages small-scale producers in sustainable agriculture practices, works to restore and conserve water-absorbing land and reconvert land to water-friendly agriculture practices (1)