Conduct a baseline survey before and after NBS implementation

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).

This NBS is a part of the "Horta à Porta" (allotments at the door) programme which enhances the economic, environmental and social dynamics of the Porto region through the creation of community organic gardens and the promotion of active involvement which empowers local people and institutions. The program is led by the Greater Porto Metropolitan Waste Management Service, LIPOR. Implementation of vegetable gardens began in 2003. In the Metropolitan Region of Porto, there are 23 of these community gardens totalling four hectares, and the forecast is for a large-scale increase in the near future(1)

This NBS is Porto’s largest green roof, sometimes referred as the "Fifth Façade Urban Rooftop Garden", the "Olive Trees Garden" is an oasis of 50 olive trees and lush grass on top of a semi-open gallery of shops, restaurants, and cafés with an underground parking garage.
It’s an urban park escape for city workers, tourists, and university students. Located on top of "Praça de Lisboa" (Lisbon square), this is a fantastic concept of urban planning done right: green space co-existing with commerce and vehicles below street level. This project was completed in 2013 as an effort to improve an area in decline in the middle of the cultural centre of Porto by creating a green space for the community (Ref. 1, 2).

The Eco-District at the Banks of the Bohrie Ostwald is structured around water with the Bohren pond, the river Ostwaldergraben and the seasonal and permanent wetlands (Ref. 2). The project covers 50 hectares and was initiated by Strasbourg Eurométropole with 2 developers: CM CIC SAREST and Nexity-Foncier Conseil (Ref. 1, 7). The district will integrate its structures into the surrounding water land and vegetation to provide for agricultural water management and flood preventing procedures (Ref. 2). It will also have green roofs, public green spaces, (Ref. 4) vegetable gardens, (Ref. 7) and composting, while on-site vegetation will participate in the deployment of green infrastructure (Ref. 5). "An eco-district of 48 hectares (17 urbanized hectares) is being created" (Ref. 11).

The restoration of Highfields Park was completed in Summer 2018 with path repairs and tree works to be carried out in winter 2018 to 2019. The five-year development journey of returning Highfields park to its former glory has included two rounds of public consultation. The views of park users and project partners such as the University of Nottingham, the UK's Environment Agency and the Highfields Park User Group identified a strong desire to see the park restored and improved (ref. 1), including improvements on heritage features such as historic walls, bridges and the old Boating Lake Ticket Office (ref. 2). In total, this project aimed to repair unused structures of the park including walled gardens, gardener’s cottages and historic halls and houses, converting them into volunteer and training centers, event spaces and community facilities (ref. 3). Highfields Park also provides valuable scrub and woodland habitat for breeding birds such as robin, sparrow and blue tit. The additional diversity of habitats provides important foraging and breeding opportunities for invertebrates and mammals. (Ref 4)

The scheme was designed to manage surface water runoff from a 1 in 30 year event and to always intercept and treat the, often more polluted, first flush of highway runoff (ref. 1). A total of 21 linear rain gardens (total of 148m2) were constructed within the grass verge, allowing for the constraints of access, below-ground services, street furniture and trees. The rain gardens utilise a combination of clean stone aggregate and proprietary units to create void space beneath a planted topsoil layer. They were designed to capture runoff from 5500 m2 of highway from a total surface area of 7100 m2 (ref. 1).

Due to human interventions into the natural river flow with dykes, drainage of agricultural and grassland or cutting off its water bodies, the wetland Elster-Luppe had lost its groundwater base which decreased its biodiversity. With the support of the regional biodiversity fund and building on previous efforts, the city of Leipzig, together with partners such as the NABU Sachsen and research institutions, has revitalized, renaturalized and connected the water bodies of Leipzig's North-Western wetlands to one continuous watercourse since 2012. Its objective is restoring its ecosystem functions and increasing awareness for the importance of wetlands (4, 5).

After being abandoned for more than 10 years following the collapse of a building, a piece of land inside the city's "Le Panier" district was approved by the city in 2017 to become a "neighborhood garden" combining green space and a community vegetable garden (Ref. 1). After many delays the project was completed in early 2020 and the garden opened on February 28, 2020 (Ref. 11). The district "Le Panier" (where this intervention occurs) attracts many tourists every year for the charm of its narrow streets and colorful facades (Ref. 1).

In 2016 the Environmental Protection Division of Hannover's Department of Environment and Urban Environment started a common pilot project, KlimaWohL, with Bothfelder Kamp GmbH & Co. KG and the Gundlach Group. The building project in Hanover-Bothfeld, formerly called “Hilligenwöhren”, was renamed to “Herzkamp”. By 2021, the family company Gundlach will build approx. 300 terraced houses, rental and freehold apartments. The aim of the project is to implement a new residential area where the researchers of KlimaWohL can systematically test the climate adaptation strategy of Hanover. The new residential area that aims to be an innovative example of climate-adaption for other cities will be equipped with extensive green surfaces and will pay attention to protect the natural environment and species. (Reference 1, 3). In 2018, planting the edge of the forest was started, wherein a tiered 20m wide border consisting of shrubs and trees were planted between the forest and the residential area. Construction of the rental apartments was started and by 2019, the row houses and semi-detached houses have started to be sold. The shell has been completed and the interior work has started. By 2022, overall completion of the project is foreseen.

Architect Santiago Calatrava is set to create a grass-topped office block on the plaza in front of Stadelhofen Station in Zurich with public parking for 1000 bicycles on the ground level. The project is expected to provide a good habitat for some species with controlling the seasonal cooling and heating of the building. (Ref 1)