Public actor (e.g. municipality)

The main aim of this program is to address the lack of green roofs across South Yorkshire. Greening bus shelter's roofs is indeed an innovative idea, as it provides an attractive green space in urban streets and also offer much-needed shade for waiting passengers. The living vegetation installed on the bus shelter will filter pollution and particulates from transport exhaust; will, in turn, reduce the pollution - protect passengers health. Greening of the bus shelters highlights the value of integrating sustainable design and green travel in attempts to reduce rates of climate change. (ref 1) Each bus shelter roof is 6sq m in size and all over the city, there are several such green roof bus shelters (ref 1).

In 2010, about 300 people participated in the planting program for the “350” project and under the “Verde por el Clima” program (Green for the climate) organized by the Department of Environment, Cordoba city council (Concejalía de Medio Ambiente). (Ref. 3)

The project addresses a current issue: the integration between cities and the countryside, and the relationship between the urban and the agricultural context. The NBS focuses on enhancing the west peri-urban area of Bologna through the promotion, recovery and valorisation of old rural settlements as new nodes of the productive-fruit network (4). The intervention is extended over 50 ha of municipal property and focuses on natural restoration of the rural landscape and the infrastructure in proximity of it in order to improve local agricultural businesses and recreational activities. As of July 2020, the project is still in full force.

The conservation of agricultural activities allows for the preservation of the landscape for all, with the possibility to offer to Milaners a place of leisure, tranquility, nature and tradition within the city, where to taste - also while tasting the products of the earth - what is the the Milanese agricultural world. It is located in the South West of Milan, within the Parco Agricolo Sud, in an area between the two Navigli, the Grande and the Pavese (1).

This project was the first green roof in the city of Bologna, and it has been carried out by the University of Bologna in collaboration with the Columbia University of New York with the aim to prove more evidence on green roof stormwater performance. For the Engineering School of Bologna University the existing roofs had a load capacity that was able to host only an extensive roof, without the costly need of being reinforced. In the extensive roof type the vegetation is usually very drought resistant and plants can adapt to difficult environmental conditions, therefore sedum was chosen (1).

The project aimed to tackle two environmental problems through an integrated policy: climate change (both the mitigation and adaptation effects of urban forestation) and air quality. The project foresaw the dissemination of public-private partnership tools, developed within the framework of corporate social responsibility experiences, and the distribution of specific guidelines. Specifically, the project planned to develop a public-private partnership model for urban forestation through the adoption of the ‘green areas inner-city agreement’ (GAIA). This was expected to include three specific protocols for green urban areas covering management, monitoring and mapping resulting in 3000 trees planted across Bologna (1).

The University's Botanical Garden is part of the National History Museum of Oslo and acts an important green space for both citizens and regional fauna. The Garden was founded in 1814 and is the oldest scientific garden in Norway, which through research, education and plant conservation seeks to increase public awareness of the importance of plant diversity. The Great-Granny's Garden is an important element in the Botanical Garden, aiming to preserve Norway’s horticultural heritage and prevent traditional fauna from disappearing, while encouraging sustainable use in future horticulture. The Garden also act as a sensory garden for people with dementia. (Ref.1,2)

There is an old tradition to preserve the wall gardens and patios in the center of Cordoba. Every year, the Festival of the Courtyards of Cordoba opens the courtyards to the public and various prizes are awarded to residents based on the plant and floral arrangement of the patios, bars, and balconies. This festival was declared as a UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2012. (Ref. 2,3)

The ReLambro project is based on a metropolitan view where nature becomes an occasion for regeneration of the city: the river is no longer an empty and abandoned space but draws a great ecological and environmental system. The interventions, during the design phase, provide for the restoration of the naturalness of large sprawling areas, the reinforcement of the hedges and rows and channels system, the reorganisation of public and fruiting functions in areas at risk of flooding. The project strengthens ecological function by integrating it with urban functions (2).

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).