Transformation of previously derelict areas

Since the decay of the former DDR, the lignite industry had a major downturn. Most of the mines were closed and its remaining craters re-naturalized and flooded with ground- or rainwater to be revived as recreational lakes. In the Leipzig area of "Neuseenland" up to 23 artificial lakes were created since the nineties by the respective mining company "Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH" which has the obligation to securely and sustainably redevelop the area into forestry, agricultural, natural or recreational areas and reintegrate it into the adjacent landscape. The lakes have become important recreational areas for citizens (4, 8).

Opened in June 2006, the Jean-Baptiste Lebas Park, which occupies a space once used for illegal parking and marred by 11 lanes of traffic, is surrounded by the boulevard of the same name. This park plays an important role in creating an urban green space into a derelict grey area. The park helped to increase the biodiversity of the area. It has an area of 3-hectare (7-acre) and it contains a large lawn with flowerbeds, play areas for children and places for playing "boules" (Ref 1).

Zollverein is an abandoned colliery and coking plant near the center of Essen in Germany (Ref. 6). Since 1993 the mining here stopped, and the site was turned into a derelict area, so nature could win back its territory. Most of the railway tracks and the smaller industrial leftovers are now covered with moss, grass, and weeds (Ref. 4). After the site was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 2001, it started being developed as a multifunctional cultural, tourist and recreational center keeping and developing biotopes that emerged over time (Ref. 11).

According to City Hall, the project revitalized a neglected green area and cleaned the local ponds to create an outdoor recreational space for the citizens and school children. It aimed to develop a new park infrastructure, plant new and protect the existing greenery, and purify the water to improve the ecosystem and provide healthier habitat for water and land species in a slowly decaying area. The ponds were utilized for recreation for the local community in the past [1,4].

The “Cities Dare Wilderness” project is part of the overall Hanoverian program of “More Nature in the City”, a new future-oriented approach to green spaces in urban areas. The aim of the project is to bring wilderness back to the city by increasing urban biodiversity, strengthening nature in the city and making it habitable for its inhabitants. For fulfilling these goals, eleven sites were chosen (some parts of the city park Eilenriede, some currently intensively cultivated areas or some derelict small gardens), in which different methods have been tried out, like planting local woody plants, grazing, and the implementation of interpretive trails. The development of the flora and fauna in the new wilderness is now being observed and investigated. The first step in the wilderness was made on a meadow along the course of the Fße in the Badenstedt which was fenced. It was made available for cattle to graze and influence the new growth of shrubs through feeding preferences (Reference 1, 2). The flowering meadows have attracted a variety of species. The rich habitat resulting from the project has attracted songbirds, hedgehogs, butterflies and some of the 67 bee varieties endemic to the state of Saxony (Reference 10).
Campaigns for environmental education are regularly offered in order to involve the population in the process of wilderness development. The series of “Wilderness Concerts” were organized, a “wilderness woodlice” was installed in one of the project areas (Mittlefield), and handicraft activities have been regularly offered, in addition to excursions and guided tours (Reference 8). Citizen science is also part of the project through the iNaturalist app that allows the community to record observations of the flora and fauna in the area (Reference 9).
The project is financed by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Natura Conservation and Nuclear Society. Two other cities, Frankfurt am Main and Dessau-Roßlau is also involved as model cities. (Reference 1,2)

When the national German railway company shut down parts of the former East station of Leipzig and its tracks in 2012, citizens developed an idea for its secondary use and came up with the concept of the "Parkbogen Ost" which represents a 5-kilometre long circle of bicycle lanes, footpaths and outdoor space surrounding the East of Leipzig. The city of Leipzig recognized its potential to connect the Eastern Leipzig with the city centre and developed the strategy further by issuing a "Masterplan Parkbogen Ost" as the base for a step-wise implementation of the project in 2013 (Ref. 5).

The Bizardin is the community garden of Hellemmes, created by the association AJOnc (Amis des Jardins Ouverts et néanmoins clôturés) on the initiative of a group of inhabitants. Managed by the locals, it gives life to the neighborhood where children like to play, watch insects, sow radishes, watch for frogs. A living garden where wild and cultivated plants come together and create a floristic richness often unsuspected by the simple passer-by, a result of many years of work. It is also an ideal place to observe as insects and birds swarm. (Ref 1)

EPAEM (Euromediterranean public development establishment) launched the development a new park of 14 hectares. Located in former industrial area at the gates of the northern districts of Marseille, it is considered to be one of the poorest districts in France (Ref. 1). The planned park Aygalades is divided into two parts: the southern part of 4 hectares called Bougainville Park and the northern part of 10 hectares which runs along the Aygalades river (Ref. 1). Development work on Bougainville Park is set to begin in September 2020 with completion in 2023 (Ref. 12). The park is described as "the first step of a large project to restore a highly degraded industrial site" (Ref. 12).

The ‘University Park Essen’ is developed on a former railway site in the inner city of Essen, that had been a wasteland for almost 30 years. By revitalizing this about the 13-hectare large plot, an urban green quarter for residential and commercial use is created. The centricity of the park within the new quarter between the city center, shopping mall Limbecker Square and the university campus is the first visible component of the development and therefore shapes the new identity of the quarter (Ref. 4).

“The Nottingham in Bloom campaign is a city-wide partnership which includes residents, businesses, schools, community groups and a wide range of volunteers. The aim is to encourage more people to get involved to improve their local area. Together they [through the campaign] produce horticultural excellence and enhance the local landscape, the environment and the character of Nottingham.” (Ref. 1)