Provision of labour

The medieval style Shared Garden Of Sainte-Madeleine Place development - situated in between two nearby schools - in 2009 was quickly claimed by the Association des Habitants Bourse Austerlitz Krutenau (Association of Inhabitants Bourse-Austerlitz-Krutenau) (AHBAK) neighborhood association because of its historic environment. The project turned the space into a shared garden, involving a collective composting area for organic waste, installing a rainwater recuperator, and planting local plant and vegetable species and new trees (Ref. 1, 2, 3).

The NBS is a socio-ecological initiative to create an urban garden that would serve as an outdoor space for creative endeavours in the Cracow's district Podgórze. The project was implemented by an association of cultural institutions, NGOs, artists' groups, landscape architects, social activists, cultural animators and artisans, who also activated a group of volunteers from among the residents. The initiative involves several activities including greenery planting, horticulture/vegetable garden, ecological education and art workshops. Space is rented from the municipality as an act of protection of naturalistic landscape from over investment and new residential buildings in the area. It is surrounded by modern developments [1,3,4].
The social garden was established in 2013 and it is still functioning with its original purpose [3].

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)

The Pré Muché garden is part of the AJONC, Amis des Jardins Ouverts et néanmoins clôturés. This is the community garden of the St-Maurice Pellevoisin neighbourhood. Located behind the church of St-Maurice des Champs and the new Maison de quartier, Pré Muché has been in existence since 2007 on the initiative of the inhabitants. The garden is arranged according to the principles of the natural garden, a space that combines a place of life, cultivated plots and more wild areas. Its maintenance is ecological. It is a living garden where the pond meets the flowered meadow and the regional shrubs (Ref 2).

The Garden of (Re) Finds, was born in Lille in 1997. It is the first "community garden", directly inspired by the model of the gardens New York, which was created in France (Ref 1). There is an organic vegetable garden, a scented hill, a rainwater harvesting system, a regional hedge of regional species, a compost corner and a convivial shelter in corded wood and vegetal roof (Ref 2).

Hamburg decided to increase the number of trees in the city, however, the budget was not enough to completely fulfil this goal. Therefore, the city not only tripled the municipal budget dedicated to tree planting and but began encouraging the citizens to contribute to greening the city through the donation campaign "My tree - My city”. The project was launched in 2011 as part of the European Green Capital programme of Hamburg. Citizens can donate and by using an interactive map, can choose a site and a tree species to be planted, and follow-up the implementation of their tree. (Reference 1, 3) The City of Hamburg gave for each tree that reached donations of 500 Euro the same amount on top to cover the average costs of 1.000 Euro per tree, which includes the preparation of the planting pit, the planting itself and maintenance. (Reference 4) The campaign was so successful that it continued even after Hamburg’s year as the European Green Capital and is still going on in 2020. (Reference 2, 7)

With spaces for biodiversity being continuously threatened by urban development, the environmental association Ökolöwe Leipzig initiated a biodiversity-enhancing project during the 100th Catholic Day event in Leipzig in May 2016. Consisting of green interventions at four schoolyards all over Leipzig involving the active collaboration of students who are also expected to maintain the interventions into the future and 100 mobile high beds at the central city square for public display, the project objective was to demonstrate how to foster biodiversity even in limited urban spaces while also to raise awareness (1, 3).

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 Conservatoire des Restanques is dedicated to preserving biodiversity (conservation orchard, forgotten vegetable garden, Mediterranean garden with the typical plant species of low limestone Provence) and to be a showcase of the current considerations of Sustainable Development (energy, waste management, water resources management, etc.). The development of the site and the different elements of the landscape make it possible to develop educational programs on the themes of flora diversity, wildlife, heritage conservation, food, consumption and health, eco-construction and energy management" (Ref. 3).

It started with the “Let’s Plant for the Earth, Let’s Plant for Murcia” project, as Murcia’s committed to the United Nations Billion Trees Campaign. The city of Murcia committed itself in 2008 to plant 12 000 trees around the urban fabric through a series of action projects. The target was exceeded in 2010 with a total of 23 576 trees pledged and planted toward the campaign (Ref. 1).
In 2020, after having surpassed their 12,000 planted trees goal, Murcia has the new goal of planting 100,000 trees by 2030. It is a long-term project that the municipality committed itself to make (Ref. 5, 2020a).