Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)

The Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat is located in the floodplains of the delta and lower valley of the river Llobregat, in the Catalan county of Baix Llobregat, in a central position within the metropolitan area of Barcelona. The territory of the park (nearly 3500 hectares), includes a rich traditional agricultural activity and comprises fourteen municipalities totaling about 818,000 residents. It is protected by a specific planning instrument and managed by the Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona) (Ref. 1 and 9). The park acts as a green lung for the metropolitan area of Barcelona and at the same time as a pantry for Mercabarna, the large wholesale market that provides food and drink to the inhabitants of Barcelona and surrounding towns, although there is also production that is exported (Ref. 10). The Agrarian Park is the only one in the world so close to a large city and it promotes specific programs to preserve the productive values of the agricultural space and promotes quality local products and local consumption. (Ref. 10)

The Barcelona Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Plan 2020 includes the development of several urban green corridors to increase ecological and social connectivity within the city. The green corridor of Passeig de Sant Joan is one of the first of these corridors implemented. The project consisted of the renovation of the promenade through tree and shrub planting and permeable green pavement installation, creating a green boulevard that benefits pedestrians and extend the urban green spaces, which gave new life to the neighborhood and allowed the expansion of small businesses and tourism (Ref 1).

The orchard of the Vallon was established by the city in an area that had historically served as an orchard fifty years previous (Ref. 9). A few pear trees had survived and gave rise to the idea of ​​reconstituting it. In 2014, the city planted apple, peach, pear, cherry, apricot and other fruit trees on one and a half hectares of greenery. "At the beginning of 2015, the association Le Verger du Vallon was born. With its members, its mission is to maintain these trees with a view to sharing knowledge and educational exchanges "(Ref. 9). "Called upon by the city of Rouen for the establishment of a participatory orchard, the social center wished to promote this project among the inhabitants within the framework of the arrow projects of the CAF (social security) de la Seine Maritime entering the field of financing "to support a cooperative project of residents initiated and built with them from a common concern " (Ref. 3, page Description).

Mariahof is a community garden in which a large variety of actors is involved including citizens, schools and an NGO that supports social inclusion. In the garden, vegetables are grown for non-commercial food production, organic waste is composted and bees are kept for pollination and honey production (1,2,3,6). The garden works to raise awareness about sustainability and nature stewardship in an urban setting (2).

The scheme of the single storey extension building ‘the Irene Kennedy Centre’ (Wirral Churches’ Ark Project, known as, Wirral Ark; a registered charity) includes a sedum roof which provides a more pleasant outlook from the existing upper floor bedrooms, whilst also maximizing environmental potential. (Ref. 1)

The Green Corridor Bernetal developing on the site of the former sewerage system will link the downtown of Essen with the districts of Altenessen and Freiräumen in the North of the city. New green and blue infrastructure will be introduced along the modernized way available also for pedestrians and cyclists. The project is developed along with the city policy towards environmental regeneration of the Emscher region (Ref. 1).

The Haumanngarten is a community garden in Essen founded by the Transition Town movement (Ref. 1). Since May 2015 a mixed group have been growing vegetables, herbs, flowers and berries on a former playground. Fellow gardeners with and without knowledge of gardening participate in the garden (Ref. 2).

Citizens have taken the initiative to create a community garden on an area where an abandoned building was located. With community engagement and support form public and private sector actors along with non-profit organisations, the garden was officially opened in 2011, bringing urban green space closer to the residents of the quarter. (1,2,3) The garden consists of recreational facilities, green space, a vegetable garden, fruit trees, a pond and activities are organized, which all largely contributes to social cohesion. The community has formed multiple groups that are responsible for parts of the community garden. (1)

The Danube Eco-District project is Strasbourg's first eco-districy and is based on previous experimental designs in sustainable urban living (Ref. 27, 30). It is situated at the heart of the axis Deux Rives, and is thus a strategic point of the large Franco-German Deux Rives project (Ref. 28). The district will have the capacity for 20,000 residents, and will include green spaces, green roofs, insect hotels (Ref. 1), various water management facilities (ditches, swales... etc.), and composting facilities (Ref. 4). The project aims to improve biodiversity, social equality, ecology, reduce urban heating, and promote sustainable consumption (Ref. 30).

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).