Trénnelle-Citron Experimental Garden
Trénelle-Citron, located north of downtown Fort-de-France and separated by the city bypass, La Rocade, was originally established in the 1940s by Black Martinicans migrating from rural areas. Today, the neighborhood faces significant economic and social challenges. In 2016, young residents from the neighborhood alongside a local NGO launched a grassroots initiative to improve their community. They transformed a former municipal quarry, which had deteriorated into an informal dump, into a thriving shared urban garden, benefiting the local population. This project, based on traditional ecological gardening techniques and the cultivation of native crops, aimed to revitalize Trénelle-Citron—a densely populated area grappling with social exclusion, a shortage of green spaces, and limited economic opportunities for its youth (Ref 2).
The garden, developed on municipal land with guidance from the Ypiranga Martinique NGO, support from the local school, and collaboration from various stakeholders, now plays a vital role in the area. It raises awareness about agroecology, offers socioeconomic opportunities, promotes healthier lifestyles, and fosters social connections among residents. Spanning approximately 1,000 m², the site includes an office, a covered area, tool storage containers, market garden plots, a composting area, and a chicken coop managed by a local resident (Ref 7). In Martinique, such shared urban gardens are increasingly seen as important tools for sustainable development (Ref 5).
The garden, developed on municipal land with guidance from the Ypiranga Martinique NGO, support from the local school, and collaboration from various stakeholders, now plays a vital role in the area. It raises awareness about agroecology, offers socioeconomic opportunities, promotes healthier lifestyles, and fosters social connections among residents. Spanning approximately 1,000 m², the site includes an office, a covered area, tool storage containers, market garden plots, a composting area, and a chicken coop managed by a local resident (Ref 7). In Martinique, such shared urban gardens are increasingly seen as important tools for sustainable development (Ref 5).
Cerro de la Popa recovery Project
Reforestation project for the "Cerro de la Popa", which is Cartagena's highest point and one of the main tourist attractions because of the view and its colonial convent (Ref 6). The hill currently faces illegal occupation and environmental deterioration caused by deforestation, poor solid waste management, burning, logging, and the loss of vegetation cover (Ref 4, 5). The intervention in La Popa consists of reforestation activities, environmental education activities with children, and awareness-raising activities with adults about caring for fauna, flora, and water bodies (ref 2, 3). SSince 2020, the Establecimiento Público Ambiental (EPA Cartagena) has led the recovery initiative, prompted by the urgent need to counter the increasing encroachment by migrants and vulnerable populations (Ref 4). The project comprises reforestation efforts, environmental education sessions with children, and community outreach to raise awareness among adults regarding the protection of local fauna, flora, and water bodies (Refs 2, 3). As part of a broader municipal agenda, the initiative remains active, with the most recent intervention conducted on July 11, 2024 (Ref 2).
Detroit Alley Activation
Detroit’s neighborhoods grapple with a dual challenge: neglect and flooding. When the city stopped maintaining alleys in the late 1980s, responsibility shifted to residents. However, with limited resources and a declining population, many of these alleys fell into disrepair, becoming symbols of urban decay. This neglect is further compounded by the increasing frequency and intensity of severe storms, which have exposed the city's vulnerabilities in stormwater management, leading to regular flooding.
To address these challenges, the "Alley Activation" project, launched in 2020 by a team of researchers at the UM-Dearborn in partnership with local residents and organizations, seeks to transform neglected alleys into vibrant greenways, rain gardens, and pollinator habitats. The project focuses on cleaning and greening alleys located in 2 neighborhoods namely Littlefield and McNichols. The activated alleys are bounded by Littlefield, Hartwell, McNichols and Outer Drive roads. These roads enclose an area of 141,436 square meters, located in the Bethune community and the Hubbell Puritan neighborhoods. Alley Activation involves clearing blocked alleyways and turning them into inviting, productive spaces that support sustainability goals. These revitalized alleys serve as a "green capillary system," contributing to the city's environmental, cultural, and social well-being. As these spaces are cleared, they offer a fresh opportunity to re-imagine their role and potential within the community. (1,2,3,4,5)
To address these challenges, the "Alley Activation" project, launched in 2020 by a team of researchers at the UM-Dearborn in partnership with local residents and organizations, seeks to transform neglected alleys into vibrant greenways, rain gardens, and pollinator habitats. The project focuses on cleaning and greening alleys located in 2 neighborhoods namely Littlefield and McNichols. The activated alleys are bounded by Littlefield, Hartwell, McNichols and Outer Drive roads. These roads enclose an area of 141,436 square meters, located in the Bethune community and the Hubbell Puritan neighborhoods. Alley Activation involves clearing blocked alleyways and turning them into inviting, productive spaces that support sustainability goals. These revitalized alleys serve as a "green capillary system," contributing to the city's environmental, cultural, and social well-being. As these spaces are cleared, they offer a fresh opportunity to re-imagine their role and potential within the community. (1,2,3,4,5)
We plant good deeds in Romania
The afforestation project implemented in Lețcani, Iași, is part of Romania's national initiative "We Plant Good Deeds" (Refs. 1-7). Launched by the association EcoAssist and carried out on a voluntary basis, the initiative aims to plant forests across the country (Ref. 8). In Lețcani, the young ecologist group TERIS, together with EcoAssist, involved volunteers to plant approximately 10,000 tree saplings provided by the Forestry Directorate of Iași (Refs. 1, 3, 5-7). The trees were planted on a two-hectare terrain prone to landslides, with the goal of mitigating this hazard (Refs. 1, 3, 5-6). While the project directly benefits local citizens at risk of landslides, it also educated volunteers about the importance of forest cover for community safety and biodiversity (Ref. 4).
The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area
The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area is a urban green space that transformed a former 5-mile-long city dump into a thriving riparian corridor (2, 3, 7, 9). The project, spearheaded by the City of Phoenix in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maricopa County Flood Control District, and the Arizona Water Protection Fund, has revitalized a degraded ecosystem (9). Through decades of concerted effort, involving government agencies, non-profits such as the Arizona Sustainability Alliance, and community engagement, the area has been restored to a lush habitat supporting diverse wildlife, including over 200 bird species (1, 2, 7). The project aimed to mitigate the pressing issues of urban heat, air pollution, and habitat loss that Phoenix grappled with (1). By creating green spaces, improving air quality, and offering recreational opportunities, the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area stands as a testament to the power of collaborative conservation and community resilience (1, 6, 7, 9). The restoration area now boasts hiking and biking trails, a nature center, and various educational programs, making it a community space (3, 7, 9).
Bangpu Nature Education Center
Due to the decreasing number of mangrove forests in the inner Gulf of Thailand, WWF Thailand aspires to protect the remaining mangroves. Supporting this objective, WWF worked with Royal Thai Army (RTA) and several other partners to establish the Bangpu Nature Education centre. The centre is located on the land of the army, which contains one of the last indigenous mangrove forests in the inner Gulf of Thailand area. The education centre offers knowledge about mangroves, mudflat ecology and biodiversity through educational programs tailored for different visitor groups. Apart from the main visitor center and auditorium, the educational centre also has an outdoor area that includes an existing mangrove forest, salt marshes and mudflats with natural trails, observation towers and canopy walkways. The natural area is home to various native plants and wildlife, especially local and migratory birds. The site harbours 65 floras and 60 benthic faunas, and between 8,000 and 15,000 birds are estimated to use the site annually. Part of the area is an abandoned shrimp farm, waiting for nature to restore
(Ref.1,2,8).
(Ref.1,2,8).
Da Nang Tree Planting Initiative
Danang, a prosperous port city in Central Vietnam, is home to a population of 1.2 million inhabitants. Throughout the years, the city went through several boats of urbanization, which allowed its economy to thrive but its environment to be negatively impacted. The city's green areas were reduced, leading to socioeconomic and environmental impacts, including loss of landscape and more energy consumption. (4) Furthermore, the city became vulnerable to natural disasters, which caused destruction and uprooting of trees and vegetation and aggravated soil erosion. (3,4)
To counteract many of these issues, the municipality of Danang initiated several greening activities that included the creation of parks, the greening of street alleys, and the greening of schoolyards as a supporting mechanism for one of Vietnam's nationwide programmes "Plant 1 billion trees in the 2021 - 2025" (5). Recently, the municipality planted 900 Than Mat trees (one of the typical flowering plants of Son Tra Peninsula and scientifically known as Millettia nigrescens Gagnep) along the route from Green Lake to Bai Bac, in the Tho Quang ward, in February 2023. The activity also aims to have an educational role as tree protection is highlighted and build a clean and green city environment (6).
So far, as of February 2023, as part of the 1 billion tree programme, 15,000 trees have been planted in Danang. (2)
To counteract many of these issues, the municipality of Danang initiated several greening activities that included the creation of parks, the greening of street alleys, and the greening of schoolyards as a supporting mechanism for one of Vietnam's nationwide programmes "Plant 1 billion trees in the 2021 - 2025" (5). Recently, the municipality planted 900 Than Mat trees (one of the typical flowering plants of Son Tra Peninsula and scientifically known as Millettia nigrescens Gagnep) along the route from Green Lake to Bai Bac, in the Tho Quang ward, in February 2023. The activity also aims to have an educational role as tree protection is highlighted and build a clean and green city environment (6).
So far, as of February 2023, as part of the 1 billion tree programme, 15,000 trees have been planted in Danang. (2)
Kota Malang Urban Farming Programme
Kota Malang is a city for which urbanization coupled with climate change caused an increase in its vulnerability to the urban heat island effect. One of the solutions found to address this issue has been urban farming which has been recognised and acknowledged as a top strategy to improve cities' resilience associated with social and economic co-benefit. Nevertheless, urban farming inventory in Indonesia is still limited (1). Currently, there are 21 urban farming plots throughout Kota Malang, with 210 active urban farmers involved. The city has adopted this trend since 2013 as part of an initiative called Kawasan Rumah Pangan Lestari (Sustainable Food House Region) and the Initiative of Urban Farming Malang. Alongside the local government, the major stakeholder groups are the Department of Agriculture and Food Security of Malang, Family Welfare Empowerment (PKK) Malang and Bank Indonesia (BI) (Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, which supports the local government in construction and development in Malang.
In Kota Malang, urban farming comprises five types of urban farming: nursery, allotment, residential, institutional and rooftop farming based on its characteristics (1). A recent report showed that urban farming could contribute to community resilience for feeding potential and nutrient sufficiency, especially for targeted populations with the highest risk during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In the case of Kota Malang, the cultivation of specific vegetables could feed up to 50,000 inhabitants aged 60-64 years old (1, 2).
In Kota Malang, urban farming comprises five types of urban farming: nursery, allotment, residential, institutional and rooftop farming based on its characteristics (1). A recent report showed that urban farming could contribute to community resilience for feeding potential and nutrient sufficiency, especially for targeted populations with the highest risk during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In the case of Kota Malang, the cultivation of specific vegetables could feed up to 50,000 inhabitants aged 60-64 years old (1, 2).
JIWA Community Garden
The Project 'JIWA Community Garden' is a place to gather, garden, and learn and is located in Canggu, closer to Denpasar City in Bali (1,2,3). The project was founded in 2020 by three friends (citizens) and was developed on about 4500m2 of previously unused land (1,2,3). Jiwa Community Garden has set an example of how unused land can be turned into a fully functional composting facility, productive organic gardens, and a learning center for Permaculture gardening practices, all under one roof (1,2,3). It also welcomes all workawayer/volunteers and other local groups and expats to participate and contribute to activities for community engagement and learning (1,2,3). This project has created a positive impact, and still further plans to develop sub-projects like Permaculture gardening schools and a co-working space cafe open to the public (2,4).
The Urban Forest of Bandung-Baksil ForestWalk
Located in downtown Bandung, with an area of 3.8 hectares, Babakan Siliwangi (more commonly known as Baksil) has been declared The World City Forest on September 27, 2011, by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is part of the green belt of Bandung and is a place of recreation for residents and features a canopied walking path. Declaring the forest as part of the urban green belt of the city has not been an easy task for the management team of Baksil as in 2011, there was a plan to build privately-owned multistories building at the site, which would greatly reduce the environmental quality of the area. In response to this challenge, the team initiated a series of awareness actions as well as a planting campaign to raise the profile of the forest, as well as to address several environmental challenges such as emissions reduction, noise pollution, soil degradation, and fauna and flora conservation. The intervention proved to be very successful as it established the Baksil forest as a new public space that enabled people to get to know and better appreciate their city forest. Several communities have been holding events in this area to activate the idle space, while inviting more people to interact with the forest, making it to be invaluable for the local community and the city of Bandung. (1,2,3,4,5)
