Climate change mitigation

This intervention involved the removal of sediment and revitalization of the banks along with the rehabilitation of the urban part of the Segura River in Murcia. This was done to strengthen the environmental condition of the river and improve the visual aspects and the access of citizens to the river (Ref 3 and 7). In 2020, they are building the second part of the project, where the aim is to build three different walkways that join the two sides of the rivers and that will connect specific places along with it (Ref 5).

The Natural Park of Collserola (about 8,000 ha) is a forested area in the hilly Northern fringes of Barcelona. Since 1987, Collserola has been managed under a special protection plan and forms part of the European FEDENATUR network that aims at protected fragile peri-urban ecosystem for both their social and ecological functions. The park is jointly managed by a consortium including the Catalan government (Generalitat de Catalunya), the Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona), the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) as well as all adjacent municipalities (Ref 1).

The Tree Master Plan of Barcelona is a long-term (20-year) plan, running from 2017 to 2037. The ultimate goal of the Tree Master Plan is to ensure the presence of dynamic, healthy and diverse urban trees in Barcelona. According to the Plan, urban trees are essential for green infrastructure and for creating quality public space in the city. An innovative feature of this intervention is the use of biological approaches to the tree maintenance (no pesticides or chemicals) (Ref 1, 2 and 3).

The FUTURE - a project of 100,000 trees in the Porto Metropolitan Area - is a planned and coordinated effort of various organizations and citizens to create and maintain native urban forests in this region, which needs to enrich its biodiversity, sequester carbon, improve quality of air, protect their soil and contribute to a better quality of life for regional people. The 100,000 Trees Project for the Porto Metropolitan Area” intends to restore 100 hectares of urban forest with native trees. (1, 2)

This NBS consists of a vertical green all installed inside one of Energias de Portugal's (ranks among Europe's major electricity operators, as well as being one of Portugal's largest business groups) centres in Porto. It was installed in 2011. The garden is located next to workplaces and customer service desks. The company wished for a garden with a natural and fresh appearance. Common plants used here were Peperomia rotundifolia, Peperomia obtusifolia, Rhipsalis cassuta, Philodendron scandens and different varieties of Chlorophytum comosum. (1)

Emscher Landschaftspark is a regional park system in the northern Ruhr area. It is a regional cooperation project between several post-industrial cities that want to create a coherent park system and regenerate natural environment in the area (Ref. 1). A crucial vision for the redevelopment is that the Emscher Landscape Park would act as a "green connector" between the settlements of the Rhur valley, following the path of the Emscher River and using the abandoned industrial areas along it as a unique form of green space (Ref. 6). "Created after the disappearance and decline of the industry in the area, it has been a key instrument for the territorial, social and economical transformation of what was once the largest industrial region in Europe" (Ref. 12).

The Oriental Park of the City of Porto is an urban natural park designed by the landscape architect Sidónio Pardal. It will be one of the largest urban parks in the country and the second-largest in the city of Porto. This NBS focused on the transformation of a derelict, depressed urban area into a green space. The first part of the park was inaugurated in July 2010 and the municipality has plans to build it through several phases over the next decade until it reaches its project area. (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 Deûle park is a periurban park in northern France, which was created to protect the irreplaceable capture fields of the south of the Lille conurbation. It is an important element of the Regional Green Trail and an important recreation area in a region that is particularly densely urbanized and poor in green spaces. The park is the winner of the " Landscape Award 2006" and the European Landscape Award from the Council of Europe in 2009 (Ref 2).

This NBS is Porto’s largest green roof, sometimes referred as the "Fifth Façade Urban Rooftop Garden", the "Olive Trees Garden" is an oasis of 50 olive trees and lush grass on top of a semi-open gallery of shops, restaurants, and cafés with an underground parking garage.
It’s an urban park escape for city workers, tourists, and university students. Located on top of "Praça de Lisboa" (Lisbon square), this is a fantastic concept of urban planning done right: green space co-existing with commerce and vehicles below street level. This project was completed in 2013 as an effort to improve an area in decline in the middle of the cultural centre of Porto by creating a green space for the community (Ref. 1, 2).