Environmental quality

On the brownfield of an abandoned train station and its surrounding terrain, active citizens and neighbors developed Utopia town, a living lab for creative urban development, cultural and creative industries, and citizen engagement. Under the guiding principle “edible train station – edible town", next to other projects, an urban garden with organic cultivation was developed on 1,000 sqm of the terrain at the former train station Mirke as a focus area for their activities due to its favourable location in order to show that gardening is possible in urban spaces, even on balconies or terraces (Ref. 1, 2, and 3). The main building of the Utopiatown has a bar, a concert venue, a food sharing station, and a free bicycle lending service that is operated by volunteers. (Ref. 9). Gardening workshops that are offered to citizens with little experience of gardening are planned to be further extended with seminars and practice classes for students (Ref. 3). Since its beginning, the area of the “utopia town” has grown rapidly and is now providing opportunities for multidisciplinary academic research. (Ref. 12)

In 2011, the Great Lines Heritage Park was formed by connecting the Great Lines, Lower Lines, Inner Lines, Forst Amherst and Medway Park together. To do so, a former military area was transformed. The intervention connects the heritage towns of Chatham and Gillingham and the Chatham Waterfront. By connecting the heritage of the town and the waterfront, the project aimed to emphasize both these aspects of the area, but also to improve visitors' access and be a habitat for a number of species (Ref 2). The area has been created from a site that is of international heritage significance. The park is located within the Thames Gateway priority housing area, Europe’s largest regeneration project (ref. 3).

Following a severe storm in 2000 that overwhelmed the sewage system of Portsmouth along with its main Wastewater Pump Station, causing major flooding in the city with the destruction of private and public properties, prevention of such events become a key priority (5).
The Portsmouth Flood Alleviation Scheme aims to relieve the pressure on the sewage system in wet weathers by diverting the accumulated surface water flows away from the combined sewer networks and discharge them into the harbours around the island (5). The Scheme consists of several measures across the city, among others the creation of a new open watercourse channel across the Great Salterns Golf Course diverting surface water directly into Great Salterns Lake (5). This measure of the scheme is a solution that separates surface water to provide resilience, boost flood protection and benefit the environment with the minimum of new infrastructure (1).

New recreation zone "Norikus Bay" in Nurenberg was completed in 2018 on the south bank of the Wöhrder lake, an artificial lake created in 1968 to protect the city from flooding. The dam itself, which is a 400m long path separating a part of the water surface from the bigger part of the lake, has become a tourist attraction with a water playground and other recreational amenities being offered. The water is naturally cleaned through the regeneration zone with natural plant filter, and simultaneously improves the habitat of fish and makes recreational swimming in possible in the cleaner water. New green areas are organized on the shore in order to improve environmental, aesthetic and recreational conditions of the area (1, 7, 8).

A communal bio-garden was created by a group of citizens in Sofia in 2014 on a municipal piece of land. The creation of the garden was supported by the Municipality through their programme “Green Sofia”. The aim of the project was to turn an abandoned and degraded green area into an “island of biodiversity” and a place for urban gardening. The garden contains herbs, vegetables, and flowers, dwelling places for useful insects, and a compost bin. The benefits of the garden have been ecological, educational, and social, including refugee integration. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2; Ref. 3; Ref. 4) According to their Facebook group in 2020, the 4 acre garden and the community that has organised around it is still thriving. (Ref 10)

Focus Park is a large shopping mall with green terraces (900 m2) and green walls in the city of Bydgoszcz. The project serves marketing purposes – the green areas outside the mall are visible from various vantage points. Due to the selection of pollution resistant plants and installation of an automatic irrigation system the project also involves water retention and supports local biodiversity and good air quality [1].

The urban gardening project is a strategic employment and qualification measure which accommodates 14 long-term unemployed people guided and advised by 4 part-time employees of the Wuppertal District Service, consisting of a professional gardener, an instructor, a social education worker and a project manager. Coordinated with the Forestry Department of Wuppertal and the City of Wuppertal and in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, the participants of the programme plant and harvest vegetables and herbs in 19 high-raised flower beds on decentralized public and private spaces across the Ostersbaum district. The harvest is distributed to and shared by all residents. (Ref. 3) A further goal of the intervention is to increase cultivated green spaces and streets in the city district of Ostersbaum and thus to enhance the quality of life in the district. In 2017, the project was extended with an opportunity for beekeeping. (Ref. 8) Apart from its main goal of providing employment and assistance to unemployed people, the leaders of the project also offer educational opportunities for children and students, through educating them about the cycle of food production and creating an understanding of the origin of food. (Ref. 1)

The green roof and courtyard/patio on a new campus building of the University of Applied Sciences consist of trees and plants that reduce temperature and improve air quality. The plants are grown on a thick substrate layer that allows for extra stormwater storage. The vegetation also provides habitat for species such as insects, filters particulates from the air and reduces noise, and creates aesthetic value for patients in a nearby hospital (Ref. 1).

From 2006 onwards, the urban stream Wupper and its riverbanks were redeveloped and ecologically improved via several water management and planning measures across the city of Wuppertal. Initiated by the city administration and the public sector company Wupper, they aimed at improving the environmental- and water quality or the area and enhancing biodiversity in and around the Wupper. These efforts were accompanied by additional citizens' initiatives with the same goal. (Ref. 1, 2, 3, 9). According to the EU Water Framework Directive, 27 percent of the Wupper and its tributaries are now in good condition, which is well above the German average of 8 percent. The complete renaturalization is planned to be completed by 2025. (Ref. 12)

The intervention takes place in one of the most important parks in Palermo, and the area plays an important role, by hosting several plant and animal species, and the intervention consisted of creating an agricultural area within the park with a community-based approach. This proved that agricultural initiative had an economic role to play for the city, and at the same time can enhance social inclusiveness. (Ref.1.)