Environmental quality

Within the national park of Alta Murgia, a project was implemented since 2006 from a company which produces ecological products ("Fattoria della Mandorla"). They aimed at creating an ecovillage with allotment gardens by practising biological agriculture and promoting biodiversity for cultivated plants. In addition, the project aims at improving the contact of visitors with nature and give further value to the natural park. Moreover, the project wants to stimulate sustainable production and consumption of cultivated products. (Ref.1.)

The Garden Factory ('Tuinfabriek') is an exceptional urban agriculture project on a roof of the central station that aims at becoming the largest food-producing roof of the Netherlands. The project is a self-sustaining vegetable garden located on the roof of a busy mall in the centre of Utrecht (ref. 5). On the roof, citizens, students, company employees and schools work together to grow vegetables and keep bees and chicken. The Garden Factory reflects an ecological 'self-sustaining factory' as the chickens, worms and bees 'work' in the garden as being part of the decomposing system and pollination and a system is built for rainwater retention that allows for irrigation (ref. 1). Eating, composting, sowing, growing, harvesting, cooking form the production process of this Garden Factory (ref. 4).
The main elements of the roof garden are in place, such as the crop bins, the chicken coop and the decomposing machine are completed. However, it is an ongoing developing project as some elements are still in development stage such as some elements of the Soup Kitchen and the aim is to integrate the Garden Factory more with the central station shopping mall in multiple ways (ref. 1).

As part of the restoration of park Denis Gardens, an innovative water element was built consisting of water flowing down the stairs, circulated and cleaned by a pump and filters. This helps regulate the local microclimate by reducing temperatures in hot days and creating humidity in the air (Ref. 1; Ref. 5). Also, the element allows people to walk bare-footed and cool off. In addition, the water reduces air pollution by extracting dust from the air, and the structure has an aesthetic and recreational function, with a restaurant underneath. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2; Ref. 6).

The city department for green space, environment and sustainability and the foundation citizens for Münster initiated a citizen-based intervention which aims at turning the park area at the "Spickmannplatz“ called "Grünschleife“ into a meeting point for residents and neighbours. The concept for its regeneration is based on workshops and ideation processes of citizens whose involvement goes beyond urban gardening activities but involves an active co-creation of the area by co-planning and development. Apart from several communal restorations works, vegetables, fruits and herbs plantations, a pavilion, a dog station and chessboards with benches were set up (ref. 1).

The initiative promoted by the event “Primavera Mediterranea” (Mediterranean spring) transforms the central pedestrian area of via Argirio into an urban park. The project is aimed at rethinking the urban spaces in a green way, as urban gardens are built within the whole central area. The main benefit of the initiative is to give a green view of the city centre, a new dimension of the lived urban space. In addition, workshops and manifestations are organized within the area, to promote also the social and cultural value of the zone. (Ref.1.) The intervention is an initiative taking place every year since 2011, which lasts for days. Private shops, associations and consultancies work together to realise the urban gardens in the main street in Bari. (Ref.1.2.&3.)

"This 26-hectare park, the largest in Clermont-Ferrand, offers a privileged view of the city. Several wooded areas serve as shelters for permanent and passing wildlife. For the last two years, gardeners in the park have no longer used pesticides to maintain Montjuzet Park, the effects are already measurable on the enrichment of flora and fauna." "During the development of the Parc Montjuzet, the choice was made to keep 9 hectares without intervention. These hectares could be a source of some ecological richness. Hives have been established near this area since 2009." (Ref. 1) This park has the Refuge LPO label. (Ref 2)

The hurricane Kyrill devastated up to one-third of the tree stock in the city of Münster and thereby changed the green cityscape in 2007. Therefore, the civic society movement "Foundation Citizens for Münster" initiated the project "Bürgerbäume" (literal translation: citizen trees) to foster reforestation of the promenade of the city castle and other affected spots in 2008. In collaboration with the city department for urban green, motivated citizens and citizen groups took over tree sponsorships with up to € 1,000 per tree to help restore the urban green within three months after the event (ref. 1, 4).

Champratel Eco-District is mainly a housing development plan with new green space areas which will be part of the green corridor of the city. "It will be a real "Garden-District" to offer participatory housing: "For La Grande Plaine, the city of Clermont-Ferrand wanted to go beyond the simple redevelopment of a neighborhood by implementing an innovative approach: participatory housing. It's a new way of collectively designing, creating and managing individual homes" (Ref. 11). It will offer harmonious urban forms and vast green spaces. It will mainly offer a concordance between two desires: the proximity of the city and a pleasant living environment" (Ref. 2). Three main green spaces have been created including a meadow in the north, a green square Rose-Parks to create a meeting place for the inhabitants, and diverse gardens (some of which are maintained and others which are wild" (Ref. 5).

In 2011 the Municipality of Lisbon promoted a project for urban gardens in the Horticultural Park of Telheiras (Ref.4).
The park is an allotment garden with the objective of supporting the urban agricultural practice for its own consumption. The residents of the locality had the possibility of renting at a symbolic price, one of the plots made available by the municipality (ref.5).
Beyond the provision of plots, the Council also provides fences, shelters for storage, water irrigation, training and technical support (ref. 1).

Park Lužánky underwent extensive reconstruction between 1991-2012 through five phases (Ref 2) to restore a recreational hub of the city's largest park through ecologically sound design (Ref. 1; Ref. 2). Each phase worked restored different sections of the park. This included modification of green areas, landscaping (treatment of trees, planting new trees and perennial plants, restoration of grasslands), building a children's playground, a fitness park, and an artificial water element that imitates the former stream of the river Ponávka. (Ref. 1).