Health and well-being (SDG 3)

Clifton Urban Forest was initiated by an individual named Shahzad Qureshi after Karachi witnessed its first “official” heat wave in 2015. More than 2000 people died in the region when temperatures reached over 120 degrees Fahrenheit in Karachi (Ref: 1,4). The major culprit for this heat wave was the ‘Urban heat Island’ effects, resulted from the congested concrete build-up and less green cover. At that time everybody started realizing the non-existence of green cover in the city is the reason behind the city being very hot. Qureshi saw a TED talk about the Miyawaki Method, a quickly growing dense urban forest and decided to give that a try. He believed that the Miyawaki Method, which promised a fast and sustainable forest within three years without using any pesticides and chemicals, could transform Karachi (Ref: 4,7).

Therefore, in December 2015, he and his team planted the first pilot forest covering about 300 square meters based on Dr Akira Miyawaki’s Methodology in a city-owned site in the Clifton area of Karachi. The area previously was used as an open dumping site. The project landscape design was developed by a German-trained landscape architect on 3 acres area and turned into an urban forest park (Ref: 6, 9). When the project became successful, they expanded the forest to the whole park, which is almost 12,000 square meters. The current project envisions increasing the green cover to restore Karachi's degraded environment by creating evergreen and sustainable forests. It targets to feature 50,000 trees, more than 50 native species, 1.2 km of nature walkways, vegetable gardening, community composting, a butterfly garden, a children's natural playground, a fruit forest, a central lake and a skywalk (Ref: 2, 4).

The created forest is self-sustaining with recycled wastewater. It has an organic vegetable garden that provides food for the community, a natural playground for kids, a lake for excess water storage, and a composting and recycling area that absorbs waste from 100 households around the park. Multiple school field trips have been arranged in the park to create awareness among the children about biodiversity and the natural ecosystem (Ref: 5, 6). Moreover, people have been actively visiting the Urban Forest and enjoying the interaction with native plants, and biodiversity and spending some peaceful time for relaxation and leisure (Ref: 9).

The project has received a lot of national and international recognition and funds from Sugi Projects, the Rotary club and crowd-sourced from various corporations and individuals (Ref: 7). Since then, Qureshi and his team have created 24 more forests in Pakistan (Ref: 5, 6).

Asia is one of the fastest economic growing regions and so are many cities on the Asian continent. Economic growth brings forward many challenges including intensive urban development, loss of natural features, increased urbanization, and high levels of air pollution, just to name a few. One of these cities is Ho Chi Minh where it was assessed that only 0,25% of its area is covered with vegetation, and in addition to this, there is traffic congestion and air pollution (3).
In an effort to rectify some of these transgressions, a private initiative developed a house called the House of Trees, located in Tan Binh district, one of the most densely populated residential areas in Ho Chi Minh City, where many small houses are crowded together (2).
The green features of the house include five roofs that function as gardens thanks to a layer of earth substratum, from which tall tropical trees grow (3). The aim of the project is to bring green space back into the city, accommodating high-density dwellings with big tropical trees. Five concrete boxes are designed as "pots" to plant trees on their tops. With a thick soil layer, these pots also function as storm-water basins for detention and retention, hence contributing to reducing the risk of flooding in the city. The project has been conducted by Vo Trong Nghia Architects, a leading Vietnamese firm in building green architecture in urban Vietnam. (1)

Gulistan-e-Hazar Khwani Park, also called Family Ring Road Park, is located in Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan. Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) developed the park with funds from the Local Government Elections and Rural Development Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( 1, 2, 4). The park has been constructed on a site which was used as an active dumping site for more than two decades. The project aimed to enhance the new look of the city by creating a park as a space of leisure and joy for children and families (1, 6). As such almost 20,000 species of trees were planted with a small Miyawaki forest being developed in the location (2).
The total area of the park is about 32 acres and it took almost six months to develop the park for its initial stages. It took almost 20,000 rounds of trucks to remove the dump from the site and another 20,000 to bring sand to the site to level the ground. The park offers multiple facilities including jogging and walking tracks, play areas for children, a zoo area, rose gardens and big lush green lawns (1, 2, 6).

The remodelling project for the sidewalk of Mandalay East Moat is led by the Thingaha Foundation, a joint organization between the Eden Group, MAB Bank and Denko Trading. The Thingaha Foundation passed the project to the Mandalay City Development Council (MCDC) in April 2019 (1). The sidewalk between the east moat and 66th Street, which is one of the four public recreation zones located near the Mandalay Palace, was remodelled by replacing old trees with new trees to widen the sidewalk platform area and to be accessible to disabled people. The implementation activities also included planting new street trees, flower boxes and green bushes along the sidewalk (2, 3). An architect from Thailand drew the design, and besides new green infrastructure, it also included installing new benches and exercise equipment (3). Public advice was collected regarding the sidewalk designs, and city dwellers participated in choosing the final design (4). The residents of Mandalay use the sidewalk area for several physical activities and social gatherings, and different kinds of social events like book festivals to improve social interaction and social cohesion. The sidewalk has become one of the most visited attractions in Mandalay, both for the residents and visitors. (2, 3)

Rajshahi is a Bangladeshi metropolitan city located on the north bank of the Padma river. The city has seen, throughout the years, an increase in greenhouse emissions and maximum temperatures as well as a decrease in open spaces from 11.09% to 4.5%. To counteract many of these challenges, the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), with support from ICLEI South Asia and UN-Habitat implemented an initiative called the Urban-LEDS II, which was designed to help cities to adopt a low-emission development approach. (Ref 2)

The project's approach included support for better management and maintenance of Rajshahi's open green spaces, as well as an objective of raising awareness among stakeholders about the region's biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides and promoting outdoor activities. (Ref 1)

The activities included in the approach were two-folded. One of them targeted the greening of the Rajshahi’s Kolpona-Talaimari river embankment through tree plantations on the slopes and was seen as a demonstration pilot for a bio-diverse plantation scheme. The project implemented a pilot-scale plantation employing native and introduced plant species, as well as maintenance, contracting out to a nearby nursery (Ref 1, 2). The other approach included an increase in public awareness and advanced conservation, hence common trees were identified and documented in a graphic guide. Mapping of the trees of Rajshahi called the Natural Asset Map, and a Pictorial Tree Handbook for its citizens in order to improve and better manage their urban green spaces and biodiversity were conducted. Maps of Rajshahi's natural resources have been created for the entire city as well as for each of its 30 administrative zones. ( (Ref 1, 2)

It was expected that through these actions, Rajshahi would contribute to Aichi Targets 1, 2 and 17; and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11, 14, and 15 (Ref 3).

Jin wellbeing is a senior-oriented lifestyle complex in Bangkok, Thailand, which comprises residences, commercial units and hospitals. The first phase of the development has been completed in 2020. This phase included five residential buildings with senior hospitals, wellness centres and green spaces that cover over 40% of the site. The project aims to create a sustainable living environment while enhancing both the physical and mental health of the people through nature with the “Community of Revine Forest” concept. The main interventions include an urban forest, a therapeutic garden, a community farm, an outdoor exercise area, and a multipurpose area. Ecologically sustainable design has been integrated into the planting strategies and water management to create a resilient ecosystem, mitigate flood and improve water retention capabilities of the area for irrigation purposes. (Ref. 1,2,3,4,5)

The roof garden is one of the most distinguishing features of JEG Tower @ One Acacia, a 22-storey commercial tower in Cebu City. [1] Featuring the purely endemic flora of Cebu, the roof garden offers a dedicated green space in the middle of the cityscape to tenants and visitors of the buildings. The project was created to contribute to the preservation of Cebu's Biodiversity, combat air pollution and improve the mental and physical well-being of residents and visitors. [1] It also includes an events space that people or companies could hire [4].

Wajre Urban Forest is Maharashtra state's first urban forestry project developed on the outskirts of Pune city (1, 2). This project was done in a collaboration involving the public, corporate, NGOs and governmental actors (3). A barren land of 16 hectares, also used as a dump yard by the nearby residents, belonging to the Maharashtra Forest Department, was taken by the TERRE Policy Centre in association with support from TATA Motors and Persistent Foundations as CSR Partners (1,3). The project was targeted to reduce air pollution and provide a site for the recreation and relaxation of urban residents of the city (4).
A total of 9500 plants belonging to 23 indigenous plant species of 6-8 ft were planted (1,2). The plants have now transformed into trees 9-10 feet in height (1, 5). The park also provides the opportunity to engage citizens by the provision of adopting specific plants in your name (5). The park is frequented by morning and evening walkers, with approx. 1000-1500 people per day (1,3).

This project is Kerala's first Miyawaki model urban forest developed on the premises of Kanakakkunnu Palace of Trivandrum city (1, 2). The project was initiated by the Kerala Tourism department and implemented with the help of Nature’s Green Guardian Foundation and Invis Multimedia (which also sponsored the initiative) (3). A multi-layered forest creation is targeted through the Miyawaki method, a method developed by Dr Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist. The method involves growing native plant species in close proximity to each other (3). Such urban forests are planted with the objective of creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that helps in a greater quantity of carbon dioxide absorption and purification of air (1). The project provides a wilderness experience to urban dwellers who frequent this tourism hot spot for relaxation and recreation (1, 3). After the success of this first forest project in Trivandrum, Kerala, in 2020 the Kerala Tourism launched a project to create more Miyawaki micro forests at 22 tourism spots in 12 districts across the state (Ref. 5).

Bayangol park is located in the Bayangol district of Ulaanbaatar along the Tuul riverside. The "Bayangol Agropark" was originally established in 2014 under the administration of the Assembly of Citizens' Representatives of Bayangol District. Later, in 2021, it was renamed "Bayangol Park", and the park activities were expanded. The 50-hectare area along the Tuul river basin is expected to develop into an eco-park where people can enjoy their free time in a safe and welcoming atmosphere. Since its opening, over 16000 trees have been planted in this park as part of the nationwide "One billion trees" movement, which aims to lessen the impact of climate change, decrease desertification, protect forests and water resources, and increase employment. As the second-largest park in the capital city, the park also provides opportunities for sports and culture. (Ref. 1, 2, 4)