Health and well-being (SDG 3)

The green infrastructure master plan of Udon Thani aims to prepare the city for the future development challenges by offering a new infrastructure network that can mitigate flood and drought while enhancing community and public space within the municipality. Udon Thani is an important economic city in the northeastern part of Thailand and is growing rapidly. With urbanization and climate change trends, the city is experiencing water supply and flood challenges. The masterplan consists of four main design strategies including canal restoration, green streets, retention parks and wetland areas. All four mains strategies create multi-functional spaces that promote environmental and social benefits together. Aside from slowing water flow which allow infiltration and retaining water, these spaces act as park and community garden which offer passive and active recreational activities. In total, 14 sub-projects were proposed together with cost-benefit analysis. (Ref. 1,2,3,4) Currently, the first project is under construction, which is a canal restoration (Huay Mak Khaeng). The construction is expected to finish in 2024. (Ref. 6,7,8)

Benchakitti Forest Park was created as the extension of the existing Benchakitti Water Park, which is located near the central business district of Bangkok, Thailand. The Forest Park is built in an old Thai Tobacco Factory area. The main concept of the park is to bring the forest into the city and support urban biodiversity while offering leisure activities for the people. The main features in this project include constructed wetlands, nature learning and exercise trails (for running and bicycling), a learning centre, an urban farming area and multipurpose open space for gathering and event activities. Benchakitti Forest Park can be divided into 2 parts. The first part is a green outdoor area including the wetlands, all trails and an outdoor amphitheatre. This first part was completed and open to the public in 2022. The second part is the renovation of buildings into museums and the creation of an urban farm and other facilities associated with the building. This second part is still under construction. (Ref. 1,2,3)

Rapid urbanization and a steep increase in population determined a loss of open spaces in Dhaka, the capital and the largest city of Bangladesh. To counteract these issues, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) (one of the two municipal corporations in Dhaka, a governmental unit responsible for administering and providing basic infrastructure to the city) has implemented the Green Dhaka Campaign. One of the initiatives under the Green Dhaka Campaign is the renovation of Justice Shahabuddin Park, located in a dense area of Dhaka. (1, 6)
The intervention was initiated in 2017 and consisted of revamping the park by revitalizing the existing pond, planting new trees, and providing amenities for the people living in the neighbourhood where the park is located. The design decisions were taken by prioritising the opinions of different user groups and in consultation with naturalists. The idea of the 9-acre park was to create a safe, "inclusive and accessible public space for all inhabitants, free of crime and violence". (2)
The renovation also consisted in retaining the majority of trees present in the park, as they offered a variety of species such as medicinal trees, fruit trees, and floral trees. This helped with preserving the biodiversity of the space as well as a healthy environment, lauded by the majority of visitors, making the park a favourite of the locals. Three distinct lanes are also made available in the park for jogging, walking, and cycling. (1,2,3,4)

This project aims to create a Butterfly corridor through the city of New Delhi by connecting local parks, residential gardens, biodiversity parks, and major forest areas (Ref 1, 2). For this, various locations, mainly maintained by citizens, are developed as habitats for the butterflies by planting various kinds of host plants which can be used to lay eggs. Overall, about 100 butterfly corridors are planned to be developed over time (Ref 3). The project is initiated by the Conservation Education Centre (CEC), a Delhi-based faction of the Bombay Natural History Society. With the help of CEC, community custodians of the gardens are trained to develop butterfly parks. A number of public and private land areas have now been designed as butterfly corridors throughout the city (Ref 1).
An underlying aim of the project is to allow butterflies to travel across locations, thus allowing genetic diversity among populations (Ref 1). The project has also helped educate the community about the importance of maintaining a healthy butterfly population. Through the organization of Butterfly month in September every year, citizens and, especially young kids, are encouraged to learn about butterflies through butterfly walks, counting, and photography contests, among other activities (Ref 1, 5).

To build "[a] airport in the forest, and [a] forest in the airport", a Jungle Broadwalk was created inside the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) between 2004 and 2009. KLIA is one of the world's largest airport sites, spanning over 100 square kilometres of land, and it is located in the Malaysian state of Selangor. The Jungle Boardwalk is a miniature tropical rainforest, recreated inside the airport grounds between the main terminal building and the contact pier, and in the central garden in the centre of each satellite building. Though the airport is functioning since 1998, the Jungle Boardwalk was implemented only in 2004 and is home to 3,660 trees of more than 39 species, serving almost 14 mils. passengers every year. The mini forest is home to an impressive variety of trees such as the Medang, Kelat, Tukas and Penaga lilin trees that are indigenous to Malaysia.
The intervention provides many benefits such as a cooling temperature level inside the airport, a space for passengers to decompress, and an exploration of the relationship between nature and humans. This project creates a miniature Indonesian rainforest inside the airport to keep alive the heritage of the country's nature. The implementer had in mind "the vision to share a piece of Mother Nature’s tropical heritage with our passengers through the refreshing experience of walking through our natural forest reserve.” This and the fact that the airport is Green Globe Certified makes the intervention unique. (1,2,3,4)

In 2016 the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), one of the municipal local government authorities of Dhaka initiated a plan to revitalise 19 of the city’s parks and 12 playgrounds. One of them is Rasulbag Shishu Park, previously a derelict area surrounded by residential tower blocks, tiny shops and street market stalls. Besides reconditioning a derelict area, DSCC considered it of utmost importance to address some environmental and planning aspects. One of them is the fact that Dhaka is located in a region severely exposed to flooding during the rainy seasons. Poor planning of the city, with narrow alleyways, which have no proper drainage, contributes greatly to transforming streets into rivers. As such, in 2018 DSCC started redesigning the area, counting on a participatory approach throughout the community. No trees were taken down throughout the entire process; all other already-existing trees in the park were included in the design. Most of the native shrubs and trees make up the rows of orchards that line the park's perimeter, disguising its crumbling walls and softly merging them into its surroundings. To establish an environmentally friendly and aesthetically beautiful boundary, various plants, including flowers and fruit trees, have been planted around the park's furthest edges. It was expected that the intervention would revitalize a sense of community in an already failed public space. (Ref 1, 2, 6)

Neknampur Lake, also known as Ibrahim Bagh Cheruvu, located in Hyderabad, Telangana State of India, has historical importance and was part of a water reservoir network for irrigation and drinking as well as an inalienable part of the rural ecology of the village (1,2). Due to urbanization, the lake underwent drastic changes in ecology, land use and management in the past decade. Scientific investigations conducted by the Telangana State Biodiversity Board on Neknampur Lake highlighted that the water body was full of sludge and extremely eutrophicated, showing elevated algal growth (2). This was mainly because of the unabated entry of sewage and other waste over an extended period into the lake (1,2). In June 2016, The NGO named 'Dhruvansh' decided to adopt Neknampur Lake and thus began a series of interventions that incorporated bioremediation and phytoremediation techniques, regular cleanup drives of plastic removal and recycling campaigns into a restoration plan for the lake (1,2). With the support of the government institutions, 'Dhruvansh' began the revival of the lake across two phases: (1) the revival of the lake periphery and the lake body, followed by (2) the revival of the lake ecosystem (1,2). The ecological restoration of Neknampur Lake has improved the ecological services it provides and restores the glory of this historically significant lake, now known as a biodiversity hotspot (1,2,3,4).

The International Cultural Garden Park (IC Park) is a comprehensive, private-sector-led, green development project in Yarmag, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Initiated in 2021 by the Ikh Uilsiin Ereld Group LLC on its own property land as part of its social responsibility, the planned area covers a 35 hectares (86 acres) site. First, an international design competition was announced to plan the project. As a result of this competition, a contemporary park concept was developed for Ulaanbaatar's New Center to convey an international concept, with designs of significant cultural and historical elements from over ten different nations. The IC Park will also serve as a venue for a variety of international events, including conferences, sporting competitions, cultural festivals, and more. Green technology is being used with particular attention throughout the park's construction, and more than 90 species of trees and about 50 species of natural perennials growing in Mongolia are planned to be planted with the cooperation of professional tree planting and gardening organizations, specialists, researchers, and scientists. As of today, more than 7,000 trees have been planted in the project area, and professional personnel are diligently working on their care and pruning. The project is expected to reduce the negative consequences of global warming, create a greener environment, and secure long-term employment. (Ref. 1, 2, 4, 7)

As early as 2010, the then authorities of Malaysia announced plans to transform certain Malaysian cities into green cities. Motivations behind these actions focused on addressing environmental challenges such as carbon emissions, high temperatures, and a reconnection with nature. One of the cities where green ideas were to be implemented was Putrajaya, located 25 km south of Kuala Lumpur (Ref 3). As this is a very complex project, the initiative was being led by the Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPJ), which is a local authority that administers the Federal Territory of Putrajaya and is under the Federal Territories Ministry of Malaysia. In transforming Putrajaya into a green city, PPJ undertook 38% of its area to be developed into parks, lakes, and wetlands while the rest is reserved for government offices, commercial and residential development, public utilities, and amenities (Ref 1). Green actions involved the creation of a wetland (the largest constructed freshwater in Southeast Asia), the implementation of an Urban Farming Programme and Rooftop Farming programmes, as well as large-scale tree planting (Ref 2, 3). PPJ aims to transform Putrajaya into a green city by 2025 including Putrajaya Inter-Parks Ride, Pedestrian Walkways and Bicycle Lanes. Putrajaya’s efforts in the implementation of these green initiatives have received numerous awards & recognitions (Ref 3).

The Adopt-a-Park project is an urban re-greening and renewal program. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), working together with the 17 Metro Manila local government units (LGUs), has launched the initiative to address rapid urbanization and urban decay by creating new green areas and renovating existing but underutilized or derelict neighbourhood spaces [4]. The project is part of the "I ♡ Metro Manila" advocacy program of the MMDA, which was launched to "uplift the spirits of the residents recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to strengthen initiatives on urban renewal that aims to transform the metropolis to be a more livable, greener, and resilient region"[1].