Health and well-being (SDG 3)

The aim of the project was to protect and enhance the areas of core nature conservation interest and adopt environmental management principles to help reduce the impact of management operations on the environment. Linn park and Local Nature Reserve (LNR) is the second-largest park in the city. Linn Park comprises a mosaic of riparian woodland along the White Cart corridor principally broadleaf in character, mixed woodland plantation blocks connected by a series of mixed-species shelterbelts, scrub, meadow, amenity grassland, and parkland trees. The woodland provides habitat for a great variety and number of birds both resident and migratory. Some areas of the woodland have good ground flora diversity including the occurrence of Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) in patches.
The park is particularly of note for its floristic and bird diversity with some 250 and 60 species recorded respectively. Some animals and plants of interest include Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar), Otter (Lutra lutra) and Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) and Great-spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) and Toothwort (Lathraea squamaria) in the woodlands. It is scarce in Scotland and Linn Park and is one of only 3 sites in Glasgow this species is found (Ref 4). Linn Park and Local Nature Reserve (LNR) was awarded a Green Flag in 2013. The Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for quality parks and green spaces (Ref. 3).

Named after the first mayor of Lisboa after the 25 April Revolution, the Aquilino Ribeiro Machado garden and the horticultural park provides an area of 25000 squared meters of green space, connecting Alvalade to the Alta de Lisboa. Divided into various zones interconnected by walkable trails and paths, the park offers fields where locals dedicate themselves to farming and gardening, several fitness types of equipment, a children playground, tables and benches and a different kind of viewpoint for a different sight of the city, watching the planes of the Humberto Delgado airport landing or taking off. There are bicycle roads along the park as well. (7)

The Green Axis is a belt of green areas and parks that stretches all the way from the Public Library of Bergen to The National Stage. It entails several parks, including Byparken, Ole Bulls Place, Logebakken, The Theatre Park and King Olav the 5th's Place. The Green Axis holds several culturally important buildings, statues, and landmarks. This green oasis in the heart of the city provides habitat for species and increases well-being for the citizens of Bergen. (Ref. 1, 2) The area is continuously upgraded with high maintenance standards. (Ref. 5)

In September 2011, a new eco-friendly student village ‘The Green’ opened to students at the University of Bradford. The new eco-village "The Green" has been designed to incorporate a range of features to enable students to live in a more sustainable way. It is part of a broader sustainability initiative by the University of Bradford called 'ecoversity' and its development is clustered around a pond, which is a part of a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDs). The Urban Pond/biodiversity pond – at The Green increases the biodiversity of the site. The site has been designed and landscaped with nature in mind, consisting of grassed areas, a wildflower border, shrubberies and native trees. (ref 3) The £30.4million development was the first multi-residential building in the UK - and one of only 15 buildings worldwide (ref 7).

The aim of the project was to plant many varieties of vines on flood embankments of the southern tip of Ostrow Tumski on a stretch of 1 km. Grapes would be free of charge, as the idea of the project was to set up a community garden where the effects of the citizens’ work would be available long-term and publicly accessible [1]. In 2014 the project was in a pilot stage which resulted in a successful application for funds from the participatory budget in 2016. Despite the awarded money, the project has never been implemented, hence the applicants (Foundation “Vineyards of Poznan”) pressed charges against City Hall. Today, the project is still in the initial form from its pilot phase [9].

Nygård Park is an old, large park in central Bergen that has been undergoing transformation since 2014, as the park had degraded over the years and had been heavily used by drug users (Ref. 6). The restored park serves to act as a natural meeting place in the city, consisting of green areas, a pond, playgrounds, flower beds, an amphitheater, walkways and much more. The restored park retains its traditional British design, and also includes a more universal character allowing for more users of the park and facilitating access to the different parts of the park. (Ref. 1, 2).

A multi-sensory garden designed and built especially for people with dementia and their carers has been opened in Doncaster at St. Catherine's mental health hospital. The Garden is the result of multiple charities and organisations coming together to push the project forward. The aim was to create a stimulating, relaxing and safe environment for people living with dementia, as well as their carers, to enjoy. The garden has been designed to be multi-sensory to prompt memory recall by appealing to senses such as sight, smell, touch, sound and even taste that come with the different seasons (Ref 1 & 2).

The project created a green recreational park in the family housing area, where there had been a lack of such facilities. The park contains a multifunctional sports pitch, open-air gym and a playground. Additionally, as the park is located next to the nature reserve ‘Żurawiniec’ it serves as a buffer zone for the reserve and mitigates the pressure caused by the proximity of the city [1].

The project area comprises the morphological floodplain of the Rhine to the north and south of the city of Karlsruhe and sections of the river Alb, covering an area of about 7.665 hectares in total. Alongside Karlsruhe, five smaller communities in the neighbourhood contribute to the project as partners. Due to the channelling of the Rhine, the construction of dykes and the isolation of river channels, the area has lost its natural floodplains and precious habitats and became more vulnerable to flooding. Major objectives of the project are the re-introduction of natural floodplains and the enhancement of natural habitats for local flora and fauna. (Ref. 7). The project included an exceptionally wide range of measures including species protection measures, the complete desludging of parts of the Rhine, the re-establishment of softwood and hardwood forests typical of the floodplain, the construction of bridges, the natural remodelling of the entire river Trench systems and the creation of new bodies of water. (Ref. 9) The project also provides environmental education, informing the public about activities and encouraging their participation (Ref. 7)

Vine Court is a student residential complex located at the heart of the University’s city campus. It is equipped with both green and brown roofs, providing environmentally friendly habitats for local flora and fauna, utilizing local plant mixes and building material rubble from the excavated site. (Reference 2). It is at the forefront of sustainable residential development in the UK higher education sector and it was built to a high standard of sustainable design and energy performance. In addition to the eco-technologies incorporated into the structure, the brickwork includes built-in nest boxes for swifts and bats. It has been awarded a design stage BREEAM Excellent certification (Reference 1).