Regulation of built environment

The Sustainable Residential Complex project was a measure taken by the city of Dubai, one of the largest city ecological footprints, with a goal to reduce it to the smallest ecological footprint by 2050. For the past two decades, the UAE government has made an effort to lower its own dependency on fossil fuels, shifting toward more environmentally-friendly sources to power its cities. The sustainable residential complex development project is one of the few initiatives taken by the city administration of Dubai under Vision 2021. Located just outside Dubai the area is the first operational net-zero energy residential complex in Dubai. [1, 2]

The Porsuk Stream divides the city of Eskişehir into two with a green corridor running along the shores of the stream. The Porsuk Stream served provisioning services and acted as a recreational area in the first half of the 20th century, however with increased industrial activities discharging untreated wastewater into the river, rapid urbanisation in the city and other settlements, and increased fertilisers and pesticides in the groundwater originated from agricultural practices (upstream of the Porsuk River), it became highly polluted and its ecosystem degraded severely (1,2,4,5). The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) identified the stream as one of the highly dangerous rivers in terms of pollution and health, where no living beings except viruses live (1).
Within the framework of the 'Eskişehir Urban Development Project' the 'Natural Disaster Loss Reduction Project (Porsuk Project)' has been initiated focusing on the ecological restoration of the stream, improving water quality, increasing the resilience of the city against natural disasters (as earthquakes and floods) while also reestablishing the stream's environmental and social role in the city (1). A network of natural infrastructure was created along the Porsuk by expanding public green spaces and link the entire corridor with a sustainable public transport network. (4,5)

Kaysone experiences severe flooding events on an annual basis due to its location to the banks of Mekong river, as well as periodic storms, and past responses to these threats have focused on the Savanxay Market and the Southern Flood Gate, but with limited success (Ref. 1). This intervention focuses on the development of an integrated adaptation plan for the area around the market and adjacent to the Mekong canal. This plan includes NBS-specific components considering how the market's parking area provides an important opportunity for bioengineering and green cover, and that there is "an opportunity to use adjoining land as a constructed wetland and park for recreation, flood retention and storm water treatment" (Ref. 1). The adaptation plan comprises seven points overall, focusing on wastewater recycling, walking paths, proper drainage and green space in addition to an educational component related to climate change and its impacts (Ref. 1).

In 2018, a new annexe building to the Parliament of Victoria was built to host the increased number of municipal employees. The new building is located in the heritage garden that surrounds the parliament precinct of which one hundred per cent of the footprint has been crowned with two new flourishing rooftop gardens that merge the building into its extraordinary landscape setting (1). The new garden is one of the biggest rooftop gardens in Melbourne and accommodates 300 mostly native plant species that characterise the Australian meadows with wildflowers, grasses and shrubs (2). During the construction of the annexe building and the landscaping of the rooftop garden and the connected sunken courtyard key elements of the heritage garden were protected as touchstones for example a Federal Oak planted in 1890, a Norfolk Island Pine and a camphor laurel ( 7). The garden encourages greater biodiversity within the dense urban context, provides thermal insulation to the new building and creates social spaces for events, announcements and contemplation (2).

The Urban Forest Fund (UFF) was launched in May 2017 by the City of Melbourne to provide financial support to new greening projects that otherwise would not be able to be funded. Such projects include green spaces, tree planting, vertical greening or green roofs on private land" (1 p20). The City of Melbourne has multiple strategies and programs in place to increase the quantity and quality of green space in the city. The UFF aims to support such sustainability lead initiatives by providing match-funding grants to green projects in the private realm. The UFF is a key initiative in tackling sustainability challenges in the entire city, as 75% of its land is privately owned (1)

The Climate Adaptation Strategy (CAS) was approved in 2016 and it includes various measures that aim to address various urban challenges (e.g. temperature rise, heat waves, heavy rainfalls, flooding)(Ref. 1, 2). The CAS is considered a key instrument for integrating green and blue measures in comprehensive planning.
Here, the NBS is presented with a focus on two specific measures: (Reference 1) Integration of the Urban Climate Map in urban planning, focusing on the preservation of existing air corridors/channels through open green spaces. (Reference 2) Integration of other climate adaptation measures in urban planning instruments through open green areas, community rooftop gardens, trees, and water elements. (Reference 1)

Parc Marianne is an ecodistrict that aims to address multiple challenges such as climate action for adaptation, environmental quality, flooding, and in response to the high population growth in Montpellier. Parc Marianne is connected to public transportation, has bicycle lanes and car parks, and the sidewalk is shared between pedestrians and bicyclists and structured with trees and other greenery. The park was certified with the ecodistrict label in 2015 following requirements like environmental sustainability, thermal performance, quality of life, nature and biodiversity, and mobility (Ref. 1). Parc Marianne is a mixed neighbourhood with an ability to combine city and nature, quality of life and centrality (Ref. 2).

The 16-storey EnBW Administrative Complex and planned office district in Stuttgart's industrial area of Fasanenhof has three wings and a high-rise for about 2,000 employees on the 35,000 square meter sites, with many extensive green roofs and usable intensive roofs over underground parking. With the new office complex, EnBW wanted to create a modern and pioneering work environment for its employees. Different green system solutions were used on the project including a "Natural Roof", "Garden Roof", "Public Roof" and "Landscape Roof", with both extensive as well as walk-intensive plantings. The resulting green roofs offer respite and recreation for employees and visitors. [ref 1, 2]

The proposed masterplan for the "Città della Scienza" or the City of Science by Vincent Callebaut Architectures and Studio d'Architettura Briguglio Morales focuses on sustainability with history to propose a self-sufficient urban ecosystem in Italy. More than a spatial work of art, it encourages the promotion of sustainable design, low carbon transportation, renewable energies, automation technologies, and green building materials. Because of these features, the project has many examples of nature-based solutions (e.g.vertical gardens, green roofs/walls, orchards). Operating on the principle of living facades, the Città della Scienza revitalizes Rome's forgotten military district into a vibrant, regenerating living city. [1][3]

The creation of pocket parks is an urban initiative that has steadily grown throughout Budapest since 2010 (Reference 1). Most of these projects are citizen-led, but there is often support provided in the form of education and consultancy by initiatives such as the Contemporary Architecture Center (KÉK), or sometimes the local government (Reference 8). These spaces, typically covering an area of 1400 square meters only, are multi-functional and provide a space for small-scale food production, recreation, community sharing, and can be a fundamental element of neighbourhood rehabilitation. Moreover, it provides positive environmental effects such as water retention and the improvement of the area's micro-climate. Pocket-parks are critical in increasing the number of green areas in neighbourhoods that have limited space. (Reference 9)