Social cohesion

The intervention concerns the regeneration of the neighbourhood Liberta, which is actually in a state of decay. The Gasometro, renamed Maria Maugeri park is one of the few green spots of the area, and the municipality decided to invest 2 million € in the regeneration process. The park was renamed after one of its promoters and advocates, Maria Maugeri passed away suddenly. The project expects the creation of a public urban park (within an area lacking of green spaces) with several activities, such as a cycling path, restaurants, playground for children, sport infrastructures. The overall plan is the result of an announcement promoted by the Council of Ministries of the Italian parliament (Ref.4.)

The Forest of Belfast is an imaginative label for urban tree initiative launched in the 1990s with the aim of conserving and managing existing trees, increasing the planting of suitable trees, particularly in places of public access like parks, and in promoting an interest in and an appreciation of trees and forestry(Ref 3). The project was officially launched in June 1992 (Ref 1). It is active throughout the urban area of Greater Belfast, including Belfast City. It brings together partners from the statutory sector, voluntary groups, businesses, and individual residents who become volunteer Tree Wardens. It shows how urban forestry can forge partnerships between central and local government, environmental organizations and city dwellers. (Ref 1). Forest of Belfast initiative was wound up towards the end of 2010 (Ref 6).

The Sowe Valley Project was a community-based project focusing on rivers restoration. It aimed to link the local community with the Sowe River Valley and to improve the valley’s biodiversity and habitats for the benefits of people and wildlife. (Ref. 2, 6, 11-13)

In Frankfurt, the "Gallus Garden" is a community garden built in 2016, which not only impresses with its 1000 m2 size but also reflects the cultural diversity in the district (4). The garden was initiated by the Kinder im Zentrum Gallus association in collaboration with the Gallus neighbourhood management with the help of many sponsors and donors such as the Open Space Office and Deutsche Bank (4). The garden consists of two areas with raised bed for families, kindergarten groups and individuals to cultivate their food there, while a third area is for community events with fruit trees. The aim of the Gallus Garden is to create a community place where old and new residents of the area get together, can share knowledge and spend time in nature (4,8).

A project of 200 plots for an urban orchard on-site at Parque de las Aguas was created, where individual citizens, social groups, and companies can rent the lots to cultivate their own produce. The orchards hold educational programming for patrons and visitors as well. (Ref. 1,2,4)

A part refurbishment of a classic 1930’s building, the design of the Leeds Greenhouse embraces the history of the building. Along with rooftop wind turbines, solar panels, ground source heating, there are NBS advantages to the property, including central rain and greywater management facilities that support everyday living and working. It also installs nearby allotments as well as on-site shared gardens to help strengthen both the sense of community and sustainable consumption. (1, 2, 3, 6) The building comprises 172 flats and 15,000 sq ft of office space. (7) Even though the project was completed in 2010, the residents came together in 2018 to add 250 hedge-plants to the complex. (13)

The neighbourhood intervention is designed as an eco-neighbourhood with an abundance of green space and facilities to connect its residents to the outdoors and to each other. (Ref. 2, 13) It is part of the European Union Renaissance project that is associated with Lyon, France and Lombardy region, Italy (Ref. 12). In Zaragoza, this district, situated on the south of the city, provides about 10,000 homes (most of which are social housing). From design to construction, the district was developed with bioclimatic criteria. (Ref. 8, 12)

The Park Apartments is a complex of block buildings which incorporates a green concept, such as an interior garden and balcony gardens, erected to create a space where architectural norms combine with environmental regulations and together deliver an oasis of peace in a crowded city, using holistic measures (1)

Bowling Park is a public urban park and the key purpose is to grow fruit, develop wildlife habitats and create sociable urban green space as well as maximise the biodiversity of the site and minimise any adverse impact on the environment. The orchard, along with allotment sites, as a whole is a valuable part of the Green Infrastructure Network in Bradford (ref 1). The orchard is developed on six disused allotment plots adjacent to Bowling Park. In March 2003 the orchard has planted over 40 trees including- 35 varieties of apple, 6 pears and 4 plums (ref2).

Bercsényi grove, a large public park, was rehabilitated and functionally extended as part of the socially sensitive urban regeneration project of Győr-Újváros, a stigmatized, relatively underdeveloped area (Ref. 1, 3). The area of the park is divided into three main parts, 1. a recreational park including playgrounds, 2. a sports park and 3. a "traffic park" where children can learn interactively learn the rules of the road in a playful way. Although the project was mainly aimed at creating a place for active recreation, the intervention included the rehabilitation of the green areas and the plantation of several tree lines (Ref. 4). As a result, the area could become a popular meeting point for different generations.