Sustainable production

As part of the title Green Capital of Europe, Ljubljana planted the first public orchard. The public orchard is open to citizens and visitors of the city, where fruits are available from mid-summer to late autumn. One part of the orchard includes a plantation of old varieties of apple, plum and pear, while the other includes trees species little known. The public orchard and nectar garden are intended for residents, passersby, volunteers, groups of pre-schoolers, families and educational organisations. The nectar garden is enriched by an innovative didactic adventure trail that winds around the nectar garden. Next to the nectar garden is a hotel for insects and bird feeder intended to promote biodiversity and raise awareness about nature conservation. Nearby is also a renovated playground for children. Three such orchards have been created in Rakovi jelši, Savski naselj and Puhtejeva ulica. The arrangement of the public orchard is one of the goals set in the environmental protection program for the City of Ljubljana 2014 - 2020. (1, 2 and 3)

Göteborg is in need to strengthen the conditions for those who today, to a certain extent, rely on food production or farming. Also, the demand for locally produced and non-toxic food is increasing by Swedish consumers. Green Production aims to create opportunities for urban agriculture that is financially viable within and around the city. Green Production will build knowledge and conduct research by bringing together key stakeholders around a number of focus-projects within the area. Green Production aims to create opportunities for urban agriculture that is financially viable within and around the city. Green Production will build knowledge and conduct research by bringing together key stakeholders around a number of focus-projects within the area. The original idea regarding these focus-projects is that they either will be based in a specific spot and, for example, linking new technologies with new jobs, or involve a process where entrepreneurs meet landowners, consumers, wholesalers, etc. The goal of these focus-projects, in addition, to gather knowledge and create new contacts and networks, is that they may develop a number of innovative urban agriculture projects and business ideas in and around the city. (Ref. 1, 3, 4)

"MiColtivo, Orto a Scuola" promoted by Fondazione Riccardo Catella, aims at involving children with horticulture with the aim of educating them on the importance of a correct diet and environmental issues. The first pilot project was launched in local schools in 2012. The project was developed in the concept of the imminent EXPO 2015, as the main topics were nutrition and the environment. (1)

This is a private initiative located in a residential complex in the northern area of Rome. When a new tenant purchases or rents a house, he is provided with a private garden for horticulture, together with the assistance of experts in vegetable planting and growing. The initiative was designed to educate people on the importance of consuming local foods and living in close interactions with green areas inside urban areas (1 and 6).

Since 2007, in the area of a former tree nursery, the international garden in Bonn gives space for social integration. Covering 3,000 m2 the area was turned into an allotment garden with garden plots of approximately 40 m2. The plots are allocated to 25 families from different cultural backgrounds, living in the deprived neighbourhood of Bonn-Dransdorf to support their self-sufficient agricultural practices and foster their social integration (1,10). The aim of the project is to provide gardening families with the option for intercultural exchange and a chance to take roots in a new country. In 2003, the International Garden Bonn project was initiated is implemented by "Wissenschaftsladen Bonn", a community service group who persuaded the city of Bonn to provide the once city property free for this social inclusion project (1).

These gardens fulfil several purposes and have become more and more often a point of aggregation and leisure, of socialisation and recreation, didactic and cultural education. Two interventions were made and in 1991, where 36 and 48 ornamental plants were produced. Subsequently, the gardens were built in the PEEP area of ​​Zelarino (in 1997), and in via Pertini (in 2002) and thanks to the environmental context and the available space, an element of novelty is introduced: the gathering area for communities to share environmental common values and activities. (2).

The city of Zagreb prepared city-owned land on 10 locations for urban gardening, called "city gardens" for citizens who do not own land in Zagreb. The project "City Gardens" is a positive example of sustainable use of urban land and improving the quality of life of our citizens in social, economic and environmental terms. City gardens provide access to healthy food and improve the household budget of citizens, contribute to preserving a healthier environment, preserving biodiversity, environmental awareness of citizens, connecting with nature, healthy leisure and promoting a healthy lifestyle and developing partnerships between the City of Zagreb and citizens (Ref 1).

Recreation and Educational orchards were created as part of the Miraflores Park interventions and rehabilitation. These orchards were available for public use and had educational programs where the children would learn and cultivate the land. The Orchards were formed of four separate programs: Huertos Escolares (School Orchards), Huertos de Ocio (Leisure Orchards), Educational Itineraries, and Youth Greenhouse. (Ref 4)

”Gothenburg is now greener and more beautiful. Urban farming is the name of the investment that Göteborgs Stads Fastighetskontor (The property office) makes to stimulate small-scale and residential/urban farming. The goal is to get new crops, crops in unconventional places, plants/farming that provide joy and help to spread knowledge and create contact between generations and people from different parts of the city and the world. But also to develop the already existing cultivation and colony areas.” (Ref. 1)

The project involved the redevelopment of old military infrastructure at the periphery of the Zagreb city (Boronaj) into a green and carbon-negative university campus. The Boronaj campus has planned to be the green campus of the university and includes the use of renewable energy (biomass, geothermal and solar), treatment cell for wastewater and a huge green area (with trees and shrubs). The buildings (constructed and to be constructed) are planned to be carbon negative (Ref 1). A significant portion of the campus is the green areas (with trees and shrubs). This was created with the aim to contribute and maintain the native species diversity (Ref 3, 4). In addition to increasing the biodiversity of the city, the tree species has improved the air quality of the area and reduced the local air temperature. The project is partially completed. Some buildings are yet to be constructed. The Campus was officially opened on October 12th 2007 and for now, it hosts 4 university units: Centre for Croatian Studies, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Traffic Engineering and Faculty of Economics and Business (only vocational study programmes in economics and business). Five other faculties are also planning to relocate to the Campus in the next few years. Besides the (re)construction of university buildings, campus will be home to a sports centre, student residence hall and a number of institutes. The project is partially completed, some of the buildings are completed while some are yet to be constructed. (Ref 1, 3, 7).