Social justice and conflicts

The Green Corridor Südpanke is a transformative restoration project that unveiled 700 meters of the river Südpanke, connecting Invalidenpark and Südpankepark in the heart of Berlin. This initiative, part of Berlin's broader mission to restore the Panke River, was spearheaded by the state of Berlin with a focus on ecological restoration, biodiversity enhancement, microclimate cooling, and creating recreational spaces to improve the quality of life for residents (Ref. 2; Ref. 3).
Historically, the river in this area was channeled underground. The project brought the Südpanke back to the surface, integrating ecological principles and landscape planning into the design. The restored section of the river now flows openly in a natural watercourse bed, making it accessible to the public (Ref. 5). The restoration was completed in 2021, transforming the area with features such as playgrounds, lawns, benches, and a continuous biking and walking path that weaves through the green spaces.
Work on the project began in 2010 but was interrupted by the construction of the neighboring headquarters of the Federal Intelligence Service. As a result, parts of the green corridor were opened to the public in 2012, with the full restoration completed nearly a decade later, in 2021 (Ref. 3; Ref. 6).
The project established a seamless connection for cyclists and pedestrians from Invalidenpark in the south to Südpankepark in the north. The new open water section cools the microclimate in Berlin's densely built-up center while providing a critical habitat for plants and animals. Embankments and meadows near the Federal Intelligence Service's property support wild bees and other pollinators, fostering biodiversity. The Green Corridor Südpanke is a vibrant example of how urban ecological restoration can contribute to sustainability, quality of life, and resilience in a growing city. (Ref. 2)

The "Line Park" project in Belgrade aims to create a continuous green belt spanning 4.6 kilometres and covering over 48 hectares. As such, the project will revitalize the former railway corridor from "Beton Hala", just below the Belgrade Fortress, to the Pancevac Bridge. Inspired by notable urban parks like New York's "High Line", Moscow's "Zagrađe," and Toronto's "Rail Corridor," it will become a major recreational destination and also help to alleviate the pressures from the city's heavy air pollution and summer heat (Ref. 5, 6).
The park will be divided into ten thematic sections dedicated to aromatic plant and flower gardens, urban gardening and beekeeping, sports facilities, a newly built university campus and more. Additionally, there will be an amphitheatre and facilities for outdoor education. To further integrate green infrastructure, new buildings will have green roofs and walls (Ref. 2,5). Ultimately, the park integrates a number of amenities into the entire city.
The development of the park also introduced innovative co-creation mechanisms in terms of governance and planning. Since Belgrade is part of the multinational CLEVER Cities Initiative, the city's Secretariat for Environmental Protection suggested the use of the site as a pilot test for introducing nature-based solutions in urban planning and with diverse stakeholders' input. Several workshops, focus groups, and consultations took place between 2019 and 2021, which facilitated the diversity of ideas that have been adopted into the official construction plan (Ref. 1, 2). Despite these successes, civil society groups raise concerns over the extraordinary cost of 70 million euros, displacement of Roma communities and the interest of real estate developers that may undermine the project's original cause (Ref. 3, 8).

Cagliari's waterfront is currently characterized by extensive soil sealing, which has rendered the soil impermeable, leading to a loss of biodiversity and contributing to the urban heat island effect. Additionally, the waterfront is disconnected from the city due to heavy traffic. In 2023, the Municipality of Cagliari launched the "Green Promenade for Cagliari’s Seafront" project, aimed at revitalizing the waterfront and reconnecting the city with its coastal heritage. Led by Stefano Boeri Architetti, the project seeks to transform the area into a continuous green space that integrates pedestrian pathways with shaded public areas, functioning as a "green lung" to mitigate urban heat and enhance biodiversity.
The initiative will introduce over 200 new trees and 5,700 square meters of green space, creating a park that beautifies the area, improves air quality, and lowers local temperatures. A key focus of the project is fostering cultural and social inclusion by developing new community hubs that encourage diverse activities and strengthen social cohesion. Additional features include recreational areas, sports fields, and outdoor seating. (Ref. 1, 2,3)
The project also aims to enhance social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and urban connectivity, ultimately transforming the waterfront into a vibrant public space that reflects Cagliari’s identity.
However, the lengthy construction process has disrupted local businesses and reduced foot traffic, making the area less attractive during the redevelopment phase. (Refs. 10, 11, 12 & 13).

The Martinican Marine Natural Park (MMNP) was established in 2018 to protect key marine habitats, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, and open waters. These areas are home to important species like sea turtles, dolphins, and tropical fish. The park’s conservation efforts focus on addressing threats from human activities such as pollution and overfishing. It also collaborates with ocean-related industries, such as tourism and fishing, by recommending, funding, or conducting research aimed at promoting more sustainable practices within the MMNP.

To support its work, the park operates a growing fleet of boats that raise public awareness, resolve conflicts, and enforce the protection of designated areas. The MMNP spans an area of 47,340 km², extending from Martinique's coast to the boundary of the French Exclusive Economic Zone. The park's management board, which includes diverse stakeholders, must be consulted for advice on development activities that impact the marine environment. Their goal is to balance competing interests within the region.

The park receives funding from the French Office for Biodiversity (OBF) to carry out initiatives that protect the marine environment, promote sustainability, and raise public awareness. Notable efforts include creating or restoring habitats for species such as sea turtles and sea urchins, managing invasive species like sargassum algae, restoring coral reefs, and training resource users such as whale-watching companies and diving clubs. Other initiatives include reducing plastic pollution through clean-ups, supporting sustainable fishing practices (e.g., artisanal coastal fishing), installing eco-friendly moorings, funding Marine Educational Areas (MEAs), and sponsoring cultural events that promote marine conservation (Ref 1; 2; 3).

The Juan Angola River is an urban channel included in the system of rivers and channels of Cartagena, and it connects the Ciénaga de la Virgen wetland and the Bay of Cartagena, facing similar issues as the Cienaga de la Virgen such as illegal occupation of its shores, illegal waste dumping, deforestation of mangroves, and pollution. The recovery plan for the Juan Angola River is led by the EPA Cartagena (Environmental Protection Agency), with the support of other institutions, aiming to restore the Juan Angola’s ecosystem. This includes targeting the mangrove forest, dredging the natural channel, and delineating buffer zones with urban infrastructure to create public recreational spaces. The activities involve relocating people illegalling cupping informal settlements from the river shore, moving an existing bridge (the Benjamín Herrera bridge) which obstructs the current, recovering the low tide and riverbed areas, building pedestrian paths, clean the riverbank, recover mangrove areas and establish programs of education and environmental awareness (ref 1 and 2).

Del Nervi Park is a project co-led by the Port System Authority of the Sardinian Sea and the Municipality of Cagliari. Completed in 2021, it transformed a long-abandoned and degraded area on the Cagliari waterfront into a vibrant green space. The two-hectare site surrounds a 1950s industrial building and underwent extensive redevelopment to enhance its structural integrity and convert it into a public park. With a budget exceeding 5 million euros, the project prioritized green investments by creating new pedestrian and cycling paths, along with green spaces featuring local plants, flower beds, grass, and lawns.

Nervi Park is set to become a key destination for leisure, sports, and cultural activities, while also providing the Cagliari community with greater access to green spaces. The environmental and urban renewal efforts aimed to beautify and modernize the area, with future development plans focusing on long-term management and the introduction of commercial activities to further enhance the space
The project faced significant barriers, including prolonged disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted work for about eight months. (Refs. 1, 2, 3 & 4).

The Ciénaga de la Virgen is a coastal wetland (cienaga) located on the north side of the border of the city of Cartagena, separated from the sea by La Boquilla's sandy beach. It has a maximum width of 4.5 km, a length of approximately 7 km, a water body area of about 22.5 km², and depths of up to 1.6 m. It is connected to the city's canal system (ref 1). The recovery project of la Cienaga de la Virgen, led by EPA Cartagena, is proposed as a strategy to address the issues affecting the water body, local communities, the economic activities that depend on it, and the ecosystems that regulate the water cycle and provide multiple services, many of them essential, with an integrated and global management approach based on the basin as the unit for planning and resource management (ref 14). Some of the main problems of the wetland are related to illegal settlements on its shore, as well as illicit dumping of waste, pollution by wastewater from the illegal settlements and deforestation of mangroves (ref 4). Key activities include stopping illegal occupation by relocating established families, improving roads, promoting reforestation, encouraging social participation, managing wastewater, and enhancing tidal systems (ref. 1 and 15).
Alonside the EPA, other stakeholders involved include the regional authority "Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Canal del Dique" (Cardique), with jurisdiction in the rural area, and Cartagena Mayor's Office, and the local community, involved in all the stages of the plan thanks to the “mesas de governance” or "governance tables", discussion spaces where different actors participate in the decision-making (ref 2).

Lima is grappling with significant challenges driven by climate change, and one of the pressing issues is the shortage of green spaces. According to the PLAM 2035 report, Lima offers only 3.1 square meters of green area per inhabitant, well below the World Health Organization's recommendations (2). Moreover, food insecurity is on the rise, with Peru leading the region in this crisis (4). Compounding these issues is the lack of coordination among state actors tasked with addressing the country's food crisis (2).
In response to these challenges, the Energy Network of Peru (ISA REP) has been running the "Huertos en Línea" project since 2004 in the districts of Villa María del Triunfo and San Juan de Miraflores as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives (2, 3, 6). This project aims to establish community gardens that promote environmental awareness, reduce pollution in these affected areas (1, 2), provide food for vulnerable populations, and create income-generating opportunities through the sale of surplus produce (1, 6). The gardens are strategically located in power grid easement strips, which are often plagued by encroachment, burning, and waste accumulation—issues exacerbated by poverty, extreme poverty, and weak social organization in these areas (5, 6).
Originally planned with an annual development and growth strategy up to 2011, the project has been extended year by year and has now been active for nearly two decades. Beneficiaries continue to receive technical and material support, and the number of community gardens has grown. In 2019, the initiative expanded to include two bio-gardens in the Trujillo districts of La Esperanza and El Porvenir (7, 9). The project has contributed to improving soil quality, recycling and transforming waste, enhancing landscape aesthetics, reducing burning and waste accumulation, and implementing drip irrigation systems.

The himmelbeet is an intercultural, inclusive community garden in Berlin that has been inviting people to garden and harvest their own produce since 2013. The garden offers around 200 raised beds that are communal and can be rented by neighbors, individuals and institutions (Ref. 1; Ref. 3). The project aims to familiarize children and adults with ecology, sustainability and healthy eating and to offer space for social exchange and education, while being inclusive to people with different (dis)abilities and backgrounds (Ref. 2; Ref. 6). The design and implementation of environmental education workshops are a vital part of the work. (Ref. 1; Ref. 6) With its own café and vegetable production, himmelbeet is strongly oriented towards the principles of the economy for the common good. The garden team also looks after other gardens in the city - on behalf of educational institutions, social institutions, housing associations and neighborhoods. (Ref. 1; Ref. 6)
Originally located in Ruheplatzstrasse, the garden moved in 2021 to Gartenstrasse, because of land disputes with the providing land owners and the demand of the space for other social projects. (Ref. 8; Ref. 11)

Reforestation project for the "Cerro de la Popa", which is Cartagena's highest point and one of the main tourist attractions because of the view and its colonial convent (Ref 6). The hill currently faces illegal occupation and environmental deterioration caused by deforestation, poor solid waste management, burning, logging, and the loss of vegetation cover (Ref 4, 5). The intervention in La Popa consists of reforestation activities, environmental education activities with children, and awareness-raising activities with adults about caring for fauna, flora, and water bodies (ref 2, 3). SSince 2020, the Establecimiento Público Ambiental (EPA Cartagena) has led the recovery initiative, prompted by the urgent need to counter the increasing encroachment by migrants and vulnerable populations (Ref 4). The project comprises reforestation efforts, environmental education sessions with children, and community outreach to raise awareness among adults regarding the protection of local fauna, flora, and water bodies (Refs 2, 3). As part of a broader municipal agenda, the initiative remains active, with the most recent intervention conducted on July 11, 2024 (Ref 2).