Achieved impacts

The regeneration of the square in Catania has been envisioned since 2016 and completed in 2017. Apart from the changing rules in the accessibility of the square, the central area was equipped with a large flowerbed and additional trees and plants of different geographical origins. The whole green area provides illumination infrastructure, benches and bins to collect trash. This is expected to improve the whole area, and to create a new place of social inclusion and meeting point. (Ref.1.)

Port Sunlight River Park has been transformed from a closed landfill site to a 28-hectare park providing a popular community space with an array of walkways, wildlife, wildflowers, woodlands and a wetlands area. Port Sunlight River Park is a 30 hectare green space, park and wetland reclaimed from a former landfill site with a 37m high hill offering unrivalled views across the Mersey, Wirral and North Wales. (Ref 9). Autism Together were later brought in to help realise the Land Trust’s vision to provide a community site that makes a positive difference for local people and visitors, promoting healthy lifestyles in the process. (Ref. 1, 2).

A living green wall packed with plants including primula and thyme was the latest addition to the university's Medway Campus. It was part of a university research project that assessed the benefits of small-scale living walls (ref. 1).

The Center for Initiatives for an Ecological Transition (CITE ASBL) developed an eco-center; a center of demonstration of the techniques respectful of the environment, that functions as an educational community garden. They wanted to create an ecologically-managed and user-friendly green space, that is conducive to the exchange of knowledge and skills but also to mutual aid and dialogue (Ref. 1). Located on the meadow of the Bâneux, in the Saint-léonard district of Liège, the eco-center is integrated in the eastern part of the slopes of the citadel of Liège. (The plot of the eco-center is located on the vestiges of the old coal mine of Bâneux that was closed in 1942.) .Characteristics of the place include proximity to a multicultural urban center, post-industrial environment, accessible by public transport, natural area of tourist interest (Ref. 2).

The Green Grid aimed to link urban and rural neighborhoods with a network of quality green spaces and corridors of landscape, recreational and ecological value. The aim was to achieve the added benefits by managing open space resources as a set of linkable sites rather than in isolation. It was a planning intervention that was focused on connecting a high quality, functional green space network (Ref 1). The intervention was part of "Greening the Gateway Kent & Medway" (Ref 2).

The project is an initiative that is part of the environmental management system of the University of Murcia. This initiative aims to implement activities related to sustainable agricultural systems while also serving as a space for social cohesion for the members of the community (Ref 3). For this reason, a community garden was constructed and the slots are until 2019 distributed between members of the community of the university based on a bid (Ref 1).

It is a community garden initiated by the autonomous assembly of the Poblenou neighborhood. It has changed location a number of times, eventually occupying the empty lot of demolished buildings. Over time the garden has expanded, taking over an adjacent empty space, as well as other yards in the neighborhood. The garden is not maintained for strictly productivity purposes, especially because much of its soil has been contaminated by a soap factory. It is, rather, used as a space for social encounter and knowledge sharing on planting and working with the earth on a communitarian basis (Ref 1 and description provided by CEU). This NBS is also part of a wider movement, the 15M movement in Spain (Ref 1), which had influence on the creation of larger similar global economic 'occupy' movements (Ref 5). Video for the opening party of the 8th self-managed squatted garden in the Poblenou neighborhood, Barcelona from April 11, 2020 shows that the idea of the first garden has lead to the creation of at least 8 of these gardens in the city (Ref 6).

The Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat is located in the floodplains of the delta and lower valley of the river Llobregat, in the Catalan county of Baix Llobregat, in a central position within the metropolitan area of Barcelona. The territory of the park (nearly 3500 hectares), includes a rich traditional agricultural activity and comprises fourteen municipalities totaling about 818,000 residents. It is protected by a specific planning instrument and managed by the Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona) (Ref. 1 and 9). The park acts as a green lung for the metropolitan area of Barcelona and at the same time as a pantry for Mercabarna, the large wholesale market that provides food and drink to the inhabitants of Barcelona and surrounding towns, although there is also production that is exported (Ref. 10). The Agrarian Park is the only one in the world so close to a large city and it promotes specific programs to preserve the productive values of the agricultural space and promotes quality local products and local consumption. (Ref. 10)

Joan Reventós Park is a public park of about two hectares in Barcelona. It was opened in May 2009. The park is located within the catchment area of “Riera de les Monges” watercourse. For this reason, a sustainable drainage and sewer system (SUDS) was created in case of heavy rainfall, also harboring a flood area that prevents overflows (Ref. 1). This 20,091 square meter forest area has been converted into a recreational space for the local neighborhood and a playground, as well as a connecting corridor between the school zones and the center of the neighborhood (Ref. 3)

The Tree Master Plan of Barcelona is a long-term (20-year) plan, running from 2017 to 2037. The ultimate goal of the Tree Master Plan is to ensure the presence of dynamic, healthy and diverse urban trees in Barcelona. According to the Plan, urban trees are essential for green infrastructure and for creating quality public space in the city. An innovative feature of this intervention is the use of biological approaches to the tree maintenance (no pesticides or chemicals) (Ref 1, 2 and 3).