Achieved impacts

The educational project of a roof-top garden was integrated in the public primary school “Ferran Sunyer”, in the neighborhood of Sant Antoni, Barcelona. The project has motivated pupils to enter the world of urban horticulture, creating synergies with other lectures and has been well received by teachers and parents. This initiative aims to recover nature-appreciation values in children through the maintenance of a rooftop garden and orchard (Ref. 1). The rooftop school orchard has been featured in many videos in international media (Ref. 5).

The Hort de la Masia de l'Antic Jardí Botànic is located within the city’s largest inner-city park Montjuic. It has been founded in 2008 by an association of volunteers and is supported by public and private entities. The garden is co-management by members of the association and a professional gardener. Its major objective is the maintenance and reproduction of traditional landraces (Ref. 2). The task of the Citizen's Commission of Support of the Botanical Garden, presided by Pere Duran, was supported by the promotion work from the Botanical Institute. It was therefore a necessity generated by a local group of people (citizens) that developed into an implementation plan (Ref 1).

This is a co-management initiative fostered by the City Council of Barcelona that aims to involve civil society in defining, installing and managing unused spaces across all districts of the city. The city council provides temporary use for public entities or non-profit associations to develop temporary uses and activities (from one year to three renewable years) in order to promote social activism and cohesion in the neighborhood. Most part of activities are social urban gardens (Ref 1). The initiative had 2 editions, with 12 projects in the first one (2013) and 5 projects in the second one (2015) (Ref. 12). One of the most popular projects is the community gardens such as ConnectHort, in Poblenou, dedicated to permaculture, which has allowed the restoration of an abandoned area through sustainable urban agriculture practices (Ref. 12). Another project, the Illa dels Tres Horts project in the Font de la Guatlla neighborhood, is an orchard where work is done with vulnerable groups and allow the recovery of vulnerable species (Ref. 12)

The gardens of the Rambla de Sants is an elevated linear park (similar to the High line of New York) located in the Sants district of Barcelona (760 meters long and about 6 ha size). It is located over the structure of train and metro lines. It was opened to the public in August of 2016. The gardens include mainly native plantations, playground areas, and other facilities (Ref. 2).

The Barcelona Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Plan 2020 includes the development of several urban green corridors to increase ecological and social connectivity within the city. The green corridor of Passeig de Sant Joan is one of the first of these corridors implemented. The project consisted of the renovation of the promenade through tree and shrub planting and permeable green pavement installation, creating a green boulevard that benefits pedestrians and extend the urban green spaces, which gave new life to the neighborhood and allowed the expansion of small businesses and tourism (Ref 1).

Fil vert aims to help green the streets in Normandy and raise awareness among citizens of the importance of being an actor of their daily life with regard to the occupation of public space. They aim to "embellish our streets, which are often devoid of vegetation, but also to train responsible citizens" (Ref. 7). "Operation "Fil Vert" was launched at Croix de Pierre (District) in Rouen in September 2013 to beautify and revitalize the district by mobilizing residents and tradespeople. It aims of installing planters in front of the inhabitants and the merchants (subject to obtaining the agreement of the owners in case of hiring), along the pavements, provided that it makes at least 1.40 M width to allow strollers and wheelchairs to pass." (Ref. 3)

A 5256 m2 extensive green roof was installed to the Washington School in Sunderland as part of the environmental standard set by the local government’s “Building Schools for the Future” (BSF) programme. Besides being a learning tool and being aesthetically pleasing, the roof provides a habitat, helps reduce ambient temperatures, assist in rainwater management and air filtering. The Hetton Lyons Primary school intervention is also part of this city-wide project (Ref 1).

The orchard of the Vallon was established by the city in an area that had historically served as an orchard fifty years previous (Ref. 9). A few pear trees had survived and gave rise to the idea of ​​reconstituting it. In 2014, the city planted apple, peach, pear, cherry, apricot and other fruit trees on one and a half hectares of greenery. "At the beginning of 2015, the association Le Verger du Vallon was born. With its members, its mission is to maintain these trees with a view to sharing knowledge and educational exchanges "(Ref. 9). "Called upon by the city of Rouen for the establishment of a participatory orchard, the social center wished to promote this project among the inhabitants within the framework of the arrow projects of the CAF (social security) de la Seine Maritime entering the field of financing "to support a cooperative project of residents initiated and built with them from a common concern " (Ref. 3, page Description).

Mariahof is a community garden in which a large variety of actors is involved including citizens, schools and an NGO that supports social inclusion. In the garden, vegetables are grown for non-commercial food production, organic waste is composted and bees are kept for pollination and honey production (1,2,3,6). The garden works to raise awareness about sustainability and nature stewardship in an urban setting (2).

The city of Rouen has been redeveloping the docks of the Seine River over a number of years. The Prairie Saint Sever (park) is one part of this redevelopment planning. Completed in 2017, this park "allows its inhabitants to reclaim their river and offer new spaces of use" (Ref. 5) with "generous alleys lined with six hundred trees, cycle paths, original children's games, metal slides grafted to the stairs of the Jeanne-d'Arc bridge, picnic benches and tables, wooden deckchairs encouraging reading or idleness, sports apparatus and rollerblading equipment ... today, Rouen residents can enjoy a walking park of twenty-three hectares and more than three kilometers long, between the Corneille bridge and the Rollet peninsula" (Ref. 6).
It is a prairie in the heart of the city offering a large river walk on more than 3km (Ref. 2).