Achieved impacts

Zollverein is an abandoned colliery and coking plant near the center of Essen in Germany (Ref. 6). Since 1993 the mining here stopped, and the site was turned into a derelict area, so nature could win back its territory. Most of the railway tracks and the smaller industrial leftovers are now covered with moss, grass, and weeds (Ref. 4). After the site was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 2001, it started being developed as a multifunctional cultural, tourist and recreational center keeping and developing biotopes that emerged over time (Ref. 11).

With spaces for biodiversity being continuously threatened by urban development, the environmental association Ökolöwe Leipzig initiated a biodiversity-enhancing project during the 100th Catholic Day event in Leipzig in May 2016. Consisting of green interventions at four schoolyards all over Leipzig involving the active collaboration of students who are also expected to maintain the interventions into the future and 100 mobile high beds at the central city square for public display, the project objective was to demonstrate how to foster biodiversity even in limited urban spaces while also to raise awareness (1, 3).

The restoration of Highfields Park was completed in Summer 2018 with path repairs and tree works to be carried out in winter 2018 to 2019. The five-year development journey of returning Highfields park to its former glory has included two rounds of public consultation. The views of park users and project partners such as the University of Nottingham, the UK's Environment Agency and the Highfields Park User Group identified a strong desire to see the park restored and improved (ref. 1), including improvements on heritage features such as historic walls, bridges and the old Boating Lake Ticket Office (ref. 2). In total, this project aimed to repair unused structures of the park including walled gardens, gardener’s cottages and historic halls and houses, converting them into volunteer and training centers, event spaces and community facilities (ref. 3). Highfields Park also provides valuable scrub and woodland habitat for breeding birds such as robin, sparrow and blue tit. The additional diversity of habitats provides important foraging and breeding opportunities for invertebrates and mammals. (Ref 4)

"The Conservatoire des Restanques is dedicated to preserving biodiversity (conservation orchard, forgotten vegetable garden, Mediterranean garden with the typical plant species of low limestone Provence) and to be a showcase of the current considerations of Sustainable Development (energy, waste management, water resources management, etc.). The development of the site and the different elements of the landscape make it possible to develop educational programs on the themes of flora diversity, wildlife, heritage conservation, food, consumption and health, eco-construction and energy management" (Ref. 3).

In 2016, the project facilitated the revitalization and development of green areas in Dąbie (by an urban part of the Vistula River) to create the Dąbie Park. The park had been a neglected vacant green space with randomly scattered former playground facilities. The initiative involved greenery management and creation (bushes, trees, flower meadows), building new sports facilities (running/cycling paths, a basketball field), new infrastructural solutions (new water drainage system, a viewpoint) and creating a safe and modern space for children in a playground surrounded by large trees which provide shadow. The modernization and revitalization of the park infrastructure and local greenery have made the green riverbank area accessible to the public [1,4,5].

A 21-kilometer regional cycle and footpath between the cities of Essen, Mülheim am der Ruhr and Duisburg was developed from the former unused railway route of the Rheinische Bahn. The path was landscaped to ensure the comfort of pedestrians and cyclists. Part of the route passes through Emscher Park and become a full-fledged part of the green infrastructure of Essen (Ref. 1).

An educational forest trail was developed by the centre for environmental education organization Lipka as part of the ACT WELLL project partnership between Austria and the Czech Republic (2007-2013). (Ref. 2; Ref. 3). The trail includes eight stops on a two-kilometer circuit, where children and adults can learn about how nature works through games and challenges. (Ref. 2). These elements were created by artists Blanka Ponížilová and Hana Havlíčková (Ref. 1). Three-hour field-trip educational programs are available to kindergarten-aged students, and the trail is also open to the general public (Ref. 9).

The Newton and Arkwright roof, buildings of the Nottingham Trent University campus, holds one of the region’s largest sedum roofs, which spans its way 2,500m² across the building, creating a home for 13 varieties of sedum, insects, songbirds and a new colony of honey bees, creating a trio of hives over all campuses (ref. 1). A 150m2 bank surrounding the building is unmown in order to promote biodiversity and attract pollinating insects in the summer months. Green-walled gates was also part of the implementation activities of this project. (ref. 5).

It started with the “Let’s Plant for the Earth, Let’s Plant for Murcia” project, as Murcia’s committed to the United Nations Billion Trees Campaign. The city of Murcia committed itself in 2008 to plant 12 000 trees around the urban fabric through a series of action projects. The target was exceeded in 2010 with a total of 23 576 trees pledged and planted toward the campaign (Ref. 1).
In 2020, after having surpassed their 12,000 planted trees goal, Murcia has the new goal of planting 100,000 trees by 2030. It is a long-term project that the municipality committed itself to make (Ref. 5, 2020a).

In 2014, the Marseille Provence Métropole Urban Community commissioned five new stormwater retention basins in order to preserve the quality of coastal waters and reduce the risk of flooding (Ref. 4). In the past, in the event of severe thunderstorms the sewage networks became saturated and a portion of the water was then directly discharged into the sea without going through the sewage treatment plants (Ref. 1). This is seen as "one of the most important documents of recent years in terms of environmental protection. It foresees in the next 5 years, 185 million euros of major works" (Ref. 1).