Achieved impacts

The neighbourhood intervention is designed as an eco-neighbourhood with an abundance of green space and facilities to connect its residents to the outdoors and to each other. (Ref. 2, 13) It is part of the European Union Renaissance project that is associated with Lyon, France and Lombardy region, Italy (Ref. 12). In Zaragoza, this district, situated on the south of the city, provides about 10,000 homes (most of which are social housing). From design to construction, the district was developed with bioclimatic criteria. (Ref. 8, 12)

The £1 million project aimed to transform the area from arable land to a high-quality wetland by creating a number of interconnected reed beds and water bodies. The project recreates part of the old wetland landscape that used to exist on the edge of Doncaster 200 years ago before it was drained for other uses. A major benefit of expanding the wetland will be to provide better quality water for local communities and reduce the impact of flooding in the area. The project is a collaboration among WWF, HSBC, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the European Union. (Ref 1)

An urban park located in front of the central train station in Bucharest, built in 1937, and rehabilitated in 2008, as a response to an environmental awareness campaign. The park is a buffer green zone between the train station and the industrial neighborhood (1)

The Leeds RERF (Recycling and Energy Recovery facility) is the flagship development at the heart of Leeds Integrated Waste Strategy over the next 25 years. Amidst the timber frame on the buildings southern face there's a green ‘living’ wall creating a visually stunning feature in stark contrast to the building’s industrial use. The feature connects to a green roof and softens the building’s visual impact and provide vital bio-diversity to the site and surrounding industrial area. (1, 6)

Ben Rhydding Gravel Pits Nature Reserve has a variety of habitats. The site is largely artificial, originating from former gravel pits. The river gravels were of good quality and represented an important local source for the construction industry. The pits ceased to be worked in 1970’s and flooded. Infill materials - a variety of materials have been used: building rubble, soil and treated sewage residues from the treatment plants. Plant materials and soil from parks, gardens and building sites have added to the bio-diversity. The reserve is owned by Bradford Council and managed by Wharfedale Naturalists Society volunteers. (reference 1) With the support of Natural England, the site was declared a Local Nature Reserve in October 2013. (ref 7).

Work started on the Broadway shopping centre in 2004 but was halted due to the economic recession in 2008. A temporary urban park was opened on the derelict site after work on the Westfield development was halted for years. The urban garden was said to be an improvement to the city centre landscape in Bradford (reference 4). After a long halt, the vast empty space with piles of rubble from the buildings which had been cleared to make way for the new development. Money from the council, Westfield and regional development agency Yorkshire Forward has enabled the area to now be transformed into a green space, which was opened in 2010. (ref 6).
The total park area was fragmented into several zones after the construction of the shopping mall(ref 7). The park does not exist any more due to the construction of the shopping mall - Bradford Urban Garden closed in 2014 (Ref. 2).

The Sun Lane nature reserve in Burley-in-Wharfedale is the second site in Bradford to receive the Local Nature Reserve (LNR) status. The land was used as a garbage dump and reclaimed in the 1970s. (ref1) Pollution from the landfill site was leaching into nearby watercourses and in 1993, Bradford Council undertook a scheme to cap the landfill and restore the site. They installed a reed-bed purification system, to eliminate pollution from contaminated water and add to the reserve’s biodiversity. The Burley Village Wildlife Group began conservation work to enhance biodiversity. (ref4) In 2003 a group of volunteers took over the maintenance of the area and now help to manage it in collaboration with Bradford Council (ref 5). As the site heals at its best, forty-two Common Blue butterflies were recorded together in 2006 (ref 5).

Bowling Park is a public urban park and the key purpose is to grow fruit, develop wildlife habitats and create sociable urban green space as well as maximise the biodiversity of the site and minimise any adverse impact on the environment. The orchard, along with allotment sites, as a whole is a valuable part of the Green Infrastructure Network in Bradford (ref 1). The orchard is developed on six disused allotment plots adjacent to Bowling Park. In March 2003 the orchard has planted over 40 trees including- 35 varieties of apple, 6 pears and 4 plums (ref2).

The sustainable garden was created in 2013. Based on the gold award-winning RHS flower show entry in 2012 by the university’s ‘water@leeds’, the garden is an excellent example of collaborative working between the Facilities Directorate, Leeds University Union and academic staff. The garden provides a multi-functional space for staff, students and visitors to campus to enjoy quiet contemplation but also to cultivate an allotment-and-forest-style edible garden. It is a great example of a functioning ecosystem with wildflower areas, soft fruit hedgerows, insect houses and pocket habitats. (1)

In 2017 the municipality of Lisbon approved the program called "A Square in each neighbourhood". The municipality was seeking to revamp different neighbourhoods' green areas with the help of the citizens and collect contributions from the population most directly linked to the intervention sites. In this context the redevelopment of Campolide Street was based on the need to create better pedestrian accessibility in the detriment of traffic, improving the circulation of elderly in wheelchairs and children, the creation of a playground and the increase of green areas by planting more trees and create an element of water (Ref. 1).