Achieved impacts

The Town Moor in Newcastle upon Tyne is an open space area of around 400 hectares, with a history dating back to the 12th century; it has remained an area of common land (with grazing rights belonging to The Freemen of Newcastle, a conservation body). This green space includes parks, allotments and sports facilities. (1, 2) For this, a social intervention aims to maintain the Town Moor as a green space; with the Freemen of Newcastle as 'guardians' for this social intervention scheme.

The WWF Oasis of Valle Averto extends to the edge of the Venetian lagoon and is a typical fishing valley of the Venetian lagoon, the only one closed to hunting. It is located within a Community Importance Site (SIC IT3250030). It is also a Special Protection Zone (SPP IT3250046). The area, about 200 hectares, includes ample mirrors of brackish water, canes, igrophilous forests, canals. After being purchased by WWF, plants of the planífico igrofilo forest kind were re-introduced: oak, black poplar, elm, ash and other typical species (1).

The project, concerning the installation of an experimental site for research and demonstration on the environmental benefits of the green roof in urban areas, arises from the need of the public administrations, and in particular the City of Genoa, to get a thorough technical knowledge in order to make urban planning tools more effective in the process of improving life quality in the urban environment (1).

The green wall was built as a pilot project in cooperation between the national government, the University of Genova and the Ecosystemic Research Group with the aim to assess urban air pollution. The wall is being monitored to understand which plant species are the most ideal for carbon sequestration in cities (2 and 3).

"In order to make this center area attractive and dynamic, the EPASE (Saint-Etienne Public Development Agency) and the town hall of Saint-Etienne have set up an ambitious eco-neighborhood project. This project is based on public spaces that are built on an original urban park model where nature is the driving force behind the site. Nature is at the heart of this "park city" project, realized in record time: in a year and a half, the vast majority of the park's work has been carried out and the neighborhood has begun to change."(Ref. 1)

The association Initial Karlsruhe initiated the "social garden" in 2009 with the objective to facilitate access to the labour market for disadvantaged individuals by providing employment for long-term unemployed individuals with gaps in their CV. (Ref. 1) The participants can work on a 6000 sqm large former agriculture area up to six hours per day under the supervision of an agrarian engineer and a professional gardener. Harvested products are delivered by bicycle to charitable organizations free of charge. (Ref. 2, 9, 10)

In 2019, the city of Poznań finalized works on another city park, as a part of its long-term urban redevelopment plan. When designing the park, the focus was on creating a place for relaxing and recreation for all residents - regardless of what forms of activity and relaxation they prefer. Therefore, the entire area has been divided into zones adapted to different needs, be it for active adults, children, or dog owners. The park comprises of an extensive lawn and is separated from a noisy street by a corridor of trees. Everything is lit with solar lamps [1,2,5].

The Jardin des Plantes represents a space rich in nature in the heart of the city and also hosts the Opera Theater of Saint-Etienne (Ref. 2). In 2015, "A thematic urban commission (with the citizens' district representatives) is set up to enhance the "Jardin des Plantes" while keeping its wild side but with a controlled vegetation." For instance, the social center proposed a fitness trail and elected representatives propose a signage of trees, the integration of design, thanks to urban furniture and ephemeral works" (Ref. 1). Citizens requested that vegetation of walls be undertaken to "avoid the flourish of unattractive tags" (Ref. 1).

O'pflanzt is! is a community garden in the inner part of Munich. It was founded in summer 2011 by Vanessa Blind. Her vision was to create an urban, socio-ecological community garden - a place of planting, sowing and harvesting, a place for meeting and learning, a piece of nature in the city, a creative wilderness. The garden is a real community garden, as there are no individual beds, and decisions are made collectively. Sustainable production is one of the main goals of the project, which is why planting is done organically without synthetic fertilizer and only wood and recycled materials are used. (Reference 2) In 2018, the area of the garden had to be returned to its owners. The leaders of the garden, however, managed to find a new plot within a year and a half. (Reference 13)

Everton Park is one of the city’s precious green lungs, but it has been underused in the past. This area once housed a district of 60,000 people and was densely developed. In the 1980s, it was transformed into Everton Park (Reference 1).
The Everton Park Nature Garden is ¾ hectare walled garden located within Everton Park and is a well-kept treasure of wildlife and tranquillity. It is an established natural habitat that includes two small lakes, grassland meadows and woodland, rock types of interest to geologists and a heritage trail with guided walks available (Reference 1).
The project is part of the Nesta’s Rethinking Parks Programme which ran until 2015. It has a 1M pound national lottery funding that supported 11 separate pilot projects across the UK. The programme explored a variety of new business models to fund resource park services in the future. Everton Park is one of the pilot projects of Nesta. The Everton Park project was led by the Land Trust with Liverpool City Council and the Friends of Everton Park. The aim was to put in place a strategic plan for community management which will be part of a wider development plan for Everton to regenerate the area, provide new housing and, at the same time, secure the long-term future of the park. (Reference 2)