Grass

Odom Garden is a unique temporary pop-up public garden developed as a part of an ongoing real estate project (Ref 1). The garden was developed in 2020 to provide a green public space for people to connect with nature and with other citizens in a prime real-estate planned area for further construction in 2023 (Ref 1). Spread across 4000 sqm, the garden is developed by employing and upcycling the garden's native elements, such as large branches being converted into balancing paths and swing holders (Ref 3). The garden is a very popular green space in the city with Phnom Penh’s first dog park, a Japanese-inspired foot bath, and a central food and beverage area, as well as a children’s playground (Ref 2, 3). This green space has become a meeting place for families with opportunities for relaxation and recreation.

The park has been functioning since 2020 as a temporary site for the future Odom project. The area will be redeveloped to include a residential and commercial complex that includes a five-story layered park (Ref 1, 2). The project, when complete, is expected to increase the total green space area to 7000 sqm, i.e., 126% of the current Odom Garden. Of this, 80% of the green space will be accessible to the public. The Odom garden can thus be interpreted as a demonstration intervention, where the goal was to create s community-focused space and in which Phnom Penhers can experience the sense of community envisioned for the future completed project (Ref 1, 2). As of January of 2023, it has been announced that the Odom Garden is closing for the pre-construction of ODOM, with a "heartfelt: See You Soon" (Ref. 5).

Jakarta City in Indonesia deals with inundations during heavy rain periods (1,2). To overcome such flooding issues, the Central Jakarta City Government, through the Parks and Forests Sub-Department, planned and implemented four bioswales and one rain garden at five locations in Central Jakarta City (1,2,3,4). This project was aimed at saving groundwater through stormwater management and minimizing puddles around the site locations (1,4). The Head of Central Jakarta City Parks and Forests Sub-Department, Mila Ananda, conveyed this project completion in 2021 (1,2). After the successful implementation of this project, the Jakarta City Government further plans to identify similar more locations prone to inundation and implement such green infrastructure initiatives in other parts of the city (1,2,3).

IKEA opened its doors in Budapest in 1990. This was the very first store in Hungary. Twelve years later, the store announced that it would install a green roof. The main purpose of the green roof was to compensate the locals for the loss of green space. The green roof was intended to create a biologically active surface that fits in aesthetically into the suburban landscape and provide a home for animals such as pollinators. The green roof, built in 2002, was covered with a Sedum carpet. In 2014, when the original Sedum vegetation died out, the green roof was completely removed. Then, during the autumn 2014 planting, four types of Sedum shoots were seeded. This was followed in the spring of 2015 by the seeding of herbaceous dicots seed mixes, which contained seeds of roughly 50 plant species. The vegetation is regularly monitored by ecologists: in 2021, more than 160 different taxa were recorded, including spontaneously occurring species. The green roof is closed, not accessible to the public, however tours are occasionally organized for professionals [3] [6] [8] [9] [10] [11].

The extensive Rain Garden Project underneath the Begumpet flyover was carried out in Hyderabad City of Telangana State in India as a beautification project, creating a wetland system banked by lush vegetation (1,2, 4). The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) developed this project to restore, conserve and regenerate the environment of stormwater drains (locally named as open 'Nalas') (1,2,3,6). This project is located at the intersection of Kukatpally Nala and Yousufguda Nala and stretches over 2 hectares and runs for 400 meters (1,2). The project was created for a more natural flow of stormwater to allow it to soak into the ground as well as reduce mosquito breeding on Nala (1,2). It was completed in 2018, creating a positive impact, through which the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) further decided to develop more such projects in other parts of the city (4). Hyderabad City was also awarded for this project under the green and clean city category - Smart Cities India (SCI) Awards (5).

Banyuwangi International Airport in East Java is the first green airport in Indonesia and was recognized with an award from the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) in 2021-22, the world's oldest and most prestigious architecture awards (1,2,3,4). This project was designed and implemented by Architect Andra Matin in 2018 as a corporate social responsibility project for the Banyuwangi Regional Government, Java, Indonesia (1,2,4). The project building was extensively inspired by the houses of the local Osing tribe (1,2). The project aimed to embody a highly efficient passive design, with its remarking green roof feature of a total area of 4765m2 that is planted with grass and routinely maintained (1,2,3,5,6). The green roofs act like a sponge for heat, light and water and conserve energy by maintaining a constant temperature inside the building, and as a result, the airport does not require air conditioning in the main area (5). The green roof of the airport improves air quality as it captures airborne pollutants and atmospheric deposition, and the plants on green roofs also filter noxious gases (5). The eco-friendly airport terminal construction utilizes 'Fast Flow Siphonic System', especially for conventional roof drainage (5). The regional government declared a 10 km radius 'No Development Zone' around the project, protecting the existing paddy fields and villages, which is an exceptional move given the general tendency to exploit land around airports commercially (1,2). The current airport site caters to around 300,000 passengers annually and allows for future expansion to accommodate up to 3 million passengers without encroaching on the No Development Zone (2).

Revitalizing Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) is one of the pilot projects carried out in the Batua neighbourhood (1.9 km2 area) of Makassar City (119 km2 area), province of South Sulawesi in Indonesia, which was commenced in 2017 and concluded in 2022 (1,2,3). Batua neighbourhood (six settlements of around 1,600 people) was the first demonstration site for this project which was completed in 2019 (3,4,5). The main challenge was that many households who lived in informal settlements lacked access to centralized urban infrastructure and faced threats from climate change (3,4). The project was proposed to reduce the impact of climate change on marginalized communities in Makassar by providing localized, water-sensitive interventions that addressed issues related to sanitation and water management (1,2,3,4). The introduction of water-sensitive solutions enabled targeted communities to recycle wastewater and rainwater, restore natural waterways, improve water quality, and reduce vulnerability to flooding (3,4). The RISE program initiative integrated nature-based solutions like wetland restoration, bio-filtration gardens (the process of using beneficial bacteria to clean water on a molecular level to remove contaminants), stormwater harvesting, filtration paths and new sanitation structures to improve wastewater management and diversify water resources through community-driven development (1,2,3,4).

The green roof development forms a 400-meter-long floating green ribbon above the SM North EDSA mall in Quezon City, Philippines. [3] It boasts a 15000m2 area filled with 55 species of native trees, bushes, and flowers that thrive in the local climate, and it relies on stored rainwater runoff to sustain its plant life. Visitors can access the mall via entrances located within the garden's openings and tunnels leading to shops and cafes nestled beneath the botanical landscape. A meandering pathway guides visitors through the space, which features various entertainment options. The garden provides a unique and innovative space for mall-goers and city dwellers to relax and interact with nature. [1,2]

Angkor Botanical Garden is Cambodia's first botanical garden, located in the city of Siem Reap. It is a popular tourist attraction for visitors from around the world who visit the famous Angkor Wat Buddhist temple. The garden was developed by APSARA National Authority with multiple benefits, including preventing forest land encroachment, conservation of natural resources, development of tourism, conservation of the Angkor archaeological site, environmental education, and preservation of rare and endemic plants (Ref 1, 4). Moreover, the garden has been also well-received as a place for relaxation and recreation. (Ref 1 and 2)
The garden was initially a 2-hectare spice garden, which has been transformed into a 15-hectare garden with an automatic irrigation system linked to the Siem Reap River and landscaped with hills, ponds, canals, and waterfalls (Ref 1). The garden has more than 500 different species of plants and is developed to showcase the relationship between plants and animals (Ref 4). In the future, the garden is planned to be expanded into an area of 130 hectares. (Ref 2)

The 2-hectares public garden is located in Makati Central Business District of Metro Manila between the main arteries of Makati - Paseo de Roxas, Makati Avenue and Ayala Avenue - that form a triangle in the backyard of business towers. [2, 4]. The Garden was opened to the public in 2009 and showcases various trees and other plant species alongside numerous public artworks created by local artists [2]. The park provides habitat for hundreds of various trees of types, including rain trees, golden palms, fire trees, orange jasmines, and podocarpus. Two Filipino artists, Ovvian Castrillo-Hill and Ral Arrogante have created public art pieces scattered throughout the park [2,4]. The garden is also paved with verdant patches, providing a space for office workers to unwind and destress. In addition to serving as a place of recreation, the Ayala Triangle Gardens also hosts the yearly Festival of Lights as well as various music festivals. The Ayala Triangle Park is the first urban park to be built in Manila and the lush gardens are now considered a refuge for the residents of Makati [1,2,3].

In 2021, the local municipal government of Navi Mumbai City and a local NGO converted a neglected urban space used as a dump yard in Nisarg Udyan into a healthy and dense forest (Ref 1,2). The aim of the project was to improve biodiversity and complement the local ecosystem, choosing specifically native species from the local area for plantation (Ref 3). By applying the Miyawaki forest technique, the project was able to transform the wasteland into a 3-acre mini-forest quickly. A civic officer on behalf of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) drove the re-forestation project jointly with the support of Green Yatra, a local NGO, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding support from Sony Music Entertainment (Ref. 1, 3).