Grass

The Arcadia nursery is a new building located at the King’s Buildings Campus, Edinburgh and owned by the University of Edinburgh. The current intervention is about promoting ideas of free play and having elements of forest schools and natural play within the garden. As outdoor spaces associated with pre-schools is critical to the health and well being of children, this project is one of the very important initiatives in the city. It mixes indoor and outdoor play areas, and children can move between the eco-friendly building and a specially landscaped garden. The playrooms lead to a garden which enables 'nature' to be in close reach for the children. (ref 1, 4)

With an area of ​1.7 hectares, "Jardim da Cerca da Graça" (Graça garden) is the largest public green area in the historical area (Ref. 4). It's a green space located inside the fence (cerca) of the old convent of Graça, building previously occupied by the Republican National Guard. The garden was created from the requalification of part of the fence and its opening to the public, also has a function of passage, with new green spaces: a central lawn, a picnic area and an orchard. There is also a kiosk with a terrace and a children's playground (Ref. 2).

The Côtes site is a natural space of 1300 hectares surrounded by the urban area of the Clermont-Ferrand area, between the cities of Clermont-Ferrand, Durtol, Nohanent, Blanzat and Cébazat. (Ref. 1). Its fragile biodiversity has required special attention from the city with several actions being taken to protect it from growing urbanization. Part of the site is a Natura 2000 area and the Clermont part of the overall site is designated a sensitive natural environment (ENS). A management plan was developed for the ENS and put in place for the years 2019-2024 (Ref. 12).

The Petuelpark is an approximately a 7,4-hectare large park in the north of Munich, situated on a section of the Petuelring between Belgradstrasse and Leopoldstrasse and partly over the Petueltunnel. The park was created as part of the complex transportation development project that aimed to reduce above-ground traffic with the help of the tunnel and improving the quality of life in the area with the help of green development. The park was also aimed at creating a space for recreation: several playgrounds, a water playground, a fountain, a café and several artworks can be found there. (Reference 1) The park also includes the “Generation garden” which is designed to serve as a meeting place, and a place for gardening, as garden beds have been laid out in the garden for free use by the residents. (Reference 3) The elevated parts that situate above the tunnel are implemented as extensive grassy areas, while the other parts are dominated by thematic gardens and the Nymphenburg-Biedersteiner canal (Reference 3).

The Seven Lochs Wetland Park is an urban park that is due to be created in Scotland. It will comprise nearly 20 km² of land and water between Glasgow and Coatbridge. The park will combine many existing features, including four local nature reserves; Bishop Loch, Cardowan Moss, Commonhead Moss (a raised bog) and Hogganfield Park; Drumpellier Country Park which includes Woodend Loch SSSI and Lochend Loch; Frankfield Loch; Johnston Loch; Garnqueen Loch; Provan Hall a 15th-century category A listed building. It will be Scotland's largest urban heritage and nature park. The vision for the Seven Lochs Wetland Park is of a new park of national significance, sustaining and enhancing a high quality, innovative wetland environment that will (a) protect and enhance biodiversity and heritage (b) promote health and well-being (c) contribute to environmental, economic and social regeneration (Ref 1).

The Leeds Parks and Green Space Strategy is a park protection, improvement, and creation program in Leeds under their Cultural Strategy. Main priorities are set out to achieve a vision where good quality and accessible parks and green spaces are at the heart of the community and meet the needs of everyone who lives, works, visits or invests in Leeds, now and for the future (Ref 5). The Parks and Green Space Strategy looks at the contribution made to priorities nationally and locally, and how it fits within the Leeds Cultural Strategy to develop parks and green spaces (Ref 3). Consultation is being undertaken to develop a vision for the future of Leeds City Council owned and managed public parks and green spaces beyond 2020, and a strategy for how to deliver that vision over the next 10 years. The new strategy will replace the previous strategy which runs to 2020 (Ref 9).

Malls Mire is an area of mixed woodland and wetland habitat situated between Toryglen and Rutherglen. People from the surrounding communities have been working with Urban Roots to manage the woodland since 2009, improving its value for wildlife and working on the paths so that more people can enjoy it(Ref 1). It was declared a Local Nature Reserve in March 2015(Ref 2). Surveys by entomologists showed that the site is valuable for a number of rare beetles and a spider, the latter, Southern Motherphage (Coelotes terrestris) having only been found at one other site in Scotland(Ref 2).

In 2017 the City of Bari provided funds to citizens and non profit associations to promote the regeneration of an abandoned area. Eventually an area of 4500 sqm was rehabilitated and the authorities plan to extend the area until the green space reaches 10,000 sqm. Among the planned interventions are the maintenance of greenery and trees, as well as the redevelopment of the side wall that borders the buildings. For the 4500 sqm intervention which was designed by the local community and migrant volunteers, the first multifunctional furniture was built at Bari. It was made with recycled wood, stones, fabrics and lots of goodwill during the natural architecture laboratory.The NBS allowed to have a green area where different activities were implemented such as green and educational laboratories. Also a shared gardening project (in order to promote the importance and the culture of preserving green areas) and social labs were organized(promoting school and sport activities outdoors). (Ref.1, 2, 3, 4)

The project started in 2013, when a group of private companies started a collaboration with the municipality of Bari to build a series of gardens on the top of households roofs in the city. With a total extension of 2000 sqm for the experiment, the main goal is to create a small micro-climate. The main advantages of this experiment is an improvement in the process of absorption of rain and to reduce energetic costs for heating. The green roofs are expected to play a role in facing the challenges posed by climate change. (Ref.1.)

Trees and a park have been created and designed for the double building project called CEMAGREF/ENGREF in Clermont-Ferrand which was planned in 1994 (Ref. 2 and 4). CEMAGREF (Center for the Study of Agricultural Mechanization of Agricultural Engineering of Water and Forests) and ENGREF (National School of Agricultural Engineering of Water and Forests) are located within the IRSTEA (National Science and Technology Research Institute for Environment and Agriculture) (Ref. 3).