Last updated: October 2021
Love Square is a combination of nature and wildlife with a social space for residents and workers. The area has wildflower meadows, lawns and a mini wetland lined with bird-friendly trees (ref 2). Love Square is one of the examples of a new type of ‘smart’ -urban eco-park, combining nature and wildlife with artworks, social and activity spaces. It has a ‘Rain Garden’ and mini wetland that will soak up excess rainwater. It is a prime example of ‘water-sensitive Urban Design (ref1). The rain garden is designed to provide essential urban “greening”; increased soil and vegetation coverage will be able to soak up extra rainfall after a storm, will help to reduce the danger of flash flooding (ref 5).
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
- Green areas for water management
- Rain gardens
Key challenges
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Regulation of built environment
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Improving physical health
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Transformation of previously derelict areas
Project objectives
The goals of the project include:
To address rethinking the boundaries between urban spaces and nature. (ref1)
To be an example of ‘Water-Sensitive Urban Design’ which can use the landscape to solve urban flooding (ref 1).
Create a relaxing space in the urban environment, giving health and well-being benefits to local people through clean and healthy air in the middle of the city. (ref 1)
Creating a unique and versatile space. (ref 1)
The disused and derelict site transformed into new ‘smart’ eco-park (ref 1)
Love Square has become a valuable training and learning resource with a strong legacy, enabling young people from many backgrounds to interact with, develop, make and maintain a new garden (ref 5).
The scheme is transforming the corridor linking Riverside Business District and West Bar Square to the rest of the City centre with a strong emphasis on flood prevention. (ref 6)
Help to develop local businesses - like cafe made out of discarded shipping container, this will create employment (ref 6).
Implementation activities
Love Square, the innovative mobile eco-park proposed by Sheffield, will put a living garden back into the city by transforming a derelict site into a vibrant wildflower meadow teaming with wildlife. (ref 1) The footfall to and from Kelham Island is notable. There are 5,000 jobs locally created (ref 3).
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Private sector/Corporate/Company
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Private sector/corporate actor/company
- Researchers/university
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget
- Dissemination of information and education
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The University of Sheffield is the coordinator of the project. Sheffield City Council is responsible for ensuring that Love Square will integrate properly into the surrounding area, for inputting design advice and guidance into the plan for Love Square, and for helping to gain planning permission for the project. Urbo Regeneration are the site owners. (ref 2)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The project complements Sheffield City Council’s Grey to Green project a scheme to transform Sheffield’s Riverside Business District (ref 2))
Financing
Total cost
€100,000 - €500,000
Source(s) of funding
- Corporate investment
- Private Foundation/Trust
- Crowdfunding
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Improved soil quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Restoration of derelict areas
Economic impacts
- Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. The University of Sheffield. (2014). Vote for pioneering eco-park scheme to bring wildflowers into the heart of Sheffield Accessed at Source link [Accessed 10 August 2020]
2. The University of Sheffield. (2016). University of Sheffield landscape research to transform city centre waste ground. Accessed at Source link [Accessed 10 August 2020]
3. Moore A. ( 2017) Pop-up park and cafe to open in Sheffield city centre this summer. The Star. Accessed at Source link [Accessed 10 August 2020]
4. Lovesquare. nd. Love Square. Accessed at Source link [Accessed 10 August 2020]
5. The University of Sheffield. 2019. Love Square: Future Proofing The City. [online] Available at: <Source link [Accessed 16 July 2020].
6. Source link, g., 2020. West Bar Square. [online] West Bar Square. Available at: <Source link [Accessed 16 July 2020].
2. The University of Sheffield. (2016). University of Sheffield landscape research to transform city centre waste ground. Accessed at Source link [Accessed 10 August 2020]
3. Moore A. ( 2017) Pop-up park and cafe to open in Sheffield city centre this summer. The Star. Accessed at Source link [Accessed 10 August 2020]
4. Lovesquare. nd. Love Square. Accessed at Source link [Accessed 10 August 2020]
5. The University of Sheffield. 2019. Love Square: Future Proofing The City. [online] Available at: <Source link [Accessed 16 July 2020].
6. Source link, g., 2020. West Bar Square. [online] West Bar Square. Available at: <Source link [Accessed 16 July 2020].