Welcome to the Atlas

An environmental improvement programme has helped to clean up a previously derelict plot of land on one of Belfast’s main thoroughfares, by transforming it into a community garden. A vegetable garden was officially launched in July 2009 at Walkway Community Association, on Finvoy Street in east Belfast. The scheme is part of Belfast City Council’s ongoing £150 million Investment Programme of work across the city. (Ref 1, Ref 5)

There is an old tradition to preserve the wall gardens and patios in the center of Cordoba. Every year, the Festival of the Courtyards of Cordoba opens the courtyards to the public and various prizes are awarded to residents based on the plant and floral arrangement of the patios, bars, and balconies. This festival was declared as a UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2012. (Ref. 2,3)

Wajre Urban Forest is Maharashtra state's first urban forestry project developed on the outskirts of Pune city (1, 2). This project was done in a collaboration involving the public, corporate, NGOs and governmental actors (3). A barren land of 16 hectares, also used as a dump yard by the nearby residents, belonging to the Maharashtra Forest Department, was taken by the TERRE Policy Centre in association with support from TATA Motors and Persistent Foundations as CSR Partners (1,3). The project was targeted to reduce air pollution and provide a site for the recreation and relaxation of urban residents of the city (4).
A total of 9500 plants belonging to 23 indigenous plant species of 6-8 ft were planted (1,2). The plants have now transformed into trees 9-10 feet in height (1, 5). The park also provides the opportunity to engage citizens by the provision of adopting specific plants in your name (5). The park is frequented by morning and evening walkers, with approx. 1000-1500 people per day (1,3).

The catchment includes the River Avon (a major resource for recreational activities and public water supply) and its various tributaries. Coventry is the largest urban area in the catchment, and the catchment has a high value for wildlife. (Ref. 1)
Main priorities include engaging communities to take ownership of their local water environment, reducing urban and rural pollution; delivering enhancement projects in the 3 Priority Areas (e.g. Coventry Brooks) and Returning water corridors to a near-natural state. (Ref. 2). The Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) is a Government policy framework that empowers local action to improve the water environment through community partnerships. A renewed focus on the catchment-based approach has led to Catchment Partnerships (i.e. The Warwickshire Avon Catchment Partnership) being set up to drive local delivery of these projects. (Ref. 3)

A 5256 m2 extensive green roof was installed to the Washington School in Sunderland as part of the environmental standard set by the local government’s “Building Schools for the Future” (BSF) programme. Besides being a learning tool and being aesthetically pleasing, the roof provides a habitat, helps reduce ambient temperatures, assist in rainwater management and air filtering. The Hetton Lyons Primary school intervention is also part of this city-wide project (Ref 1).

The urban development project between Little Lungegård Lake and Big Lungegård Lake (Store Lungegårdsvann) involves the creation of a canal between the two lakes as a means of runoff management, among other things. Water quality and flood protection are fundamental issues that are considered in this project as the city is expecting increased levels of precipitation due to climate change. The rest of the urban area will be transformed into an attractive modern city centre area with water as the most important element (Ref 1, 4).

The Water Forest region covering around 250,000 hectares in the hinterland of Mexico City provides 70% of the city's urban water demand through the aquifers located below the forest. It consists of forest fragments and grasslands, encompasses four mountain ranges, and two adjacent Mexican states – Morelos and Mexico State with national parks (2). However, as native grasses are replaced by human settlements and poorly sited tree-planting projects, water available to recharge the aquifers declines and their loss contributes to flooding in densely populated urban areas downstream (1, 2). The Water Forest Initiative initiated by a non-governmental NGO aims to develop and implement "a regional conservation strategy to provide water and other ecosystem services to Mexico City (CDMX), Mexico State, and Morelos through the protection and rehabilitation of the Water Forest Area" (1 p6).

Mexico City's (CDMX) Water Fund was established in 2015 by The Nature Conservancy Mexico on behalf of the Latin American Water Funds Partnership aiming to reduce the imbalance of the aquifers providing significant water supply for the territory of the CDMX and promoting positive long-term water balance (1). "The Water Fund emphasises good science in relation to the selection of sites and interventions, and in comprehensive monitoring. It seeks to make the business case demonstrating that these activities show returns with respect to water security" (1 p22). The first pilot project of the CDMX Water Fund engages small-scale producers in sustainable agriculture practices, works to restore and conserve water-absorbing land and reconvert land to water-friendly agriculture practices (1)

One of the first public institutions to rise to the climate change challenge in the Philippines is the LLDA, which unveiled a two-wing, four-story green building in Quezon City to mark its 48th anniversary in 2014.
Reflecting the critical mandate of the LLDA to protect the country’s largest freshwater lake, the LLDA building features its own water treatment facility, material recovery facility, and a rain collection system that can hold 60,000 gallons of water. In order to be certified by the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence, several greened areas have been installed in the building: two “pocket gardens” on intermediate levels and a green roof (Bio Roof) which covers an area of 208 m2. The Bio Roof is integrated within the building’s structure. Its vegetative layer protects the waterproofing membrane from climatic extremes, which allows for the reduction in maintenance and the reduction in the size of stormwater handling facilities. [1]

Since 2012, Gothenburg has worked with the Rivercity, an urban development project in the city centre, that uses different ways of working, with innovation at the core of its urban transformations projects. Frihamnen is one of the RiverCity Göteborg most vital projects which aims to unify the centre of Göteborg across the river and out towards Kvillebäcken, Lindholmen and Backaplan (districts). The environmental goal is to create climate adaptation by flood control & stormwater management. Additional benefits of the project are to make the area more attractive and create recreational areas. As part of the BEGIN project, the Frihamnen project aims to use 'blue-green' solutions (i.e. Blue Green Infrastructure through Social Innovation). (Ref. 1, 2)