The Urban Nature Atlas is a collection of more than 1000 inspiring nature-based solutions from European cities and beyond. 

Use the Quick Filter by selecting an icon or the Advanced Filter to identify specific nature-based solution projects of your interests. The map will be updated to show the results of your search, and a list of all relevant projects will be displayed below. Click on the title of the nature-based solutions to see further information. If you would like to remove a selected quick filter, click on it to reset.

 

Key challenges

Nature-based solution

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Path along the banks of the Guadalquivir

Sevilla (FUA), Spain

Recovered section of gardens along the banks of the Guadalquavir river, from the Bridge del Cachorro to the Alamillo Park. The area was originally built up for the International Exposition of Sevilla of 1992 and it was abandoned after the event. The area has been recovered by the city and transformed into a park with a series of gardens and pedestrian walk ways along the river. (Ref 1-3) During the 16 years of closure, the flora kept on growing and was rehabilitated during the process of the intervention. The plan also sought to recover the historical gardens of La Cartuja and incorporate them into the garden network of the Paseo de la Ribera. (Ref 2,3)
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Paul Verlaine Garden

Nancy, France

The Paul Verlaine Garden received the "EcoJardin"(Eco-Garden) label in 2014 (Ref. 2). The EcoJardin repository is intended to be a methodological tool to guide good practices for gardeners and managers of green spaces (Ref. 6)."This garden is labeled as "Tourisme et Handicap". Work has been done so that this place takes particular account of the accessibility to the people with reduced mobility and the visually impaired. The Jardin Paul Garden is a succession of environments and vegetation architectures" (Ref. 1). At the entrance of the park, there is a playground, a garden of le Petit Poucet, and further the forest of birches, vegetable garden and the garden of tall grasses (Ref. 1).
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Pedagogical farms in the city

Marseille (FUA), France

The City of Marseille has three pedagogical farms which are intended to raise awareness of nature and encourage citizens to "discover to love and respect the environment; Study and experiment to act responsibly" (Ref. 1). "Among the various awareness-raising and environmental education tools developed by the City of Marseilles, pedagogical farms are the most concrete way to re-establish contact between urban youth and the rural world" (Ref. 1). The "Collet des Comtes" is one such farm and its "three hectares of land are occupied by open-field and greenhouse crops, grazing areas, an orchard, a pond and a pedagogical garden" (Ref. 1). The farm hosts educational events for children and organic markets (Ref. 5,6).
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Pegnitztal West

Nürnberg, Germany

Pegnitztal West is a new corridor and recreation zone along a section of the Pegnitz river in Nurnberg suitable for all kinds of social groups and intended for recreational activities (1). The project instrumentalizes green and blue infrastructure for creating conditions for sport, leisure, and recreation, as well as serving a transitional function for the dwellers of the neighboring Gostenhof and St. Johannis districts (1). The green corridor also provides a protected urban habitat for various species, including more than 8 different tree species, water bats, green woodpeckers and swamp warblers. The project also stabilized the water level of the river and helps flood protection efforts. (2, 7)
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Penang Nature-based Climate Adaptation

Penang, Malaysia

Penang is a state located in north-western Peninsular Malaysia with an area of 1,049 km2. It comprises two local authorities, Penang Island and the mainland. The former is further divided into five administrative districts which are further divided into mukims (sub-districts). Two urban mukims located on the island – George Town and Bayan Lepas – are the focus of the proposed nature-based solutions (NBS) climate adaptation programme. The programme was launched in 2022 by UN-Habitat in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) of Malaysia, Penang Island City Council (Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang - MBPP), Department of Irrigation and Drainage (Jabatan Pengairan Dan Saliran - JPS) and Think City (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad (the sovereign wealth fund of the Government of Malaysia)). (Ref 1)

The implementation of the project responds to several challenges posed by climate change including heatwaves and flooding (Ref 4). The main goal of the programme is to enhance urban resilience and reduce human and ecosystem health vulnerability to climate change impacts and extreme weather events by implementing nature-based solutions (NBS) such as tree-lined streets, pocket parks, green parking spaces, green facades and rooftops, urban agriculture and blue-green corridors to reduce surface temperatures and stormwater runoff, as well as to increase social resilience and build institutional capacity (Ref 1, 3).

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Peri-urban natural park of Collserola

Barcelona, Spain

The Natural Park of Collserola (about 8,000 ha) is a forested area in the hilly Northern fringes of Barcelona. Since 1987, Collserola has been managed under a special protection plan and forms part of the European FEDENATUR network that aims at protected fragile peri-urban ecosystem for both their social and ecological functions. The park is jointly managed by a consortium including the Catalan government (Generalitat de Catalunya), the Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona), the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) as well as all adjacent municipalities (Ref 1).
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Permaculture farm

Wuppertal, Germany

The civil society association "Permaculture vorm Eichholz" has made it their agenda to turn a since 2016 abandoned farmhouse into an experience-based, educational, co-design space around the concept of permaculture which is an ecologically inspired design concept for creating resilient and durable agricultural areas while maintaining the diversity of cultural and natural habitats. The farm, which was established in 2017, promotes alternative cultivation methods and energy concepts via seminars and workshops and constitutes an experimental lab for interested citizens who can implement their own ideas or even take over responsibility for parts of the farm they develop and cultivate themselves (Ref. 1, 2, 3). The leaders of the project also plan to implement a sustainable energy concept, with the goal of making the farm self-sufficient in it’s energy consumption by producing renewable energies in a variety of ways. (Ref. 9)
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Petuelpark

Munich, Germany

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).
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Pilestredet Park

Oslo, Norway

Pilestredet Park project was one of the largest urban ecology projects in Scandinavia and included redevelopment of a neglected inner-city quarter of Oslo while meeting high standards of sustainable construction. The project included energy efficient buildings with high quality indoor environments, plenty of green areas, as well as an extensive stormwater runoff management system for the whole site. Pilestredet Park also contributed toward the development of more sustainable construction techniques and products, much thanks to the strict requirements from the Environmental follow-up program developed by Statsbygg and Oslo Municipality's (Ref. 1)
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Pilot Green Roof Project at the University of Engineering

Genova, Italy

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).
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