On the Ground

Eco District Freiburg Vauban - Green city - Conversion of Old Military Bases

  • Uses conversion of building
  • Develop new governance model

Objective was to create an environmental community and movement for an ecological, socially and self-organized city quarter with a lot of green spaces and affordable housing to meet the extremely high demand on living space in the city.

This project is a very good example for a dense green city and a perfect conversion of old military bases. The complete project was from the beginning a participative process to enable the inclusion of the residents...

Community Garden at the Village of Nagykovácsi (near Budapest)

  • To create a community garden with the target of the collective work, education and the production of vegetables as well
  • Educating people to acquire and/or to improve skills in vegetables gardening

This is a new initiative in a wealthy suburban village near Budapest. Despite of that the people live in a small village, their lifestyle is more urban and they have a little connection to each other. Observing the situation, some local people decided to create a community garden where people can work together, and they have the...

Urban Farm Supplied School Canteens, Managed by the Municipality of Mouans-Sartoux

Canteens of Mouans-Sartoux supplied by a sustainable urban farm
  • [Organic] food production
  • Supply school canteen with organic food products
  • Local food network
  • Environmental education
  • 2sd rank objectives: Research/experiment, social dynamic

The project has two complementary components:

  1. An urban farm:
    Vegetable production (surface of 4+2 ha) and food process supply for the school canteens of the city (around 1200 meals) => 85% of the fruit and vegetables consumed
  2. A territorial project:
    3. ...

"Séqué" Eco-District Building (Bayone City)

"Séqué" Eco-District - Architect view
  • Construction of an eco-district with ecological networks and biodiversity as starting point

Design and construction of an eco-district with the ecological networks and biodiversity as starting point. The implementation of this project is based on environmental approach to urban planning. The district is an environmentally-friendly project and favors collective housing to preserve green areas.

This NBS is also combined with other environmental friendly solutions: Bio-sourced materials - Renewable energy system (solar panels, etc.).

Blue Beach Case Study of Valenton (Val de Marne, France), Fertile Soil Construction by Using Recycled Materials

Blue Beach Park Overview

Soil construction with wastes. 

...

Urban Challenges:

1. Climate issues: Climate adaptation
2. Urban water management and quality: Urban water management and quality
4. Urban space and Biodiversity: Urban space management 
5. Urban Regeneration and Soil: Soil management
7. Public health and well-being: Quality of life, Health
8. Environmental justice and social cohesion: Social cohesion
11. Green economy: Circular economy, Direct economic value of NBS...

Let's Crop the Diversity (LCD)

  • Regenerate abandoned, unused and/or under-used spaces in densely urbanized areas
  • Promote innovative agricultural practices
  • Involvement of citizens and marginalized social classes (Social benefits)

“Let’s Crop the Diversity” (LCD) aims to redevelop urban spaces through the coproduction of solutions based on nature (NBS) to promote resilience and environmental quality of the geographical areas of intervention.

The goal of this project is developing an Urban Agricultural System that, thanks to the...

Operatie STEENBREEK

Operation Stone Break (Dutch wordplay) - Source : Operatie SteenBreek Fondation

Operatie Steenbreek  is a foundation that organizes awareness raising campaigns and offers assistance with regards to greening private gardens. Many gardens and streets in the Netherlands are covered with tiles that cannot absorp the rainwater from heavy rainfall.

The idea behind the initiative is to encourage citizens to remove the tiles and stones from their gardens/backyards and replace it with grass, plants and trees for better drainage and to increase the biodiversity.

Thanks to an app., citizens can be adviced and exchange plants with neighbours. Citizens can...