Case Study Areas
Learning from experience.
The 4 case study areas
Pilot studies will be implemented in four cities; Coimbra, in Portugal, Genk, in Belgium, Leipzig, in Germany, and Vilnius, in Lithuania, where we will develop ecological analysis, governance description, assessment of urban green and blue infrastructures multiple values, and ecosystem service demand. .
Coimbra, Portugal
Coimbra (Portugal, Mediterranean climate, Koppen Csb) houses approximately 150.000 inhabitants. It is the biggest city in the Centro Region, a transition area between Mediterranean and Atlantic climate. It has a medieval centre surrounded by several areas of expansion, especially since the 19th century, accompanied by a variety of green infrastructures that witness the needs of different generations for leisure, recreation and contact with nature. It has one of the oldest Botanical Gardens in the world, which is also considered one of the most beautiful in europe, and its Green infrastructure includes riverbank ecosystems, different types of gardens, backyards, areas specifically assigned for urban agriculture and urban forests, providing a differentiated set of ecosystem services.
Genk, Belgium
Genk, located in the east of Flanders, Belgium, is a city with about 66 thousand inhabitants. Due to its mining sites (last one closed in 1987) and presence of Ford Motor Company (factory closed in 2014) Genk grew exponentially over the last 100 years and became the industrial center of the province of Limburg. Genk is a strongly urbanized, fragmented city with areas that are dominated by grey infrastructure. As a consequence of its industrial past, Genk is one of the most culturally diverse cities is Flanders. Also since the decline of the mining industry, it has become one of the greenest cities too.
Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig has about 530.000 inhabitants and is located in the Federal State of Saxony in the eastern part of Germany. Its urban structure is characterised by an inner residential ring of Wilhelminian housing estates around the city centre. The following mixed residential and industrial areas consisting of mostly multi-storey houses, and urban sprawl, have led to many single family homes in suburban areas. The Weisse Elster river and minor others flow through the city partly accompanied by Riparian forests, intersecting the city from S to NW. Leipzig is also characterised by many and diverse green spaces, about 10% of the 300 km² of city area are covered by forests and parks. Finally, Leipzig Provides 1.200 ha of allotment gardens, one parcel for every 14th inhabitant.
Vilnius, Lithuania
AVilnius has approximately 500.000 inhabitants. It is the capital of Lithuania and its historic centre is listed in the UNESCO world heritage. Despite the increasing urban sprawl, especially in the postsocialist period, large parts of the city are covered by green areas, such as urban parks, private gardens (e,g. Zveryinas) and protected areas, which provide a wide range of services to city inhabitants. The intensive use of green areas, makes Vilnius a living laboratory for testing the importance of green infrastructure and ecosystem services in urban areas.