The Greenkeys projects

The problem of abandoned and devalued urban areas is common among many European cities. The environmental, economic and social decline, which these areas often entail, requires rapid reconsideration and improvements as the lowering of the quality of life may not only spill over to adjacent neighbourhoods, but also the area itself does not need to be relinquished.

The cities are facing difficulties in finding an adequate solution to the main problem of how to apply methods of sustainable rehabilitation to redevelop and enhance the areas in the long term.

The European Commission has started the EU Community Initiative INTERREG III B CADSES (2005-2008), which focuses on increasing the sustainability of cities by initialising the endowment of green spaces. By means of that, local residents and medium-sized enterprises would benefit immediately, but the scientific and practical experiences gained during the projects are equally important as they will promote transnational cooperation in Europe and bring about further projects.

The key question posed by the GreenKeys project is: What are the tools and methods necessary for increasing the sustainability of urban areas by adding green spaces, given the fact that ecological, social and economical conditions are often mutually dependent?
Greenkeys focuses on the improvement of urban green spaces as a step towards more sustainable cities. The three main objectives are

  1. to provide incentives for structural changes in cities by offering opportunities for the enhancement of green spaces. Its 12 partner cities will, together with local stakeholders, develop a strategic approach for the pilot projects to create new or upgrade existing green areas to achieve more accessibility, social and recreational values and ecological efficiency. By the involvement of local activists, the political attention to the benefits of green spaces to urban environments will be increased. GreenKeys will support the implementation/evaluation of pilot projects in order
  2. to develop a “Pool of Green Strategies” (instruments, methods, concepts and good examples) based on the experiences being made to meet the demands of future needs and
  3. to use the synergies to promote the transfer of knowledge by a transnational network and, thus, foster the exchange of the particular national experiences.

In pursuing these goals, GreenKeys brings together 12 cities in 7 countries, 8 scientific supporters, external experts, design studios and NGOs, which participate through their own networks.

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e-glossary

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E

Ecological corridors

(Ecological) corridors are essential parts of ecological networks. They can be classified into three classes according to the functions that they fulfill: Commuting corridors; Migration corridors; Dispersal corridors. Corridors can be classified into three to four classes according to the shape that they have: line, stepping stone and landscape corridors. Invertebrates use what may be regarded as a fourth ‘sub-type’: line corridors with nodes.
Source:
European corridors: Strategies for corridor development for target species, ECNC, Tilburg, the Netherlands & Alterra, 2004 Alterra: http://www.alterra.wur.nl/uk/ ECNC: http://www.ecnc.org
User: [Maria Samardjieva]

Ecological footprint

Impact of an entity, for example a city or country, on local, regional or global ecosystems

Ecological network

The ecological network is a system of areas connected via ecological links or physical links. It usually consists of ‘core areas’ (protected or not), corridors, buffer zones and in some cases nature development or restoration areas. A pivotal role in ensuring spatial cohesion is played by corridors. The concept of ecological networks was officially recognised in Europe as an important approach for biodiversity conservation in the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy.
Source:
European corridors: Strategies for corridor development for target species, ECNC, Tilburg, the Netherlands & Alterra, 2004 Alterra: http://www.alterra.wur.nl/uk/ ECNC: http://www.ecnc.org
User: [Maria Samardjieva]

Ecological Space

Wildlife habitats, subject to varying degrees of management, including both land and water
Source:
Towards a Green Strategy for London, May 2001
User: [Carlos Smaniotto]

Ecological Space

Wildlife habitats, subject to varying degrees of management, including both land and water
Source:
Towards a Green Strategy for London, May 2001
User: [Carlos Smaniotto]

Ecosystem

"Ecosystem" means a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit.
Source:
Convention on Biological Diversity, 2000 http://www.cbd.int/convention/articles.shtml?a=cbd-02
User: [Maria Samardjieva]

Ex-situ conservation

"Ex-situ conservation" means the conservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.
Source:
Convention on Biological Diversity, 2000 http://www.cbd.int/convention/articles.shtml?a=cbd-02
User: [Maria Samardjieva]

What is the e-glossary?

The e-glossary is a free, collaboratively written collection of words or phrases covering the issues of green spaces development and urban sustainability in the broadest sense. Anyone who is within the GreenKeys network can edit the e-glossary. Its purpose is to create common definitions and make them available as a quick reference for both the public and members of GreenKeys.

Do you have a term or phrase that has to be clarified? It’s easy to add a contribution to our e-glossary. Just fill in the form provided
 here .