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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Purpose of the GreenKeys Resources (e-glossary, e-library, good practice directory and event calendar ) and Links

These sites have been designed to provide members of GreenKeys access to resources, and inspiration on the topics of green spaces development and urban sustainability. You have the ability to post information and resources as well as to access the resources and information posted on the site.

Features of this site include: searching for resources and good practice and internet links related to green spaces development and urban sustainability as well as calendar events, reviewing topic pages where top resources have been listed, downloading materials, posting and reviewing urban sustainability-related events.

Site guidelines
In order to achieve the purpose of the site, open participation is invited that meets the following guidelines:

  1. What this site seeks to promote
    The focus of this site is to assist primarily the project partners’ and secondly individuals, organisations, and communities interested in moving toward green spaces development and urban sustainability. In the broadest sense, this means the improvement of urban green spaces as a step for more sustainable cities.

    The main objective of the Resources [e-library, e-glossary, good practice directory and events calender] and Links is to offer documents of various types for both practioners and scientists and to use the synergy arising from the transfer of knowledge gained in the project. It is the belief of GreenKeys that the exchange of transnational experiences will bring about good practice.
    With the participation of both local actors and scientific institutions, GreenKeys' resources will be inspiring and prolific.
  2. What this site does not promote
    As a common site for all affiliated with GreenKeys, those posting information and resources on this site should avoid the following:
  • Offensive language that may be considered as threatening, promoting violence or pornographic, e.g. language that is disparaging to others based on their race, colour, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
  • Partisan activities, organising for political campaigns, and promoting specific legislative language and initiatives (although objective education about controversial topics may be appropriate).
  • Events and activities that are not open to the public or of general interest to those interested in urban green spaces and urban sustainability..
  • Commercial or other activities not closely related to assisting and/or educating individuals, organisations, or communities affiliated with GreenKeys.

Role of site coordinator
The coordinator of the site will regularly review posted entries and reserves the right to reject, remove or adapt information that does not fit the guidelines or spirit of GreenKeys project.