Due to the unexpected emergence of COVID-19, different cities improvised responses to prevent the virus from spreading and infecting the population. Madrid, capital of Spain and one of the most affected cities in Europe, confined everyone home and closed most public and private spaces, including public parks. The whole situation was surely to be responsible for stress-levels to peak. We developed an online survey to better understand the relationship between people and Urban Green Spaces prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new bond that may have emerged from this interruption. We recruited participants, without gender or age preference, excluding underage children and teenagers, using a combination of convenience sample and a snowball approach. A total of 132 responses were logged. The study was limited to mental health inferences, specifically related to stress and its most frequent manifestations among the urban population. These indicators included physical, mood or behavioral changes and were studied on those participants who had access to UGS before and during confinement. Among the most important findings, we confirmed that when people are confronted with stressful situations, indoor plant interaction is not a substitute for different outdoor green experiences; those who interacted with green spaces in a daily manner managed stress levels better than people who didn’t (but their effects might lose strength over time); and turning to green spaces for comfort during stressful times when you don’t usually do so helps overcome difficult situations. This article contributes to the growing study of green spaces as a means towards improved mental well-being in urban areas.

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) represent a paradigm shift in stormwater management, offering holistic solutions to urban water challenges. This review examines SUDS principles, design strategies, effectiveness and barriers to implementation. SUDS prioritize infiltration and mimic natural hydrological processes to reduce flood risk, improve water quality and support ecosystems in urban environments. Effective SUDS design integrates different components such as permeable pavements, green roofs, and rain gardens, tailored to the local context. Evidence suggests that well-designed SUDS can mitigate peak flows, reduce runoff volumes, and purify water. However, barriers to widespread adoption include lack of awareness, upfront costs, and regulatory complexity. Overcoming these will require collaborative stakeholder action to prioritize education, policy support, and funding opportunities. Future research should focus on optimizing SUDS design, assessing long-term performance, and quantifying socio-economic benefits. By integrating SUDS into urban landscapes, cities can strengthen hydrological resilience, promote sustainability, and enrich urban life.

Urban areas are critical points that contribute to global warming and are also affected by climate change. One of the measures to move toward urban sustainability and to reduce the effects of climate change is the development of urban green infrastructures. Urban green infrastructures (UGIs) are being increasingly recognized as key providers of ecosystem services in cities, but there is still a lack of support from urban planners. We highlight the potential of urban green infrastructures for sustainable urban planning based on its capacity to mitigate climate change This paper studies the CO₂ mitigation potential through a multi-intervention (agricultural and forestry) local case in the peri-urban surroundings of a big European city such as Madrid. We consider two inseparable aspects: the amount of atmospheric CO_2-eq reduced through direct carbon uptake of the UGI and also the emission of greenhouse gases due to its implementation and maintenance. The analysis carried out has shown the benefits of urban green infrastructures and their contribution to the mitigation of climate change. The results demonstrate that the absorption capacity of the new urban green infrastructure is much greater than its ecological footprint. Therefore, it contributes to the mitigation of emissions from other urban activities, thus improving urban sustainability.

Humanity must face the challenge of making viable a world of environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable cities, as it is recognized by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in its Goal 11. This problem is so wide and complex that it does not admit a short-term solution; rather, it must be addressed through measures in a process with long-term results. One of these measures may come from the urban agriculture, applied under the principles of agroecology. Urban agriculture is a complex activity that is currently associated with the idea of multifunctionality, placing emphasis on the various ecosystem services that it generates. However, urban agriculture continues to lack sufficient consideration in urban planning and management. This paper includes a thorough review of the literature on urban agriculture to reveal its benefits, and potential, moving toward the implementation of urban agriculture, under an agroecological approach, in the city.