35 h. ago Paris’s rewilded railway line: the disused track turned into a green space for wildlife and walkers

Inside the French capital’s ring road, the Petite Ceinture, a disused circular rail line, now abounds with nature trails, shared gardens – and even urban farmsA rustle in the undergrowth sends birds wheeling above the trees and into the sky. I’m left alone and in near total silence as I look along the train tracks that disappear in either direction. It feels as if I’m in the heart of the countryside, but actually, the Boulevard Périphérique, the traffic-choked ring road that encircles Paris, is just a stone’s throw away. This disused rail route, the Petite Ceinture, offers wildlife and quiet solitude just moments from the roaring motorway, thanks to a plan that is turning parts of the line into walkable green spaces – the French capital’s less manicured (and less central) alternative to Manhattan’s High Line or north London’s Parkland Walk, a rewilded railway line that’s part of the Capital Ring walk.Built on the site of the Thiers wall, the last defensive wall of Paris, and its sur...

Politics

8 d. ago Monty Don reveals the best way to protect your garden and keep slugs from eating your plants

With seedlings only just beginning to raise their heads, green spaces across the UK could soon be filled with greedy slugs. But Monty Don has revealed how to keep them at bay.

Politics

9 d. ago First phase of North Lanarkshire Council’s Gowkthrapple masterplan completed

The site in Castlehill Road has delivered new housing, amenities and green spaces, transforming and connecting the local community.

Politics

1 week ago Track and feud: Queensland to announce third 2032 Olympic stadium plan in four years. Will this one stick?

The widely expected construction of a new 60,000-seat venue at Victoria Park will take a chunk of the largest green space near the inner cityGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlan Patching led the construction of the largest-ever Olympic stadium. It took 30 months to finish the designs for Sydney’s 110,000-seat Stadium Australia, build it, and hold its first major event.“That’s not going to happen [in Brisbane],” Patching said. “The climate’s changed, the building environment has changed, [and] goodness knows how we’re going for resources.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

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1 week ago There’s No Time Like the Present by Paul B Rainey review – a funny, unpredictable and wild comic

Three characters stuck in the past are given access to the future in the former Observer/Faber prize winner’s mordant and misanthropic sci-fi graphic novelPeople who enjoy science fiction love to imagine the future: time travel, spaceships, something wobbly with a green face. But what if those fans really had access to it – the future, I mean – courtesy of something very similar to the internet? This is the possibility Paul B Rainey floats in There’s No Time Like the Present, in which a crowd of misfits from Milton Keynes (once the future itself) are able, if not to visit Mars, then at least to watch episodes of Doctor Who that have not yet been screened.Mordant and misanthropic in almost equal measure, Rainey’s book has three central characters, each one somewhat stuck, unable fully to escape their childhood. Barry, an obnoxious lazybones, still lives at home with his parents; he makes his living selling bootleg recordings of TV shows he has lifted from the “ultranet”, which provid...

Politics

1 week ago The TravelSmart guide to Singapore, from street food to green spaces

This week, this special episode of TravelSmart – in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board – is helping you get to know the incredible southeast Asian city state.

Politics

2 w. ago 'Green spaces will be bulldozed while eyesores remain untouched for generations'

Stockport could lose its "much-valued" green spaces, the council's deputy leader has claimed.

Politics

2 w. ago New free London Underground map helps cyclists to discover the city’s green spaces

New free London Underground map helps cyclists to discover the city’s green spaces  Positive.News

Politics

3 w. ago Crackdown on Britain's biggest yobs: Thugs who terrorise town centres could be jailed for antisocial behaviour under new Labour law

The Respect Orders will give police and councils the authority to ban persistent offenders from town centres, high streets, residential areas and green spaces where they have caused disruption.

Events

4 w. ago Dobbies Ayr store welcomes applications for community gardens initiative

The garden centre is encouraging local schools, charities and community groups to transform and restore their outdoor green space.

Politics

4 w. ago Mountain bikers risking 'serious injury' by ignoring warning signs in Scots forest

Contractors say around 40 bikers came through the Green Hill area of Ae Forest in the space of a week despite it being closed for safety reasons.

Events

4 w. ago Dobbies welcomes applications for community gardens initiative

Dobbies Garden Centres is welcoming applications for Dobbies Community Gardens, offering local schools, charities and community groups across the country the opportunity to receive support for their green spaces.

Politics

4 w. ago Major Knightsbridge office block next to Harrods gets green light despite privacy fears

Westminster says the 11-storey development at 1 Knightsbridge Green will offer office space to just under 2,000 workers and bring in millions of pounds worth of footfall

Politics

last month One in five Brits feel out of touch with nature due to lack of green spaces

A study of 1,000 adults found that 20% feel out of touch with the natural world, and that the average urbanite has not been in the countryside for more than six months

Politics