8. FAQ for municipalities & cities
8.1.What does ARK (Activate – Restore – Know) mean?
ARK (Activate – Restore – Know) is a digital and educational framework that communities can use to activate citizens, visibly and effectively protect urban nature, and systematically build local knowledge.
- Activate: People become active designers of their living space (citizen science, education, participation).
- Restore: Natural spaces, green infrastructure, and ecological functions are mapped, enhanced, and secured for the long term.
- Know: Local, ecological, and cultural knowledge is collected, visualized, and passed on across generations.
The ARK thus combines environmental education, urban ecology, participation, and digital infrastructure in one system.
8.2. What applications does the ARK offer for municipalities and cities?
The ARK is not a single project, but rather a scalable infrastructure that can be used depending on the development phase and municipal needs.
8.3.The ARK zone model
The ARK works with an educational-ecological understanding of zones that gradually expands learning spaces:
Zone 0 – School building
- Interior spaces as a starting point (classrooms, auditorium, workshops)
- Reflection, preparation, evaluation
- Connection between formal education and real-world action
Zone 1 – School garden/school outdoor area
- Low-threshold introduction to place-based learning
- Examples:
- Groovy Garden (secondary level I): vegetable growing, nutrition, responsibility
- Healing Herbs (secondary level II): herb beds + human biology & medicine
- High visibility, low barriers, rapid educational impact
Zone 2 – School environment / neighborhood / local area
- Street trees, courtyards, small green spaces
- First steps toward citizen participation
- Connecting school, parents, neighborhood
Zone 3 – Community / Neighborhoods / Districts
- Central application level for municipalities
- ARK as:
- Tree register 2.0 (public, educational, participatory)
- Tool for environmental education, climate adaptation, and quality of life
- Development of routes, learning locations, and trails
- Basis for national urban park concepts
→g., linked to https://www.nationalurbanpark.eu/
Zone 4 – Ecoregion
- Landscape areas beyond administrative boundaries
- Example: Mura Calling
- River landscape as a learning, cultural, and natural space
- Connection between several communities
- Focus on ecological relationships, water, biodiversity
Zone 5 – Bioregion
- Largest scale
- Development of bioregional identity
- People see themselves as part of a natural system
- Long-term cultural transformation
8.4. What specific benefits do communities gain from using the ARK?
- ARK as a tree register 2.0
In contrast to traditional tree registers (e.g., ArcGIS-based systems):
- Publicly accessible
- Educational
- mobile-optimized
- with citizen participation
- connects public and private green spaces
- supplements ecological data with:
- cultural significance
- learning content
- Stories & contexts of use
➡️ The city becomes an open learning space instead of a purely managed area.
- Support for municipal climate adaptation
ARK-supported environmental education:
- increases acceptance of climate measures
- makes green infrastructure visible and worth protecting
- facilitates administrative action through an informed population
- improves quality of life (recreation areas, health, orientation)
- Development phase 3: Social capital & cohesion
The third development phase of the ARK is particularly relevant for communities:
- Making commitment visible
- Recognition of citizen contributions
- Intergenerational cooperation
- Strengthening democratic participation
The ARK makes participation measurable, visible, and valuable—a key lever for social cohesion.
8.5.What prerequisites does a municipality need for ARK?
- Basic political openness
- At least one committed hub (school, association, administration)
- Willingness to embrace transparency and participation
- No high financial investment required
Success factors:
- Supportive administration
- Clear communication
- Cooperation between education, environment, and urban development
8.6. What are the obstacles?
- Silo mentality in administrations
- Fear of losing control
- Lack of interfaces between education and environmental planning
➡️ The ARK addresses precisely these obstacles through a joint, visible system.
8.7. In summary
The ARK (Activate – Restore – Know) is for municipalities:
- a participation tool
- an educational tool
- a protection system for urban nature
- an investment in social cohesion
and a bridge between administration, education, and civil society.
9. The ARK in practice – City National Park
9.1.What is a “national urban park”?
A National Urban Park is a protected area for learning and experiencing nature in an urban environment. The aim is to highlight existing green infrastructure (old trees, water bodies, biotopes, green corridors), connect it and protect it in the long term – with broad citizen participation. Unlike traditional national parks, a National Urban Park is usually created from the bottom up and is closely linked to education, urban development and climate adaptation.
The pilot project can be accessed here:👉 https://www.nationalurbanpark.eu/
9.2.How does ARK support National Park City projects?
Green Steps ARK serves as the digital backbone for national park city initiatives. It enables:
- the mapping of urban nature (points of interest, old trees, learning locations),
- the organization of trails connecting green spaces,
- gamified learning through quizzes, challenges, and badges,
- massive open participation: many people can contribute at the same time,
- the visualization of engagement (learning and activity hours, roles).
This allows the city to be experienced as an extended learning space and ecosystem.
9.3.What was special about the “National Park City St. Pölten” project?
In the Urban National Park St. Pölten project, ARK was used to:
- map green infrastructure together with citizens and schoolchildren,
- develop over 30 themed trails connecting old trees,
- Prepare more than two dozen new natural monuments.
- involve students as informal rangers (BFG Guardians).
The project shows how gamification, education, and urban development can work together to culturally anchor climate adaptation.
9.4.What role does education play in the national park city approach?
Education is not a side program, but the core of the concept.
Students actively explore, shape, and protect their city. This results in:
- place-based learning,
- meaningful engagement and responsibility,
- a growing bioregional identity.
The learning space expands from the school to the city as an ecosystem.
9.5.What are the prerequisites for a successful national park city project?
Experience from St. Pölten shows the following success factors:
- political support and open administration,
- schools as active partners,
- civil society organizations (associations, initiatives),
- low-threshold opportunities for participation,
- a digital system such as the ARK, which bundles contributions and makes them visible.
Obstacles are usually a lack of coordination, unclear responsibilities, or purely top-down processes.
9.6.Who is the national park city approach suitable for?
- Cities and municipalities of all sizes
- Schools of all levels
- NGOs, environmental and educational initiatives
- City administrations with a focus on climate, green spaces, and participation
The approach is scalable and adaptable to different local contexts.