Collaborative consumption, or “the sharing economy”, describes the shift in consumer values from ownership to access. Together, entire communities and cities around the world are using network technologies to do more with less by renting, lending, swapping, bartering, gifting and sharing products on a scale that can range from local to global.

With the predominance of mass consumerism and industrial production, the DIY or GIY (grow it yourself) movement demonstrates an encouraging shift in the symbolism and status of post-materialistic values and lifestyles. It also shows a genuine concern for the environment as people begin to think about using more natural/organic products and avoiding waste.

Swiss allotment gardeners create plots for disabled people in Geneva.

The approach of using derelict land and widely abandoned buildings for new, sustainable growth in Europe has numerous advantages for all parts of society, including for the environment. Empty buildings are everywhere, making it important to push users to reuse existing resources, avoiding the construction of new buildings, land consumption or landscape pollution, and creating space for a more social, environmentally-friendly renewal and regeneration of a community.

Community gardens showcase how a community, with sufficient will, knowledge and other resources, can come together to turn plots of unused land into communal vegetable gardens, thus changing the narrative of food in the surrounding areas as well as promoting healthier and more communal environments.

Allotment gardens are different as every gardener has his individual plot and the sites are created on leased land or land put at the disposal of the associations. Agreements/contracts regulate the relations with the landowner. Very often there exist allotment garden zones in the urban planning scheme.

Cycling is increasingly recognised as a clean, sustainable mode of transport and an essential part of an inter-modal plan for sustainable urban travel. In the Netherlands and Denmark, the bicycle is one of the principal means of travel in the cities. Cycling can have many advantages as a short-distance means of travel in urban areas: it is environmentally friendly – without emissions and noise nuisance; provides cost-effective mobility, and offers an opportunity for health and physical fitness by regular exercise.