A variety of quality of life improvements have been brought to bear on difficult urban environments, including in some of the fastest-growing cities in the developing world, such as Bamako, Cairo and Delhi. The aim of these projects has been to improve the quality of life in rapidly urbanising cities, not least by creating green space for inhabitants. AKDN has built ten parks and gardens, demonstrating in the process that even in the most challenging contexts, parks can have a positive impact on a city if there are mechanisms put in place for their sustainability. In several locations, AKTC has also demonstrated that, under the right conditions, parks and gardens can also be economic generators that drive – directly and indirectly – a broad advance of positive change. At the same time, the AKDN also restores historic structures, creates or rehabilitates public spaces and supports community-based planning and upgrading projects. Individual project briefs go beyond mere technical restoration to address the questions of the social and environmental context, adaptive re-use, institutional sustainability and training.