Implementation model
Gomeznarro park
| A short description of the NBS project |
|---|
As a result of its topography and impermeable ground surface, the Gomeznarro Park (10.000sqm) in Madrid has been affected by erosion during heavy rainfall events, and the surrounding residential areas suffered from flash flooding. In response to these problems, in 2003 complex works aiming at improving the natural drainage and rain water retention were carried out in the park. These included removal of impervious pavement and use of permeable surfaces, restoration of compacted soils, revegetation of the areas at risk of erosion and installation of underground rainwater collection system and storage tanks. These measures eliminated the problem of erosion and flash flooding in the area, reduced pressure on wastewater management system and established a more natural water cycle in the area. An additional benefit came from the increased moisture in the soil that also helps to ameliorate the Urban Heat Island effect in and around the park. In 2004, the project received a ‘good practice’ qualification as part of the best practice award scheme by the UN Habitat. The water infiltration and collection technology has been subsequently replicated in a number of projects in Madrid (e.g. green areas in Valdebebas development; Madrid Rio - M-30 motorway; sports areas Daoiz y Velarde and Marques de Samaranch; Alzheimer Centre Fundación Reina Sofia) and elsewhere in Spain (e.g. the shopping centre car-park in Autonomous Community of Galicia and a park in Urbanización Torré Baró in Barcelona). |
NBS Implementation context
| Location | Spain, Madrid, Hortaleza District (Spain) |
| Latitude | |
| Longitude | |
| Status | Project delivered (January-March 2003) |
| Dates |
Description of the NBS
| NBS Scale | neighbourhood |
| NBS Impacts scale | • Neighbourhood • City |
| Urban density/ Soil consumption | High (dense city center, etc.) |
| Combined with other(s) environmental friendly solution(s)? | |
| if other |
NBS Typology
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NBS Uban Challenges
| Climate Issues | Climate mitigation | |
| Climate adaptation | ||
| Other | 0 | |
| Urban water management and quality | Urban water management and quality | |
| Flood management | ||
| Other | 0 | |
| Air Quality | Air quality at district/city scale | |
| Air quality locally | ||
| Other | 0 | |
| Urban Space and Biodiversity | Biodiversity | |
| Urban space design | ||
| Urban space management | ||
| Other | 0 | |
| Urban Regeneration and Soil | Air quality at district/city scale | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Resource efficiency | Food, energy and water | |
| Raw materials | ||
| Waste | ||
| Recycling | ||
| Other | 0 | |
| Public health and well-being | Acustic | |
| Quality of life | ||
| Health | ||
| Other | 0 | |
| Environmental justice and social cohesion | Environmental Justice: Recognition | |
| Environmental Justice: Procedural Justice | ||
| Environmental Justice: Distributional Justice | ||
| Environmental Justice: Capabilities | ||
| Environmental Justice: Responsibility | ||
| Social Cohesion | ||
| Other | 0 | |
| Urban planning and governance | Urban planning and form | |
| Governance in planning | ||
| Other | 0 | |
| People Security | Control of crimes | |
| Control of extraordinary events | ||
| Other | 0 | |
| Green economy | Circular economy | |
| Bioeconomy activities | ||
| Direct economic value of NBS | ||
| Other | 0 | |
| Other |
Stakeholder and Governance
| Who Started this initiative? | Governments • Local government/municipality (Madrid municipality) |
| Contracting Authority | |
| Project manager (leader and main partners): entities names, and know-how involved | |
| Who (else) was involved in the project ? (Inhabitants, local association, etc.) | |
| More detail on the process and the role of the different stakeholders (How did it happen?) | |
| OPTIONAL Considering the actual impacts, who are the primary beneficiaries of the project. |
| Cluster | Governance Model | Description |
| cluster1_traditional_public_administration | Hierarchical_governance | The municipality of Madrid financed the project. The construction cost was €343.600 (approximately €34/sqm). Whilst the benefits have not been assessed in monetary terms, there are no additional maintenance costs in comparison to traditional landscaping solutions used in parks. The project resulted in reduced erosion, risk of flooding and pressure on the drainage systems. The park receives yearly about 5 million litres of rain water, which now does not enter the drainage system but instead recharges the groundwater levels and results in a lower need for additional watering by park maintenance. Further benefits include improved air quality and reduced air temperatures in and around the park. |
Financing
| Global Estimated cost of the project | 200k€- 1M€ (343.600€) |
| Cluster | cluster1_public_financing |
| FM | Public financing |
| Description of the financing mechanism | The municipality of Madrid financed the project. The construction cost was €343.600 (approximately €34/sqm). Whilst the benefits have not been assessed in monetary terms, there are no additional maintenance costs in comparison to traditional landscaping solutions used in parks. The project resulted in reduced erosion, risk of flooding and pressure on the drainage systems. The park receives yearly about 5 million litres of rain water, which now does not enter the drainage system but instead recharges the groundwater levels and results in a lower need for additional watering by park maintenance. Further benefits include improved air quality and reduced air temperatures in and around the park. |
Business Model
| Class | Type | Description |
| The adopted solutions are able to preserve and restore in a natural way the quality of the managed water (bioremediating systems), providing living urban land, improving efficiency in the water and soil use, the integration of infrastructures (road, sanitation and purification) with the natural environment and providing new water resources. In particular, the natural cycle of water in the city is restored. The system involves a profound change with respect to criteria and technologies used to date, instead of transferring and increasing contamination from A (collector) to B (sewage treatment plant). The new criteria are committed to solving the problems of water quantity and quality at source. The contamination of water by urban runoff is a problem of diffuse contamination, so it is necessary to act in a diffuse but profuse manner. The drainage of urban green spaces approach adopted in this case study has been replicated in other locations in Madrid and elsewhere in Spain. |
Temporal Factor
| Expected time for the NBS to be fully effective after its implementation | |
| Expected life time of the intervention | |
| Already feedbacks on the project? In case, the project has already been adapted to new requisites, please explain the modifications brought |
Success and limiting factors
Process Enablers
Process Inhibitors
| Class | Subclass | Type | Description |
| Knowledge_drivers | Awareness | • Climate Change | The technology and materials applied were novel in Spain. This caused delays in implementation, as the design had to be carefully planned; approval criteria for the solutions proposed by the private consultant and provider of the technology had to be defined; and the contractors had to be thoroughly briefed. A particular difficulty arose as a result of the need to engage different municipal departments (water management, construction, planning, environment and others) in the planning and delivery. |
| Governance_drivers | - | ||
| Economy_drivers | De-risking Create conditions for new business models and finance schemes | • Public de-risking strategies; |
| Class | Subclass | Type | Description |
| Knowledge_drivers | Uncertainty Technical inadequacy | • Operational unknown • Performance unknown; • Lack of ready-to-apply scientific results, concepts and technologies | |
| Governance_drivers | Complexity of governance structure | • Role ambiguity | |
| Economy_drivers | - | - |
What makes this project a pioneer?
| Field | |
| Criteria | |
| Brief description of the innovativeness | |
| Has the project received a prize, an award? | |
| Has the project received a media coverage? (in reviews, in press, etc.) |
IM Keywords
References