Alicante, Spain
City population: 331770
Duration: 2012 – 2017
Implementation status: Completed and archived or cancelled
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: 5900 m2
Type of area: Building
Last updated: October 2021

The Urban Environment Observatory is located on a plot of 7,000 square meters of surface transformed into a garden with native vegetation. It is comprised by a library, an Assembly Hall, exposition rooms and spaces for educational activities. There was planned to be a cistern that would collect the rainwater that will serve for irrigation of the garden and the garden terraces (Ref. 1 and 7). The project has since been halted for what seems to be politically-relevant financial reasons, according to Ref 8:"everyone has many explanations to give about the current situation of an unfinished building after more than a five-year period".

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Institutional green space
  • Parks and urban forests
  • Botanical gardens
  • Green areas for water management
  • Sustainable urban drainage systems

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Improvements to water quality
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Environmental quality
  • Air quality improvement
  • Noise reduction
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Regulation of built environment
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education
  • Social interaction

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Project objectives

The Observatory goal: "will be used for educational and research activities of the urban environment and that will serve to carry out a control of the parameters of environmental quality of the city." "This space will become a reference center for study, research and dissemination on the urban environment and urban sustainability, and will focus its interest in Alicante and its metropolitan area." (Ref. 2) The garden will separate the building from the traffic roads: "The building will have approximately 1,100 square meters and will occupy a central position in the garden, so that it will be separated from the nearby traffic routes. "(Ref. 2) Some studies will be conducted "on air and noise pollution, integrated water management in the municipality, energy efficiency and emission reduction, prevention of climate change or management of sustainable urban mobility and transport."(Ref. 6) The building and its garden aim to become a leading center for environmental research, to perform studies for air and noise pollution, water management, energy efficiency and reduction of CO2 emissions, prevention of climate change and the sustainable urban transport. (Ref 6) However, it is the garden as the focus of this NBS, and not the building itself.

Implementation activities

Plantation of native plants in the garden and implementation of sustainable water irrigation system: "It is a modern and innovative building, glazed, with vegetation cover and surrounded by garden areas among which stands out a large botanical garden with a cistern to collect rainwater, which will irrigate the plants and roofs and terraces of the building."/"This equipment will occupy a plot of 7,000 square meters of surface that will become a garden with representative native vegetation. (Ref. 6) "Projects on air quality, water, flora and fauna, organize workshops and environmental courses and exhibitions, and set up an office to regulate all environmental volunteer work" (Ref 6) Some studies will be conducted "on air and noise pollution, integrated water management in the municipality, energy efficiency and emission reduction, prevention of climate change or management of sustainable urban mobility and transport."(Ref. 6)

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
  • Researchers/University
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

"The project is part of the Urban Barrios Northern Zone of Alicante and will be located in the Vía Parque, in front of the park Lo Morant. The creation of the building has a budget of 982,808 euros, which will be co-financed by the European Commission under the ERDF and under the URBAN initiative provided for in axis 5 "Sustainable Urban and Local Development" of the ERDF OP of the Region of Valencia 2007-2013, with the motto 'A Way to Make Europe '". (Ref. 2)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Yes (Regional and European strategies combined: "URBAN initiative provided for in axis 5 "Sustainable Urban and Local Development" of the ERDF OP of the Region of Valencia 2007-2013, with the motto 'A Way to Make Europe '." (Ref. 5))
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (Regional and European strategies combined: "URBAN initiative provided for in axis 5 "Sustainable Urban and Local Development" of the ERDF OP of the Region of Valencia 2007-2013, with the motto'A Way to Make Europe '." (Ref. 5))

Financing

Total cost

€500,000 - €2,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • EU funds
  • Public regional budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

No

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increase in protected green space areas
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased spread of native/heirloom/open-pollinated seed
  • Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales

Economic impacts

  • Unknown
  • Other

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Improvement in people’s connection to nature
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • Other

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. Hernandez, J. (2014). The Environmental Observatory is going forward. [El Observatorio de Medio Ambiente sigue adelante]. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 6, 2020)
2. Anon. (2012). The Urban Environmental Observatory will be like this. [Así será el Observatorio de Medio Ambiente Urbano]. Source link. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 6, 2020)
3. Sepulcre, Ricardo (2016, January). "La UE asumirá finalmente 622.000 euros del coste de las obras del Observatorio de Medio Ambiente". Source link (Website not available in 2020)
4. Raga Saez, Fran (2016, March). The Environmental Observatory will have delays due to non-approved budgets. [El Observatorio de Medio Ambiente se retrasará por no tener aprobados los presupuestos]. Source link. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 6, 2020)
5. Martín, S. (2017). The Environmental Observatory will open 4 years later. [El Observatorio de Medio Ambiente abrirá cuatro años después]. Source link. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 6, 2020)
6. EML. (2015). An innovator building to research about the urban environment. [Un edificio innovador para investigar sobre el medio ambiente urbano]. Source link. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 6, 2020)
7. Martín, S. (2019). The Observatory, a mass in disuse and not finished, four years later. ["El Observatorio, una mole en desuso y sin rematar, cuatro años después"]. Radio Alicante. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 6, 2020)
8. Navarro, R. 2018. "El PP culpa al tripartito del caos del Observatorio de Medio Ambiente y estudia ajustes en el edificio". AlicantePlaza. [The PP blames the tripartite for the chaos of the Environment Observatory and studies adjustments in the building]. Available at: Source link