Last updated: October 2021
The project focused on the creation of a rooftop community garden located near a metro station in Bilbao that aims at educating the residents of the neighborhood on how to grow vegetables, how to eat healthily but also offers free practice hours for every person that wants to have their own plot. The project was initiated by the Bilbao's Center of Innovation, a center that aims to contribute to the economic, strategic and solidarity development of the Municipality of Bilbao (Ref 1).
Source: Ref. 1
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Nature on buildings (external)
- Green roofs
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Social justice and equity
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Project objectives
1. Educate residents and young people on the benefits of gardening (Ref 1,3)
2. Increase community cohesion (Ref 1,3)
3. Give homeless people a chance to integrate into society by educating and feeding them (special program) (Ref 1,2)
4. Teach people how to become self-sustainable (Ref 1,3)
5. Create a garden where access is free for practice (Ref 1)
Implementation activities
The garden was established on the roof of the Innovation Center Eutokia, in 2012. The center offered the possibility of converting roofs into vegetable spaces, taking advantage of the waterproofing of the natural decks to add an added value, in the form of gardens that can use neighboring communities. (Ref 1)
Workshops open to the public are held periodically to learn how to plant and maintain a small urban garden (Ref 1)
Many residents showed interests but the space proved to be too small in the end and the initiators had to develop extension plans (Ref 1)
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Non-government organisation/Civil Society
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Other
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Non-government organisation/civil society
- Private foundation/trust
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The initiative has been developed through the collaboration of the Eutokia Innovation Center and the Peñascal Foundation (a foundation that eases access to the labor market for different groups) and has become an independent project. (Ref 2)
Eutokia Innovation Center aims to contribute to the economic, strategic and solidarity development of the Municipality of Bilbao (Ref 1).
Tejados y Fachadas Singulares [Singular Roofs and Facades] and Zurtek (companies), focusing on the construction of the green roof and school gardens, also participated in the project (Ref 1).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Unknown
Type of funding
- Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Education
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Achieved 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. Fernández, L. (2012). El proyecto Biortu recupera la agricultura urbana para el ocio y la educación. Spri. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 11 October 2020].
2. Zurnek. (n.d.). BIORTU’S GARDEN SCHOOL IS BEING BUILT IN BOLUETA, BILBAO. Source link [Accessed: 11 October 2020].
3. Luis Ochoa, J. (2011). BIORTU: HUERTOS URBANOS. Economia para las personas. Blogspot. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 11 October 2020].
2. Zurnek. (n.d.). BIORTU’S GARDEN SCHOOL IS BEING BUILT IN BOLUETA, BILBAO. Source link [Accessed: 11 October 2020].
3. Luis Ochoa, J. (2011). BIORTU: HUERTOS URBANOS. Economia para las personas. Blogspot. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 11 October 2020].
Source: Ref. 2
Source: Ref. 3