Brno, Czechia
City population: 384333
Duration: 2019 – 2022
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 3740 m2
Type of area: Industrial, Residential
Last updated: October 2021

This project worked to revitalize the area along the river Old Ponávka. This involves the creation of walking paths, bike paths, and public playgrounds. (Ref. 1). Stará Ponávka and the adjoining Svitavy drive were built in the 13th century in the original riverbeds of Ponávka and Svitava before their regulation. By revitalizing this watercourse, the city returned water back to the city, made it accessible to people and improved the natural state of the site (Ref. 14).

Stará Ponávka Revitalization Project
Stará Ponávka Revitalization Project
Source: https://brnodaily.com/2020/05/18/news/first-stage-of-stara-ponavka-revitalization-project-completed/

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Green playgrounds and school grounds
  • Blue infrastructure
  • Riverbank/Lakeside greens
  • Parks and urban forests
  • Green corridors and green belts
  • Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Flood protection
  • Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Tourism support

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas

Project objectives

- three areas of the river were targeted and are being revitalized, including Teplárny, Škrobárny, and Komárov (Ref. 11) - a comprehensive study was conducted to address the river (Ref. 12). - increased natural flood protection (Ref. 1) - revitalized of the wider area - created new conditions for leisure and recreation - allowed public access to rivers - ecologically reactivated the river and its waterfront - provided a new connecting element between the city center and country-side - constructed a connected system of public green spaces related to the stream (green axis) - increase public awareness of the issue of urban river spaces. (Ref 10).

Implementation activities

- creation of a promenade, bike paths, walking paths, and playgrounds along the river course. (Ref. 1).

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
  • Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Transnational network

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Taskforce groups
  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
  • Co-management/Joint management
  • Other

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The City of Brno initiated the project and has played an active role in its planning (Ref. 1; Ref. 2; Ref. 3). The idea was born as part of the city's participation in the initiative REURIS (Ref 1; Ref 3). REURIS is a co-operation between European institutes and cities, which is a part of a larger initiative for co-operation between central European countries, called Central Europe (Ref. 6; Ref. 7). This is all funded by the European Regional Development Fund, ERDF (Ref. 6; Ref. 7). Citizens from the public take part in the planning of the project by providing suggestions on what should be included/done as part of the revitalization. This is done through a discussion platform on a website (Ref. 3) and also through a survey (Ref. 5). In addition, civic and non-governmental organisations, representatives of institutions, and citizens have been involved in the planning (Ref. 3; Ref. 8, Ref. 10). Students have also been involved in designing the project (Ref. 3, Ref. 9). Subsidies have been received from the ERDF through the REURIS project, and more funding is awaited (Ref. 1; Ref. 3). The rest is from the city council (Ref. 1; Ref. 2).

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Yes (It was implemented through the REURIS initiative, which was created thanks to the EU initiative Central Europe (funded by the ERDF) (Ref. 6; Ref. 7).)
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

More than €4,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • EU funds
  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

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

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Increased protection against flooding
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems
  • Green space and habitat
  • Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Increased number of protection areas
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
  • Restoration of derelict areas

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
  • Improved liveability
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • 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
  • Increased appreciation for natural spaces

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

Ref. 1. Business Media CZ (2016). Revitalizace vodního toku stará Ponávka v Brně. [Not accessible online in July 2020].
Ref. 2. City of Brno (2017). Water in Brno. [Available at:Source link. [Accessed on July 15 2020].
Ref. 3. Source link (2017). Aktualne. [Not accessible online in July 2020].
Ref. 4. Source link (2015). Revitalizace Stare Ponavky. [Not accessible online in July 2020].
Ref. 5. Gregorová, E. (2011). Revitalizace Staré Ponávky: Stručné výsledky anketního šetření. [pdf] [Not accessible online in July 2020].
Ref. 6. KEEP (2014). Project – Revitalization of Urban River Spaces. [Not accessible online in July 2020].
Ref. 7. Central Europe (2013). What is the Central Europe programme?. [Not accessible online in July 2020].
Ref. 8. Bernardová, H. (2010). Revitalizace Stare Ponavky. [pdf] available at: [Not accessible online in July 2020].
Ref. 9. Source link (2011). Vystupy Source link accessible online in July 2020].
Ref. 10. Reuris Project Team (2010). Urban Rivers - Vital Spaces. Manual for Urban River Revitalisation
Implementation, Participation, Benefits. [Available at: Source link [Accessed on July 16 2020].
Ref. 11. REURIS. (2010). Reuris Newsletter April 2010. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on Jul. 16 2020].
Ref 12. REURIS. (2012). Reuris Newsletter January 2012. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on Jul. 16 2020].
Ref 13. REURIS. (2011). Reuris Newsletter April 2011. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on Jul. 16 2020].
Ref 14. Stephens. J. (2020). First Stage of Stará Ponávka Revitalization Project Completed. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: Jul. 16 2020].
Ref 15. Water in Brno. (2020). Flood Protection Source link accessible online in July 2020].
Ref. 16. Source link. (Date unkown). Guideline on detailed revitalisation principles, Project REURIS. [Available at: Source link [Accessed on: Jul. 16 2020].
Ref. 17. "REURIS" Revitalization of Urban River Spaces. (Date unknown). [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: Jul. 16 2020].
Stará Ponávka Revitalization Project
Stará Ponávka Revitalization Project
Source: https://brnodaily.com/2020/05/18/news/first-stage-of-stara-ponavka-revitalization-project-completed/
Stará Ponávka Revitalization Project
Stará Ponávka Revitalization Project
Source: https://brnodaily.com/2020/05/18/news/first-stage-of-stara-ponavka-revitalization-project-completed/