Last updated: March 2025
The park called Järnvågsparken will be constructed in the developing neighbourhood of Masthuggskajen as the main green space of the area, measuring about 8000 m2. The park will offer recreational activities for people living and working in the area, with spaces designated for rest, meetings, picnics, walking and play. For example, there will be a large playground, many different places to sit, grass lawns and a space to host cultural events in [Ref. 1-4]. The park will also be designed to manage stormwater and reduce flood risk [Ref. 5, 6]. The park will be built over an existing highway, turning it into a tunnel while reconnecting the new neighbourhood. The remaining future park area next to the road are currently parking spaces [Ref. 1, 4, 5]. The adjacent streets will also see more greening, increasing the connectivity of green spaces and mobility [Ref. 4-6]. The location on top of a tunnel limits the soil depth of the park, but the ambition is still to house a rich plant and animal life, including trees, providing ecosystem services [Ref. 1-6]. The project is managed by the City of Gothenburg [Ref. 1, 7].
Planned layout of the park
Ref. 9
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Inclusive governance
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social interaction
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Urban flooding (stormwater)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Rapid urbanization
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of large parks and urban and peri-urban forests
Project objectives
- Provide the neighbourhood with a city park acting as the main green space for recreation and activities in the area.
- Promote biodiversity through planting different plant species and types.
- Improve stormwater management by increasing the water retention capacity in the park [Ref. 1-7]
Implementation activities
1. The detailed zoning plan for the area, establishing the location and boundaries of the park, was approved in 2017. As part of the planning process, consultation with stakeholders was held [Ref. 7].
2. A sustainability program for the Masthuggskajen neighbourhood, establishing goals that the park will contribute towards, was adopted by the City of Gothenburg and construction companies in 2017 [Ref. 6].
3. In 2024, the work to build a deck over the highway started [Ref. 4].
4. The park is planned to finish construction around 2030 [Ref. 1-4].
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The City of Gothenburg is responsible for planning, funding, and building the park [Ref. 1, 7]. In the planning stage, stakeholders were consulted to identify needs and wishes regarding the park. This includes local citizens, businesses and other public institutions [Ref. 5, 7]. The sustainability program for Masthuggskajen, which affects the design of the park, was created in cooperation between the city and construction or real estate companies active in the development of the area [Ref. 6].
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The zoning plan for the area [Ref. 7]
The sustainability program for the Masthuggskajen neighbourhood [Ref. 6])
Type of enablers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Expected increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Expected improved stormwater management
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
- Expected increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Expected improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Expected increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Type of reported 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
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Social justice and conflicts, Limited access to NBS benefits for certain socio-economic groups
References
1.
City of Gothenburg (2023). Så blir Masthuggskajens nya parker Järnvågsparken och Masthuggsparken. Accessed on October 2, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Masthuggskajen (2023). Så blir Masthuggskajens nya parker Järnvågsparken och Masthuggsparken. Accessed on October 2, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Isaksson, L. (2023). Så blir Masthuggskajens nya parker. Mitt i Göteborg, Accessed on October 2, 2024, [Source link];
4.
City of Gothenburg (2024). Götatunnelns ramper däckas över för att göra plats åt Järnvågsparken. Accessed on October 2, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Masthuggskajen (2021). 300 nya träd ska få Masthuggskajen att grönska [Video]. [Source link];
6.
Älvstaden (2017). Hållbarhetsprogram Masthuggskajen. [Source link];
7.
City of Gothenburg (2017). Detaljplan för Järnvågsgatan m.fl. inom stadsdelen Majorna-Linné i Göteborg.;
8.
Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (n.d.). Segregationsbarometern: Göteborg. Accessed on October 2, 2024, [Source link];
9.
City of Gothenburg (2022). Ändring av detaljplan för blandad stadsbebyggelse vid Järnvågsgatan m.fl. inom stadsdelen Masthugget i Göteborg. [Source link];
The playground in Järnvågsparken
Ref. 1
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.