Last updated: March 2025
As part of the development of the neighbourhood around Opaltorget in Tynneryd, Gothenburg, a park has been thoroughly renovated. The area is being developed and renovated as part of a long-term, large-scale project to become more attractive, safe, and sustainable [Ref. 1]. The area has previously been classified as an exposed area, indicating socio-economic problems and relatively high crime rates [Ref. 7, 8]. The old park was considered an important part of the neighbourhood but was sometimes perceived as being unsafe or being used mainly as a passage area. The renovation aims to make the park safer, more attractive, and more accessible to residents [Ref. 1, 3]. The new park includes a playground, recreational areas, rainwater management and a diverse tree population promoting the delivery of several ecosystem services [Ref. 2]. Around the park, new residential buildings and a kindergarten have been constructed, and the adjacent square, a central spot of the neighbourhood for business and social interactions, has been renovated [Ref. 2, 4, 8, 10]
Illustration of Opalparken from above
https://anlab.se/opalparken-vart-nasta-projekt-i-frolunda/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Urban flooding (stormwater)
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
- Insecurity in public spaces
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of any other green urban spaces
Project objectives
- To make the old park and green area safer [Ref. 1]. In planning documents, the focus is on social aspects and the perceptions of the locals, and the park is made to have better visibility [Ref. 1, 3]
- To make the park more attractive to visit and promote recreational activities. The new park has surfaces both for rest and activities such as a playground and spots to play boule [Ref. 2, 4].
- To enable the park to handle large amounts of rainwater and prevent flooding [Ref. 5]
- To have a high species diversity of trees to promote ecosystem services and increase resilience [Ref. 6]
Implementation activities
1. Municipal spatial planning for urban development of the area the park is located in according to Swedish law including:
- Describing the current status and issues of the area
- Forming a plan for the development of the area
- Investigating economic, social and ecological consequences of the plan
- Consulting of local stakeholders [Ref. 9]
2. Rebuilding and renovating the park including planting trees and constructing an amphitheater doubling as a rainwater reservoir [Ref. 2, 4-6].
3. Inaugurating the park and advertising it through municipal communication channels and media [Ref. 2, 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
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The City of Gothenburg led the planning process and decided on the placement and general design of the park through the zoning plan (Swedish: Detaljplan). A consulting company (Norconsult AB) was employed to aid in the planning process and investigations. For the larger neighbourhood project of Opaltorget, several construction/housing companies are listed as part of the project, but it is not clear if they are involved with the park project [Ref. 9]. Throughout the planning process, consultations with stakeholders were held in the form of meetings and sent out consultation documents, which is required by Swedish laws.
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(Zoning plan for the area [Ref. 1])
Type of enablers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
€500,000 - €2,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Achieved increased protection against flooding
- Green space and habitat
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Expected increased opportunities for social interaction
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Safety
- Increased perception of safety
- Expected increased perception of safety
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
Ecosystems and biodiversity, Introducing of non-native species, Other
References
1.
Stadsbyggnadskontoret (2014). Detaljplan för Centrum och Bostäder vid Opaltorget, Etapp 1 inom stadsdelarna Tynnerid och Önnered i Göteborg: Planbeskrivning. City of Gothenburg, [Source link];
2.
City of Gothenburg (2024). Nu kan du njuta av den nya Opalparken. Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Erkman, Å., Seipel, L., Simonsen, L. H., Jurin, A., & Berg, G. (2009). Kvalitetsprogram för den offentliga miljön i detaljplan för centrum och bostäder vid Opaltorget. Norconsult, [Source link];
4.
City of Gothenburg (2024). Kolla in nya Opalparken [Film]. Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
5.
City of Gothenburg (2023). Opalparken tar hand om 3000 kubikmeter regnvatten. Accessed on August 7, 2024, [Source link];
6.
City of Gothenburg (2023). Stor trädplantering i Opalparken. Accessed on August 7, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Dagson, J. (2017). Opaltorget kämpar för att resa sig på nytt. Sveriges Television, Accessed on August 7, 2024, [Source link];
8.
Rehnström, Å. (2022). Så har Opaltorget blivit tryggare. City of Gothenburg, Accessed on August 7, 2024, [Source link];
9.
City of Gothenburg (n.d.). Plan- och byggprojekt: Tynnered - stadsförnyelse vid Opaltorget. Accessed on August 7, 2024, [Source link];
10.
Roos, J. (2021). Högtidlig förinvigning av Opaltorget. Mitt i Göteborg, Accessed on August 8, 2024, [Source link];
Photograph of the new Opalparken
Stadsmiljöförvaltningen, City of Gothenburg. https://vartgoteborg.se/p/nya-opalparken-har-oppnat/
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.