Last updated: September 2024
An old park in Gothenburg was renovated to become "the world's best park when it rains" and attract visitors all year round. Rainfall is common in Gothenburg, but more importantly, the amount and intensity of rain are expected to increase in the future due to climate change. Municipal real estate company Higab had the park renovated to make the entrances more accessible and show that the park is open to everyone. A few rain gardens were created to better take care of rainwater, as well as a roof and sculptures interacting with the rain for aesthetic purposes. Additionally, existing plants and trees were cared for, and new ones were planted to create varied vegetation year-round. The area has been a park since 1860, therefore, efforts were made to preserve the historical space, such as using necessary amenities (benches, light sources) as well as improve the ecological function of the park. Special care was taken not to damage grown trees, such as the cherry trees, which blossom in the spring and are a popular attraction [Ref. 1, 2, 4, 5]
The rain pavilion which provides shelter and contains art that interacts with the rain
https://www.higab.se/projekt/seminarieparken/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Lakes/ponds
- Green areas for water management
- Rain gardens
- Sustainable urban drainage systems
- 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
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Urban flooding (stormwater)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Social Justice and community
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks)
Project objectives
- To create "the world's best park when it rains", meaning the park can manage rainwater to prevent flooding, and that it should be attractive to visit the park when it rains
- Make the park more visible and accessible, as it is considered a somewhat "forgotten" area [Ref. 1-2, 4]
- Preserve the history of the park by combining history and tradition with new ideas
- Make the park a place for recreation and relaxation [Ref. 1-2]
Implementation activities
1. As part of the 400-jubilee celebration, Higab partnered with Rain Gothenburg to plan the park's renovations [Ref. 1, 2, 5]
2. The entrances were renovated to make the park more accessible and welcoming [Ref. 1, 2]
3. New plants were planted, and existing ones underwent cutting and maintenance in order to create varied vegetation all year round. The use and size of machines during construction were limited to protect the existing trees and not cause compaction of the soil [Ref. 1-3]
4. Implemented elements that interact with natural water, including a couple of rain gardens to store stormwater and the rain pavilion, which provides shelter and aesthetic appreciation [Ref. 1-4]
5. Added new amenities such as bike parking, benches, bins and better lighting.
6. Create opportunities for learning about plants and nature [Ref. 1, 3]
7. Renovate and open a pond in the park, where water will seep down from the pavilion onto works of art in the pond, which will then be activated by the rain. [Ref. 2]
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater
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
- 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 municipal real estate company Higab owns the park and led the project. They cooperated with Rain Gothenburg, a project by the City of Gothenburg that was part of the 400-year jubilee celebrations. One private construction company, Anlab, and two architecture firms, Landskapsgruppen AB and GAJD Arkitekter. [Ref. 1, 4]
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
City network or regional partnerships focused on climate change, sustainability, GI or NBS in the city
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
- Expected increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Achieved improved stormwater management
- 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
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Achieved protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- 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
Social justice and conflicts, Limited access to NBS benefits for certain socio-economic groups, Other
References
1.
Higab (n.d.). Projekt Seminarieparken. Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Hellström, D. (2022). Seminarieparken byggs om – planeras vara klar nästa vår. Göteborgs-Posten, [Source link];
3.
Anlab (n.d.). Seminarieparken, Göteborg. Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Higab (2023). Efter upprustningen: I Seminarieparken är regnet välkommet. [Source link];
5.
City of Gothenburg (n.d.). Rain Gothenburg - regnstaden Göteborg som en förebild. Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Cavanna, J.-O. (2023). Hur tolkar Higab begreppet tillgänglighet?. Göteborgs-Posten, [Source link];
The new entrance to the park
https://www.higab.se/vara-hus/seminarieparken/
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.