, Göteborg (FUA),
City population: 939291
Duration: 2021 – unknown
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Unknown
Last updated: March 2025

A green area was turned into a "reuse park" to save trees, bushes and other plants that had to be moved from elsewhere due to construction work. The project resulted from constructing the new business school at the University of Gothenburg, where circular economy initiatives are being tested. Plants that would have to be removed from that site were moved to the park at Medicinareberget temporarily. They will later be replanted elsewhere on campus, saving money and reducing the environmental impact of buying new plants. The lead actor in the project is the public real estate company Akademiska Hus, which owns and manages the affected parts of the university campus. The reuse park was established in 2021, and it's implied that it can continue to function as a storage site for plants from different construction locations. The project is highlighted as a learning opportunity for how the reuse of plants can be implemented in future construction projects. The project is connected to the regional initiative Återbruk Väst within the national platform CCbuild, which promotes circular solutions in the construction centre [Ref. 1-5].

Green and flowering bushes and trees around a small pond
Bushes and trees in the reuse park at Medicinareberget
https://www.akademiskahus.se/campusutveckling/hallbara-campus/hallbarhetscase/aterbrukspark/

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 mitigation
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Habitat and biodiversity conservation
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

  • Environmental Degradation
  • Biodiversity loss

Key priorities

Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)

Focus

Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks)

Project objectives

- Preserve grown trees and bushes that have to be moved due to construction [Ref. 1-4] - Improve biodiversity [Ref. 2] - Create a hospitable environment for employees and students on campus. [Ref. 1-3] - Reduce costs and emissions from cultivating and transporting new plants for green spaces. [Ref. 2, 4] -Develop the method of reusing plants for use in the future [Ref. 3]

Implementation activities

1. A circular economy approach was adopted in the construction of the new business school. 2. The circular use of plants was introduced to save bushes and trees present at the construction site. 3. Plants were moved to the reuse park at Medicinareberget. 4. Plants are preserved in the park until they can be moved to a new permanent place. 5. The project was evaluated. [Ref. 2-5].

Climate-focused activities

Climate change mitigation:

  • Other

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Create new habitats
  • Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
  • Protect species
  • Undertake specific measures to protect species

Main beneficiaries

  • Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
  • Researchers/University
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Public sector institution

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Akademiska hus, the owner of the project, is a real estate company owned by the Swedish government that specialises in owning and managing university buildings and campuses [Ref. 1, 6]. In the construction project for the new business school, they cooperated with the innovation network Återbruk Väst/CCbuild, run by the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL) and Vinnova, the Swedish Innovation Agency [Ref. 5]. It is not clear if the project receives any funding from CCbuild. The University of Gothenburg is an important stakeholder as the tenant of the campus and is involved in the implementation [Ref. 2].

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

Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships), City network or regional partnerships focused on climate change, sustainability, GI or NBS in the city

Financing

Total cost

€10,000 - €50,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public national budget
  • Corporate investment

Type of funding

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

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Reduced emissions
  • Expected reduced emissions
  • Green space and habitat
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Achieved reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present
  • Achieved increased number of species present
  • Enhanced support of pollination
  • Expected enhanced support of pollination

Economic impacts

  • Other

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Achieved improved access to urban green space
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Improved mental health
  • Expected improved mental health
  • Enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
  • Expected enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief

Type of reported 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

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

1.
Akademiska hus (n.d.). Sveriges första återbrukspark. Accessed on August 21, 2024, [Source link];
2.
University of Gothenburg (2021). Växter får en andra chans på Medicinareberget. Accessed on August 21, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Bayramoglu, Y. (2021). Här får växter en andra chans – en återbrukspark i Göteborg. Aha, Accessed on August 21, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Florman, E. (n.d.). Sveriges första återbrukspark. Akademiska hus, [Source link];
5.
Centrum för Cirkulärt Byggande (n.d.). Nya Handelshögskolan i Göteborg. Accessed on August 21, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Akademiska Hus (n.d.). Svensk modell – fastigheter för forskning och utbildning. Accessed on October 1, 2024, [Source link];
naturescapes bannerInformation about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.