Last updated: October 2024
In 2021, the real estate company Inamstro, in collaboration with the Municipality of Iași, the civil organization "Glasul Vieții" (Voice of Life), and local citizens, initiated a tree-planting initiative that involved planting 250 trees near a residential area and a parking lot in the Frumoasa neighborhood of Iași. This neighborhood is smaller compared to other areas of the city and was developed during the communist systematization of the 1970s and 1980s. It consists of groups of four-story blocks arranged around common spaces, situated near the Frumoasa Monastery complex. The main goals of the 2021 planting action were to enhance green space, lower air temperatures, reduce urban air pollutants—such as fine particulate matter—absorb CO2, and improve overall health and quality of life (1–5). Additionally, the implementing company concluded that the trees planted near residential areas can significantly reduce energy needs for air conditioning and heating, leading to an average cost decrease of 30% during summer and winter (1, 2). Volunteers participating in the project received a "tree certificate," signifying their commitment to planting and adopting a tree (7). In this initiative, volunteers were also tasked with monitoring the growth of their adopted trees to ensure their health (1–6).
Frumoasa
https://apix.ro/cartierul-frumoasa-din-iasi-a-devenit-mai-verde-cu-250-arbori-p/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Climate change mitigation
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Noise reduction
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Improving mental health
- Improving physical health
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Sense of community and community engagement
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
- Environmental Degradation
- Air pollution
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Physical health harm (from pollution, wildfire, extreme temperature)
- Poor community engagement
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of any other green urban spaces, Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity, Citizen science and monitoring initiatives (e.g. species observations, habitat assessments, and data collection efforts)
Project objectives
1. To increase the surface and quality of green spaces .
2. To address issues stemming from extreme temperatures .
3. To contribute to the reduction of urban air pollutants including fine particles, help with the absorption of CO2, lower the air temperature, and reduce noise by planting trees in the neighborhood .
4. To improve physical and mental health, and offer a better quality of life and to engage the community on a voluntary basis by monitoring the trees to ensure their growth . (1-5)
Implementation activities
The initiative of the Inamstro construction company to plant several species of trees in the Frumoasa neighborhood was accepted by the Iași City Hall. The logistical support for the planting of trees in the Frumoasa neighborhood by the volunteers of the Inamstro company, the volunteers of the Glasul Vieții association, and other participants was granted by the Iași City Hall through Servicii Publice IAȘI S.A. The project successfully planted 250 trees of four different species—linden, maple, birch, and prunus—next to a parking lot adjacent to a residential area (1–5).
Additionally, the project established a citizen-monitoring initiative under the project. In this initiative, volunteers were each assigned one tree to monitor, ensuring its growth and health. To symbolize their commitment, each volunteer received a "tree certificate," marking their adoption of the trees (1–5).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
Climate change mitigation:
- Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Citizen monitoring and review
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The private construction company Inamstro started and financed through direct funding and tax exemption the initiative in partnership with the municipality of Iasi. The municipality provided volunteers, trees, and strategic advice through its public service institution , and the religious civil society organisation "Glasul Vietii" provided volunteers as well ). Citizens provided labour force through volunteering, and were tasked to monitor trees after their plantation (1-7).
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), Collaboration with other projects that implemented NBS
Financing
Total cost
€50,000 - €100,000
Source(s) of funding
- Corporate investment
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
- Tax exemption
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Expected lowered local temperature
- Reduced emissions
- Expected reduced emissions
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Expected improved air quality
- Reduced noise exposure
- Expected reduced noise exposure
- Green space and habitat
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
- Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
- Reduce financial cost for urban management
- Expected reduce financial cost for urban management
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved liveability
- Expected improved liveability
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Expected improved physical health
- Improved mental health
- Expected improved mental health
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
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
Unknown
References
1.
Ziarul de Iasi (2021). Compania de construcții Inamstro va contribui la îmbunătățirea spațiilor verzi din cartierul Frumoasa (P). Accessed on August 15, 2024, [Source link];
2.
APIX (2021). Compania Inamstro plantează 250 de copaci în Frumoasa (P). Accessed on August 15, 2024, [Source link];
3.
APIX (2021). Spații verzi Cartierul Frumoasa din Iași a devenit mai verde cu 250 arbori (P). Accessed on August 15, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Tanasa, C. (2021). Cartierul Frumoasa a devenit mai verde cu 250 arbori. O inițiativă Inamstro. ReporterIS, Accessed on August 15, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Inamstro Romania (2021). Inamstro Romania "plantare" Facebook . Facebook, Accessed on August 15, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Agora (2021). Infrastructură modernă de cartier, grație unui parteneriat dintre Inamstro și Primăria Municipiului Iași . Accessed on August 15, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Adopta un Copac (n.d.). Program Adopta un Copac . Accessed on August 15, 2024, [Source link];
8.
STORIA (n.d.). Trai Storia Frumoasa. Accessed on October 7, 2024, [Source link];
9.
Primaria Municipiului Iasi (2015 ). Strategia Integrata de Dezvoltare Urbana 2015-2030. p. 478 to 490. Accessed on October 7, 2024, [Source link];
10.
Ziarul de Iasi (2022). Frumoasa - cartierul născut din istorie, tradiție, pitoresc și armonia naturii (P) . Accessed on October 7, 2024, [Source link];
11.
Jurnal Trust Media (2021). Compania de construcții INAMSTRO în parteneriat cu Primăria Municipiului Iași a efectuat lucrări edilitare. Accessed on October 7, 2024, [Source link];
Frumoasa
https://apix.ro/cartierul-frumoasa-din-iasi-a-devenit-mai-verde-cu-250-arbori-p/
Planted tree with volunteer tag
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1261391804310899&set=pcb.1261391957644217
Planted tree with volunter tag
https://reporteris.ro/iasi/social/item/109596-cartierul-frumoasa-a-devenit-mai-verde-cu-250-arbori-o-ini%C8%9Biativ%C4%83-inamstro.html
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.