Last updated: September 2024
The Tagus Estuary Linear Riverside Park is a significant environmental and recreational project in Vila Franca de Xira. As part of a broader urban regeneration initiative, the park aimed to enhance the natural and cultural landscape by promoting ecological regeneration while providing public access to the Tagus River (Ref 1). Created in 2013, the park has won several international awards and since then, the park has undergone several extensions. In 2017, another 700-meter walkway was added towards Santa Iria, and the inhabitants of this urban area of Vila Franca de Xira widely use it (Ref. 6). The park covers over 14 hectares and includes pedestrian and cycling paths, environmental education facilities such as the Bird Observatory, and the Environmental and Landscape Interpretation Centre (Ref 2). Recently announced in 2023, the park's newest expansion is set to extend the riverside trails further, creating a continuous route from Lisbon to Alhandra (Ref 5). With future phases planned, the project is expected to significantly increase public interaction with the riverfront and its biodiversity (Ref 5). In this new project phase, the Vila Franca de Xira Municipal Council begins the requalification and environmental and landscape conservation of another section of the riverfront of the Municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, between Alverca and Sobralinho, covering an extension of approximately 4.9 km and an area of approximately 14.1 hectares (Ref. 7). The extension of the park will be developed similarly to its existing infrastructure. New paths for pedestrians and cyclists will be created using elevated wooden structures (walkways). In total, two new cycle-pedestrian trails will be created – Trilho das Comportas (3.32 kilometres long) and the Trilho dos Salgados (594 metres long) –, and the Trilho do Tejo will be extended by a further 990 metres (Ref. 5).
Tagus Estuary Riverside Linear Park
Ref. 1: Photographs by João Morgado – Architectural Photography
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
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation)
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks)
Project objectives
1. Restore and enhance the natural habitats and biodiversity of the Tagus Estuary, addressing environmental degradation (Ref 1, 7).
2. Improve access to the riverfront by creating continuous pedestrian and cycling paths, enhancing public enjoyment of natural spaces (Ref 5).
3. Increase resilience to climate-related issues, such as flooding and heat stress, through green infrastructure and native species planting (Ref 1, Ref 3).
4. Provide spaces for leisure, environmental education, and community engagement through facilities like the Environmental and Landscape Interpretation Centre and Bird Observatory (Ref 1, Ref 2).
5. Promote sustainable urban regeneration by integrating natural and built environments harmoniously (Ref 1).
6. Promote Nature Tourism by boosting the range of activities on offer in the Tagus Estuary (Ref. 7).
7. Implement measures to minimize the impact of rising sea levels as a result of climate change (Ref. 7).
8. Build access infrastructures and promote activities on the river through a diverse range of spaces (Ref. 7).
Implementation activities
1. Ecological Restoration: Planting native species to enhance biodiversity and support habitat restoration (Ref 1, Ref 5).
2. Construction of Pedestrian and Cycle Paths: Creating over 6 km of trails to improve accessibility and connectivity along the riverfront (Ref 1, Ref 5).
3. Development of Educational and Recreational Facilities: Building the Environmental and Landscape Interpretation Centre, Bird Observatory, and multifunctional spaces for public engagement (Ref 1, Ref 3).
4. Expansion of Riverside Acces*: Extending the park by 4.9 km and building new trails, including elevated wooden walkways to enhance public access to nature (Ref 5).
5. Infrastructure for Climate Resilience: Integrating green infrastructure, such as renaturalized areas and flood-resilient design elements (Ref 1, Ref 3).
The NBS addresses ecological degradation by restoring natural habitats, improving biodiversity, and enhancing public accessibility through continuous trails. Additionally, it tackles climate resilience by implementing nature-based infrastructure, helping mitigate flooding risks and heat stress, while promoting sustainable interaction between urban spaces and nature (Ref 1, Ref 3, Ref 5).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
- Protect and restore coastal ecosystems, to address loss of land and livelihoods, due to rising sea levels
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- The project didn't involve any form of stakeholder participatory activities
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The initiative is led by the Municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, with support from EU funding programs and design by the TOPIARIS design team (Ref 1, Ref 2, Ref 5).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(Lisbon Operational Programme ( QREN 2007-2013 ) and the specific Regulation 'Cities Policy - Partnerships for Urban Regeneration - Integrated Programmes for the Enhancement of Riverside and Maritime Fronts'. (Ref. 1))
Type of enablers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- EU funds
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increase in protected green space areas
- Achieved increase in protected green space areas
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Achieved gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Education
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
- Expected increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
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.
vfx (n.d.). Tagus Estuary Riverside Linear Park. Accessed on September 13, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Municipality of Vila Franca de Xira (2016). Tagus Estuary Riverside Linear Park wins reference award - WAN Landscape Award 2016. enews, Accessed on September 13, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Turismo de Lisboa (n.d.). Tagus Estuary Linear Riverside Park. Accessed on September 13, 2024, [Source link];
4.
vfx (n.d.). Linear Riverside Park of the Tagus Estuary / Fishermen's Beach (Forte da Casa). Accessed on September 13, 2024, [Source link];
5.
LPP (2023). Vila Franca de Xira moves forward with extension of riverside walkway. LPP, Accessed on September 13, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Andarilho (2022). O refúgio do Parque Linear Ribeirinho Estuário do Tejo. Accessed on September 15, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Municipio Vila Franca de Xira (2023). Concelho de Vila Franca de Xira cada vez mais perto de uma frente ribeirinha totalmente pedonal e ciclável. Accessed on September 15, 2024, [Source link];
Tagus Estuary Riverside Linear Park
Ref. 1: Photographs by João Morgado – Architectural Photography
Tagus Estuary Riverside Linear Park
Ref. 1: Photographs by João Morgado – Architectural Photography
Tagus Estuary Riverside Linear Park
Ref. 1: Photographs by João Morgado – Architectural Photography
Summary of the project to extend the Tagus Estuary Linear Park (via CMVFX)
Ref. 5
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.