Last updated: September 2024
The Horta Nova Urban Park, located in the Carnide parish (Lisbon), is a recently inaugurated green space that combines horticulture with community recreation. The Carnides neighbourhood is characterised by an inspiring history of overcoming hardship, with residents turning food shortages into opportunities by cultivating community gardens since the 70s. Currently, "the neighbourhood continues to be an example of solidarity, innovation and community spirit" (Ref. 2). In 2013, as a response to food scarcity caused during the post-Troika economic crisis, a group of local residents created an unauthorised vegetable garden overnight, on previously derelict space in the neighbourhood. Only in 2021 did the local authorities officially recognise the vegetable gardens, which since 2013 had operated under an informal agreement (Ref. 3). With the official establishment of the horticultural park, in addition, the park has a newly planted broad lawn, an open-air gym, and a dedicated dog park, creating a versatile space for residents (Ref 3). Currently, this park features 80 vegetable plots, each with a dimension of 100 m2 per plot, attributed by the municipality through an official application process (Ref. 1). The park is a great reflection of the neighbourhood’s resilience and its history of small-scale citizen-oriented agricultural production that began as a response to social difficulties (Ref 1, 2).
Carnide's new garden
Ref. 4: Photo by Mário Rui André/Lisbon for People
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Allotments
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable production
- Food scarcity / security
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Agriculture/ crop production
- Resource Scarcity and Competition
- Food insecurity due to disruptions in food production and distribution
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments)
Project objectives
The goals of the Horta Nova intervention include:
1. Formalize Community Gardens: Officially recognize and expand the gardens created during the post-Troika crisis to ensure food security (Ref 3).
2. Enhance Community Cohesion: Strengthen residents' sense of community and mutual support (Ref 1, Ref 2).
3. Revitalize Urban Spaces: Transform abandoned land into productive green spaces for the neighbourhood (Ref 3).
4. Create Recreational Areas: Develop a park with a lawn, dog park, and gym for resident recreation (Ref 4).
Implementation activities
1. Formalization of Community Gardens: The informal gardens, initially created by residents in response to food scarcity, were officially recognized and allocated 80 plots. This formalization ensures that the gardens continue to provide food security and strengthen community ties (Ref 3).
2. Land Requalification: Abandoned or underutilized urban spaces were requalified and transformed into productive green areas, addressing the problem of neglected land and enhancing the neighbourhood’s aesthetic and environmental quality (Ref 3).
3. Creation of Recreational Facilities: A green park was developed with a lawn, dog park, and open-air gym. These facilities address the lack of recreational spaces in the area, providing residents with opportunities for physical activity and social interaction (Ref 4).
4. Community Engagement and Support: The intervention involved community participation, ensuring that those who had originally cultivated the gardens were included in the new allocations, thereby maintaining social cohesion and preventing displacement (Ref 3).
These activities address the existing problems of food insecurity, lack of green and recreational spaces, and social fragmentation in the Horta Nova neighbourhood by providing formalized, sustainable solutions that enhance both community welfare and environmental quality.
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Elderly people, Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Citizens or community group
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Initially, the project was a local residents' initiative however currently, the project is organised and led by both the local parish council and local citizens (Ref 3)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
No
Type of enablers
Change agents (individual with major role influence on launching)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Restoration of derelict areas
- Achieved restoration of derelict areas
Economic impacts
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Achieved improved social cohesion
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Achieved increased opportunities for social interaction
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Supporting ill-health communities facing loneliness, anxitey or depression
- Expected supporting ill-health communities facing loneliness, anxitey or depression
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.
LPP (2021). Horta Nova, in Carnide, gains vegetable park and new green space. Accessed on August 27, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Carnide Parish Council (n.d.). Horta Nova neighborhood. Accessed on August 28, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Reis, C.; Leote, I. (2022). Horta Nova, the Carnide neighborhood where post-Troika hunger turned residents into small farmers. Accessed on August 28, 2024, [Source link];
4.
LPP (2021). Carnide's new garden that is (still) a hidden treasure in the parish. Accessed on August 28, 2024, [Source link];
Carnide's new garden: outdoor gym
Ref. 4: Photo by Mário Rui André/Lisbon for People
Carnide's new garden
Ref. 4: Photo by Mário Rui André/Lisbon for People
Carnide's new garden
Ref. 4: Photo by Mário Rui André/Lisbon for People
Carnide's new garden
Ref. 4: Photo by Mário Rui André/Lisbon for People
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.