Malaga, Spain
City population: 564439
Duration: 2011 – 2012
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 900 m2
Type of area: Previous derelict area
Last updated: October 2021

The garden is an opportunity for training, leisure and coexistence where the teaching of ecological gardening is combined with the love of plants and the social use of land. Consolidated in just one year as a training point for the unemployed without losing that playful-neighborhood component with which it opened its doors. In it the volunteers develop a methodology of teaching that facilitates the socialization and the reintegration work when acquiring knowledge in gardening and carpentry. (ref 1)

Bailen Garden 1
Source: Ref. 5

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Parks and urban forests
  • Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Allotments
  • Community gardens

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Improvements to water quality
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
  • Inclusive governance
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education
  • Social justice and equity
  • Social cohesion
  • Social interaction
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Employment/job creation
  • Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Sustainable production

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Project objectives

Have a space to share and enjoy outdoor plants, all from a healthy point of view, without using fertilizers or chemical pesticides and recycling the wood and objects that are obtained through donations (ref 1) Cultivate a range of ornamental flowers, succulents, and herbs. (ref 2) Provide a space for employment training, leisure, and coexistence (ref 1)

Implementation activities

Conditioning of the terrain (ref 1) Setting up of the drip irrigation network (ref 1) Use of drought-resistant plants (ref 1) Aesthetic design/ elements added to the garden (ref 1) First round of seeds planted, local plants selected for their resilience to the climate (ref 1) Workshops for children involving planting pots, or stone painting (ref 1) Volunteers promote carpentry and nursery activities (ref 1)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Increase the use of climate-resilient plant species (resistant to drought, fire, and pests)

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups
  • Marginalized groups: Elderly people, Refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed), Other
  • Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
  • Young people and children
  • Other

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Citizens or community group
  • District/neighbourhood association
  • Other

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Taskforce groups
  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
  • Co-management/Joint management

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Initiated by a petition of Eduardo Maldonado, a volunteer with the Asociacion Arrabal (social, non-profit organization) (ref 3) Asociacion Arrabal (social, non-profit organization): volunteer coordination (ref 1) Collaboration between Junta Municipal de Distrito Bailen-Miraflores (district government) and volunteers from Banco del Tiempo (Time Bank, system of exchange of services for time) (ref 3) Volunteers: residents, housewives, retired, in age bracket of 30 to 65+ years old; mostly Spanish, some South American, some Moroccan (ref 2,3) Proteja plan (regional plan), source of funding for project (ref 1) City Council: pays for electricity and water costs (ref 1) Red de Huertas Urbanas de Malaga (RHUMA) is a city network of urban gardens, this is included in that network (ref 2) Huertos Urbanos en el Municipio de Malaga, a research project part of the XII SEAE Congress about the management of agrosystems and ecological food is involved with this NBS as well. (ref 2)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? No
... a national policy or strategy? No
... a local policy or strategy? No

Financing

Total cost

€10,000 - €50,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public regional budget
  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

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

Non-financial contribution

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

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
  • Environmental quality
  • Improved waste management
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Reduced risk of damages by drought
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased number of species present
  • Increased spread of native/heirloom/open-pollinated seed
  • Restoration of derelict areas
  • Other

Economic impacts

  • Other

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Increased access to healthy/affordable food
  • Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Improved physical health
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Promotion of cultural diversity
  • Education
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

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

References

1. Navas, Noemi R. (2013). El Jardín de Bailén: una oportunidad para la formación. Retrieved July 12, 2017, Diario Sur: Source link
2. Perez-Lara, J. et al. (2016). Huertos Urbanos en el Municipio de Malaga. [Document provided].
3. Fernandez, Nieves. (2013). Huertos Urbanos en Malaga como Alternativa Sostenible a los Solares en Desuso. [Document provided].
4. La Opinion de Malaga. (2012). Cuatro Huertos Urbanos, a la Espera de ser cultivados. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 September 2020].
5. Jardín Ecológico Carril de Gamarra. (2015). Jardín Ecológico Carril de Gamarra. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 September 2020].
Bailen Garden 2
Source: Ref. 5
Bailen Garden 3
Source: Ref. 5