Last updated: October 2021
The Aa promenade, created in 1950 to provide the citizens of Muenster with a green experience trail in the inner city, was redeveloped in the 90s with several planting measures on riverbanks, walls and in adjacent areas. Next to a brochure, a nature trail which combines the existing recreational with an educational component was created with 18 site-specific signposting points. They cover multiple benefits and ecological functions of urban green spaces, city trees and green facades/walls (microclimate regulation, air quality, CO2 capture), anthropogenic threats, unknown biodiversity hotspots and natural monuments (Ref. 1, 3 and 6).
MUNSTER PROMENADE AND AASEEPARK
Source: Ref. 7
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Blue infrastructure
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
- Green corridors and green belts
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Regulation of built environment
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Tourism support
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Project objectives
The goals are:
-Strengthening the riverbanks of the Aa through intensive natural greening (Ref. 1 and 6)
-Increasing green spaces in the inner city to foster citizens' recreation, enhance their identification with the place and improve the city's aesthetics (Ref. 6)
-Creating an attractive nature trail in the inner city that also serves as a green corridor and connects the city with its outer green spaces (Ref. 1 and 6)
-Creating habitats and migration routes for plants, insects, small mammals and birds (Ref. 6).
-Disseminating knowledge about the ecological connections and interdependencies in the urban fabric and the city`s history through informative stations/signposts (Ref. 2)
-Increase awareness about the city as an integrated ecosystem and habitat for human-beings, flora and fauna; as well as the importance of nature conservation in urban areas (Ref. 2 and 6)
Implementation activities
The Aa promenade was newly paved, accessibility improved, several green maintenance and improvement measures made along the riverbanks and at natural monuments (city wall and wild plant meadow, plants growing on walls of the path). In 18 information points and the accompanying brochure, the following topics are explained: the importance of the lake Aa and urban spaces for the regulation of the urban microclimate, protected forest species, the importance and maintenance of wild plant meadows and their plants composition, green walls (moss, wall plants etc.), ecological condition and water quality of the river Aa, the importance of urban public green spaces for recreation, the importance of buildings as habitats for indigenous species (eagle), the multiple benefits of illustrative green facades along the way, ecosystem services provided by city trees. Through direct experience and background information, awareness for human-nature connections is created (Ref. 1, 2 and 6).
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity
- Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Means for conservation governance
- Biodiversity offsets
- Raise public awareness
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The Aa path and the promenade form part of the city's green system which consists of 7 green corridors which lead from the inner city to its outer districts concentrically in a star shape, three green rings (one of which is the promenade) and a green corridor along the Dortmund-Ems Channel. The city's green system is laid down in the so-called "Grünordnung" an open space planning guideline which serves as the base for all other city related planning developments. It aims at securing urban green spaces for the benefits of its residents and connecting the innercity green stretches with its outer areas (Ref. 6))
Financing
Total cost
€100,000 - €500,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public regional budget
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
- Donations
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
- Increased green space area
- Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
Economic impacts
- More sustainable tourism
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Stadt Münster. (n.d.) Modellstadt Münster. Experimenteller Wohnungs- und Städtebau. Gute Beispiele zum Handlungsfeld ‘Umwelt’. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
2. Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (BBR). (2011). WerkstattStadt. Naturpädagogischer Aaseitenweg Münster ‘Stadtökologischer Lehrpfad’(Nordrhein-Westfalen). Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
3. European Urban Knowledge Network. (2010). Urban ecological nature trail in Münster. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
4. Stadt Münster. (2014). Kein Geld für Spiekerhof-Brücke. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
5. Stadt Münster (n.d.) Modellstadt Münster. Experimenteller Wohnungs- und Städtebau. Städte der Zukunft. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
6. Stadt Münster Amt für Grünflächen und Naturschutz. (1996). Aaseitenweg. Information der Stadt Münster. 1st edn. Edited by Der Oberstadtdirektor der Stadt Münster. Amt für Grünflächen und Naturschutz in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Presse- und Informationsamt. Münster: Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
7. EUROPEAN GARDEN HERITAGE NETWORK – EGHN. (n.d.) Münster Promenade and Aaseepark. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
2. Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (BBR). (2011). WerkstattStadt. Naturpädagogischer Aaseitenweg Münster ‘Stadtökologischer Lehrpfad’(Nordrhein-Westfalen). Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
3. European Urban Knowledge Network. (2010). Urban ecological nature trail in Münster. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
4. Stadt Münster. (2014). Kein Geld für Spiekerhof-Brücke. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
5. Stadt Münster (n.d.) Modellstadt Münster. Experimenteller Wohnungs- und Städtebau. Städte der Zukunft. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
6. Stadt Münster Amt für Grünflächen und Naturschutz. (1996). Aaseitenweg. Information der Stadt Münster. 1st edn. Edited by Der Oberstadtdirektor der Stadt Münster. Amt für Grünflächen und Naturschutz in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Presse- und Informationsamt. Münster: Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
7. EUROPEAN GARDEN HERITAGE NETWORK – EGHN. (n.d.) Münster Promenade and Aaseepark. Available at: Source link (Accessed 9 August 2020)
MUNSTER PROMENADE AND AASEEPARK
Source: Ref. 7
MUNSTER PROMENADE AND AASEEPARK
Source: Ref. 7