Murcia, Spain
City population: 442801
Duration: pre-1990 – 2020
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 27000 m2
Type of area: Industrial, Previous derelict area, Other
Last updated: October 2021

The Salitre Garden was a public park inaugurated in 1994 and built around the area of the former gunpowder factory. For this reason, it is also known as the Garden of Gunpowder (Ref 2). It is a green space planned in the urban centre, that has gone through different rehabilitation and remodelling stages. The first one was in 1987 when the land was bought by the municipality and made into the park (Ref 2 and 3). The second one was in 2012 by covering a green space around the powder factory (Ref 5). Another one was the inclusion of a new green labyrinth was installed in 2017 (Ref 4). The last one was in 2020 when a new botanical garden will be created on the island, with an open-air gym and a children's area (Ref 8).

The parks and gardens of Salitre
The parks and gardens of Salitre
Source: Ref. 8

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Parks and urban forests
  • Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
  • Botanical gardens
  • Green areas for water management
  • Sustainable urban drainage systems

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Improvements to water quality
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Transformation of previously derelict areas

Project objectives

In 2020, the project goals of rehabilitation and remodelling activities for the park included: the creation of a botanical garden, new spaces with shadow, a playground of sand and water, a look-out, and other games and resting places (Ref 8).

Implementation activities

The implemented activities for the creation and rehabilitation of the park have included: - After 1987 - Hispanic-Arab garden and gardening techniques have been recreated, the square of the Arcos de Agua, with a fountain with three types of arches symbolizing the three cultures that lived in the Segura Valley, the labyrinth of aromatic plants or the lake that collects the water that leaves the underground of the underground parking and that serves to water the garden.”(ref 2) In 2017, the installation of 150m long labyrinth and maintenance of the greenery (ref 4) In 2020, the creation of a botanical garden, with some other recreation and relaxation services (ref 8).

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

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

“Since 1987, the land is municipal property, and is refurbished as a public park.” (ref 2)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (1987 Treaty of Land Transfer for public use, an agreement signed in 1987 by the Mayor of Murcia and the National Institute of Industry. (ref 5) The intervention appeared in the 1949 General Plan of Murcia, a city planning strategy. (ref 4) )

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Unknown

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved water quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. Blu Guia. (2011). Jardin del Salitre de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 16/July/2020)
2. ViveZone. (n.d.). Jardin de la Polvora o El Salitre. Murcia: ViveZoneAvailable at: Source link Accessed 16/July/2020)
3. Ayuntamiento de Murcia. (2017). Zonas Verdes del Municipio. Murcia: Ayuntamiento de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 16/July/2020)
4. La Opinion de Murcia. (2017). El Jardín del Salitre estrena un laberinto vegetal. Murcia: La Opinión de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 16/July/2020)
5. Descubriendo de Murcia. (2012). La Capilla barroca en la Fabrica de la Polvora de Murcia. Murcia: Descubriendo Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 16/July/2020)
6. Nicolas Gomez, Dora. (n.d.). Arquitectura y Urbanismo en los Inicios de la Murcia Contemporanea. Murcia: RegMurcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 16/July/2020)
7. Sanchez de Lorenzo-Caceres, Jose Manuel. (n.d.). Murcia: El jardin del Salitre. Available at:, 2017, Source link (Accessed 16/July/2020)
8. C’Mon Murcia. (2020) Los parques y jardines de salitre, la Seda y el Rocío de Murcia también serán renovados. Murcia: C’Mon Murcia. Source link (Accessed 16/July/2020)