Alcantarilla, Murcia, Spain
City population: 442801
Duration: 2008 – 2010
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 50000 m2
Type of area: Previous derelict area, Cultural Heritage Area, Other
Last updated: October 2021

The municipality aimed to establish a zone in Murcia that worked as a "green lung" for the city while making it its engine for economic, social and cultural development (Ref 2). For this, the municipality planned and implemented the project of "Integrated Alcantarilla Parks". It includes several parks, with the priority of creating one in the surroundings of the Ethnological Orchards Murcia's Museum (Ref 1). The project is called integrated as it is based on the integral values of sustainability where the environment, the economic development and the socio-cultural needs are compatible (Ref 2). For this, there will be sustainable architecture, recovery of the natural environment, as well as incorporating the historical heritage in the public green areas of a specific zone (Ref 3). There are many parks that are part of this project, the last one was the Ibarra de Murcia Park in 2020 (Ref 7 and 8).

Urban ecosystem, microclimate and water management
Urban ecosystem, microclimate and water management
Source: Ref. 2

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Institutional green space
  • Parks and urban forests
  • Large urban parks or forests

Key challenges

  • 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
  • Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
  • Inclusive governance
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Economic development: industry
  • Tourism support
  • Employment/job creation

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Strategy, plan or policy development

Project objectives

There are four main goals (Ref 2): - Recover the degraded surroundings and create a green area. - Energize employment and economic activity. - Promote professional training and new technologies. - Incentivize the touristic promotion and the historic heritage recovery. Rehabilitation and conditioning of abandoned historical sites. (ref 2)

Implementation activities

There are mainly four implementation activities which divide themselves in even more particular activities (Ref 2): - Construction and endowment of the Local Development Agency. - Rehabilitation of the physical surroundings of the "Ethnological Orchards Murcia's Museum". - Construction and endowment of the Tourism Office and the Room of Nature. - Constructions and endowment of the Stakeholder Participation Center. In 2011, the construction of the intervention elements has been delayed by years due to a delay in the disbursement of European Union Feder funds. (ref 6) In 2020, they made an opening of a new park. This shows that this project is still running, even though the locations to continue with the idea have changed. (ref 7).

Climate-focused activities

Climate change mitigation:

  • Increase green urban nature for carbon storage (wetlands, tree cover)
  • Invest in public transport/bicycle infrastructure as a means to prevent car use

Main beneficiaries

  • Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget
  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The project has been drawn up by Alcantarilla Municipality as the entity responsible for the management of the municipality, but it has an open character in which business organizations, other public administrations and, above all, citizens participate. (ref 2) The Retes Architects firm received the commission for the project. (ref 4)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (The project is part of the Strategic Sustainable Development Plan of the municipality. (ref 1) )

Financing

Total cost

More than €4,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • EU funds
  • Public local authority budget

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
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems

Economic impacts

  • More sustainable tourism
  • Stimulate development in deprived areas
  • Attraction of business and investment

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved liveability
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
  • Increased appreciation for natural spaces
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research

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

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. Murcia en Clave. (n.d.). LA COMUNIDAD COLABORA CON EL AYUNTAMIENTO DE ALCANTARILLA EN LA CREACIÓN DE UN GRAN PULMÓN VERDE PARA EL DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE DEL MUNICIPIO. Murcia: Agenda Verde, issue 17, p5. Available at: Source link (Accessed 15/July/2020)
2. Tomas Martinez, Carmen Maria. (2013). Alicante: Parques Integrados de Alcantarilla. We Are the City Heroes. 31st January. Available at: Source link (Accessed 15/July/2020)
3. La Verdad. (2008). Una Gran area verde y de servicios ayudara a regenerar el entorno del Museo de la Huerta. Murcia: La Verdad. Available at: Source link (Accessed 15/July/2020)
4. Ecoproyecta. (n.d.). Parques Integrados Alcantarillas. : Murcia: Ecoproyecta. Available at: Source link (Accessed 15/July/2020)
5. Franco Sanchez, Isabel. (2011). La Crisis y el retraso de los fondos europeos ‘ahogan’ el pulmon verde. Available at: Source link (Accessed 15/July/2020)
6. La Opinión de Murcia. (2008). Comunidad impulsa pulmón verde alcantarilla. Murcia: La Opinión de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 15/July/2020)
7. C’Mon Murcia (2020). El nuevo Jardín Maestro Ibarra de Murcia, un nuevo pulmón verde dedicado al deporte. Murcia: C’Mon Murcia. 19th may. Available at : Source link 15/July/2020)
8.GEA (2020) Plan Director de Parques Integrados de Alcantarilla. Murcia: Gea 21 – Grupo de Estudios y Alternativas. Available at : Source link (Assessed 15/July/2020).