Timişoara, Romania
City population: 314823
Duration: 2015 – 2016
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 10000 m2
Type of area: Industrial, Previous derelict area, Residential
Last updated: October 2021

Located in a former German village, Freidorf, which became a quarter of the city of Timisoara in the twentieth century, the Lămâiţa Pond is a recreation blue area, initially a dumpster, surrounded by building blocks built in the communist period. Through this intervention, the municipality aims at reducing the size of the pond, cleaning it, creating a beneficial area for different types of vegetation and fish. Also, its goals are to give a recreational space to the community that lives by and to also establish a rainwater management centre for the neighbourhood. (1)

Lâmâiţa Lake
Lâmâiţa Lake
Source: http://radiotimisoara.ro/2016/07/29/timisoara-are-o-noua-zona-de-agrement-transformata-complet-cum-arata-balta-lamaita-dupa-reamenajare/

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
  • Blue infrastructure
  • Lakes/ponds
  • Green areas for water management
  • Sustainable urban drainage systems

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Environmental quality
  • Waste management
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Transformation of previously derelict areas

Project objectives

1. Cleaning the water lustre and the bed of the pool by dredging (1); 2. Making fillings on the perimeter with clean sand (1); 3. Re-configuring the shape of the pond by filling, tumbling and stabilizing the created troughs(2); 4. Creating a water fountain and a neighbourhood fountain (1); 5. Creating pathways and platforms (1); 6. Avoiding the overflow of the sewerage with rainwater (2).

Implementation activities

The work started in 2015 by cleaning the pond, first, and resize it later. Also, citizens were invited to donate different species of fish into the pond. The area was illuminated and the trees were planted as well as the alleys that make the connection from one side of the pond to another (5)

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Young people and children

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

This NBS was implemented by the Municipality of Timisoara (1)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes ("Reconstructia ecologica a baltilor", Gheorghe Ciuhamdru, Timisoara mayor's communique, (Ecological reconstruction of the ponds) (3) an implementation plan in order to ecologically reconstruct all the blue areas of the city. )

Financing

Total cost

€500,000 - €2,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget

Non-financial contribution

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

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved waste management
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Restoration of derelict areas

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Unknown

Type of reported 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. Primaria Municipiului Timisoara (2010), Cadrul Natural si Peisagistic al Municipiului Timisoara, Volumul 2, Cadrul Peisagistic, Available at Source link (Accessed 25-6-2020)
2. Ciupa, V (2011) Buletinul AGIR nr. 2/2011 ● aprilie-iunie , Cadrul Natural, Peisagistic si Calitatea Mediului in Muncipiul Timisoara, Available at Source link (Accessed 25-6-2020)
3. Primaria Municipiului Timisoara (2005), Reconstructia ecologica a baltilor, Timisoara, Available at Source link (Accessed 25-6-2020)
4. Primaria Municipiului Timisoara (2008), Timisoara Ecologica, Available at Source link (Accessed 25-6-2020)
5. Radio Romania Timisoara (2016), "Timişoara are o nouă zonă de agrement, transformată complet. Cum arată Balta Lămâiţa după reamenajare?", Available at Source link (Accessed 25-6-2020)
6. Pescari Informat (2016), Balta Balauri Timis, Available at Source link (Accessed 25-6-2020)
7. Timis Online (2019), Și-au bătut joc de Balta Lămâița! Primăria a trimis constructorul în insolvență, Available at Source link, (Accessed 11-8-2020)
Lâmâiţa Lake
Lâmâiţa Lake
Source: http://radiotimisoara.ro/2016/07/29/timisoara-are-o-noua-zona-de-agrement-transformata-complet-cum-arata-balta-lamaita-dupa-reamenajare/
Lâmâiţa Lake
Lâmâiţa Lake
Source: http://radiotimisoara.ro/2016/07/29/timisoara-are-o-noua-zona-de-agrement-transformata-complet-cum-arata-balta-lamaita-dupa-reamenajare/
Lâmâiţa Lake
Lâmâiţa Lake
Source: http://radiotimisoara.ro/2016/07/29/timisoara-are-o-noua-zona-de-agrement-transformata-complet-cum-arata-balta-lamaita-dupa-reamenajare/
Lâmâiţa Lake
Lâmâiţa Lake
Source: http://radiotimisoara.ro/2016/07/29/timisoara-are-o-noua-zona-de-agrement-transformata-complet-cum-arata-balta-lamaita-dupa-reamenajare/