Zaragoza, Spain
City population: 687448
Duration: 2012 – 2013
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Project area: 6230 m2
Type of area: Public Greenspace Area
Last updated: October 2021

A project of 200 plots for an urban orchard on-site at Parque de las Aguas was created, where individual citizens, social groups, and companies can rent the lots to cultivate their own produce. The orchards hold educational programming for patrons and visitors as well. (Ref. 1,2,4)

Urban Orchards 1
Source: Ref. 2

Overview

Nature-based solution

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

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Environmental quality
  • Soil quality improvement
  • Waste management
  • 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)
  • Economic development: agriculture
  • Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Preservation of natural heritage
  • Preservation of historic traditions
  • Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Sustainable production

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Other

Project objectives

This NBS is designed to meet the following objectives: - Prepare the parcels for agricultural uses (Ref. 1) - Manage the plots for urban rental orchards and units (Ref. 1) - Promote the sale of products and services related to the urban gardens (Ref. 1) - Disseminate knowledge of and stimulate agricultural practices (Ref. 1) - Encourage citizens to access new forms of leisure and consumption that are more sustainable (Ref. 2) - Preserve the agricultural heritage of the city (Ref. 2)

Implementation activities

Development of 200 parcels (30 m2 each) (Ref. 2) Implementation of courses, workshops and horticultural training of all kinds (Ref. 1) Promotion of outdoor activities for healthy leisure, generational and social exchange, organic farming, education in demanding consumption and local products (Ref. 2) Total area of 9 446 m2; Total area of the orchards: 6.230 m2; Paths and common areas 2.404 m2; Service buildings 150 m2'Snack bar 250 m2; Barbecue area 285 m2; Area for reservations 127 m2 (Ref. 1) Flattening of hills into terraces; drainage and preparation of soil for cultivation; substitution of soil in areas not apt for cultivation; installation of a localized watering system; clearing of paths and services for access; Installation of a security fence around the plots; installation of surveillance system; construction of office space, toilets, storage for tools and a snack store; organization of a waste collection system that separates solids from non-solids, organics from non-organics. (Ref. 1)

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Non-government organisation/Civil Society
  • Private sector/Corporate/Company
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Marginalized groups: People with functional diversities, Other
  • Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
  • Other

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget
  • Dissemination of information and education

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Municipal government, lead organizer of the project (Ref. 1) ZGZ@Desarrollo Expo S.A, planning organization for the Zaragoza Expo to which the construction of the park is tied to (Ref. 1) Plantae is the private company that won the bid for the assignment and management of the orchards. (Ref. 2) EU funding support for Huerta LIFE programme/ AgroEco Cities network, which promotes urban orchards and agroeco practices in peri-urban areas of Zaragoza (Ref. 6,7)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (Zaragoza Expo 2008 Plan as plan for spatial planning of the larger park and the use of its space (ref1) Huertas Life Plan incorporates these orchards into the city's green belt of community gardens around its periphery. (ref 6))

Financing

Total cost

€100,000 - €500,000

Source(s) of funding

  • EU funds
  • Public local authority budget
  • Other

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
  • Membership or entrance fees

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved soil quality
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Increased protection against flooding
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area

Economic impacts

  • Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
  • Generation of income from NBS

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
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Protection of natural heritage
  • 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

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. Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. (2012). Parque del Agua "Luis Buñuel" Zaragoza. [Document provided].

2. Europa Press. (2013). El 90% de los huertos urbanos del Parque del Agua estan ocupados y cultvados. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

3. Hortals. (n.d.). Huertos Ciudadanos. [Not available in 2020].

4. Rillo, A. (2014). Los huertos del Parque del Agua ya tiene una tienda y un aula. El Periodico de Aragon. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

5. European Commission. (n.d.). Life Programme. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

6. Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. (2017). HUERTAS LIFE KM0. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

7. Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. (2017). Proyecto Huertas Life: Layman's report. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

8. Hortals. (n.d.). Hortals. Huertos Ecologicos Urbanos. Facebook page. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 9 September 2020].
Urban Orchards 2
Source: Ref. 4, Chus Marchador