Grow Green - residents say "yes" to pocket parks

• The European Grow Green project being implemented in Wroclaw, among others, is looking to nature for solutions that will allow cities to respond to climate change
• Trees, flowerbeds, ground cover plants, climbers, vegetables, herbs – the pocket parks in Ołbin selected for the project did not opt for lawns
• Surveys conducted among residents of areas where pocket parks have been created leave no doubt: green backyards are accepted and desired solutions

The European Grow Green project is supposed to implement measures to prepare cities, or rather their residents, for the climate changes we are experiencing. One of these cities is Wroclaw – what made the decision to participate in the project?

More frequent occurrences of so-called extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and torrential rains, longer periods of drought and heat, as well as reduction of urban biodiversity, are just some of the effects of climate change that we are seeing in cities – including Wroclaw. In the wake of climate change, cities face, among other things, the problem of managing rainwater after heavy rains, which often cause local flooding, flooding of basements or roads (e.g. impassable roads under overpasses), and, on the other hand, water shortages during droughts, the phenomenon of the urban heat island and residents' health problems related to prolonged heat waves.

At the same time, the main problems of the urban environment also include air pollution, smog episodes, noise and the phenomenon of urban stress, among others. Both Wroclaw, and all cities on Earth, need tools to deal with these problems.

Nature-based solutions

Which ones?

In the face of these challenges, the world's largest engineering and environmental organizations and institutions are constantly developing strategies to adapt cities to climate change – that is, precisely to "prepare" them, to increase their resilience to inevitable changes, to mitigate climate change, i.e. to prevent further greenhouse gas emissions, and to improve the quality of life of city dwellers

Within the scope of these strategies, it is necessary to apply comprehensive solutions – some that will respond to multiple problems simultaneously, that can be easily accessible and cost-effective, resident-friendly and in line with the principles of sustainable development. Such solutions include so-called nature-based solutions. In the context of the above-mentioned problems, the most readily available and highly beneficial nature-based solution is the introduction of appropriately designed systems of blue-green infrastructure into the compact urban fabric, but beware – while protecting its existing elements! Such solutions include activities such as composting, use of so-called gray water, rainwater harvesting, etc.

Grow Green is a research and development project from Horizon 2020, with the specific goal of evaluating the performance of selected nature-based solutions for mitigating and adapting cities to climate change, improving water efficiency, ensuring economic growth while meeting sustainable development principles, improving the quality of life of city residents and increasing biodiversity.

Pocket parks have become a hallmark of the Grow Green project in Wroclaw.

The project is being implemented by a consortium of 23 partners from 9 countries, led by three cities – Manchester in the UK, Wroclaw and Valencia, Spain. In these cities, so-called demonstrators have been established in selected locations. These are demonstration areas where selected nature-based solutions have been introduced and where their performance is tested. In Wroclaw, this is the Ołbin estate - one of the most densely populated parts of the city, which is characterized by intensive downtown development. The areas chosen for the project were the areas of six neighborhood courtyards, the green area at the intersection of Nowowiejska Street and Prusa Street, and the Daszyńskiego Street area. The demonstrators in all three cities were of a different nature; in Wroclaw, appropriately designed systems of blue-green infrastructure, just called "pocket parks", "microgreen systems" or simply "blue-green backyards", were introduced. These are small-scale green spaces that meet the definition of nature-based solutions: they provide ecological, economic and social benefits, support mitigation and adaptation to climate change, among other things, by providing tools to combat its effects. They are also cost-effective and built with materials adapted to local conditions and efficient in their use of resources. This means, among other things, that the plants introduced in the pocket parks are native species that are tolerant of urban conditions -–not requiring intensive irrigation and maintenance. Other materials, on the other hand, are natural and recyclable.

Forget about lawns

What sets pocket parks apart?

They have planted trees and shrubs, flowerbeds, and cover plants instead of lawns. Trash shelters and bicycle sheds have also been created, enclosed by frames that are overgrown with vines. Rain gardens, retention ditches and rainwater collection barrels have been introduced, as well as permeable paving in pedestrian and roadways. Birdhouses and insect houses have been installed, and flower meadows especially valuable for pollinating insects have been introduced. One of the demonstrators has a neighborhood garden, which residents take care of together and grow vegetables and herbs in it. In addition, a row of trees has been planted along part of Daszyńskiego Street, the pavement has been unsealed and climbing plants have been introduced on street lamp poles and a tenement wall, among others. Parklets - wooden structures in the form of boxes - also appeared at the intersection of Daszyńskiego and Zeromskiego Streets, At the intersection of Daszyńskiego and Żeromskiego Streets, parklets also appeared - wooden structures in the form of boxes, in which trees and shrubs were planted, providing a place for passersby to rest, as well as an element of traffic calming.

In order for pocket parks to be created, it was and is necessary to work with residents, i.e. the local community. What did it look like in this particular project? How were sites for the parks searched for, how were local residents talked to, and did they have to be convinced of the idea?

In Wroclaw, one of the main objectives of the Grow Green project was to involve the residents of the project areas in the process of introducing nature-based solutions in these areas. To this end, numerous meetings were organized with residents, which were not only to acquaint them with the project or present the progress of the work. So-called "design workshops" were also organized, in which residents participated in the preparation of a concept for the development of the areas covered by the project, in cooperation with landscape architects. The workshops were held in two series - in the summer and fall of 2018. The summer ones were aimed at collecting opinions and detailed information on the problems facing the selected areas, as well as residents' preferences regarding the future development of these areas. The meetings also presented available nature-based solutions and explained how they work. This series of workshops preceded the development of concepts for the development of the project areas. During the autumn ones, preliminary concepts were discussed and debated with the residents who will use them.

Who participated in these workshops?

Residents of Ołbin, especially those living in the area of the project demonstrators, landscape architects, environmental engineering scientists, resident contact specialists and representatives of the local administration. As part of the meetings held during and after the completion of construction work, residents also had the opportunity to plant plants themselves, or perform maintenance work on the newly created green areas. A total of 30 meetings were held, attended by some 600 people.

What determined the selection of specific locations?

They were selected through online voting, in which residents participated, and in cooperation with environmental specialists.

Green backyards - that's the way to go

The project has entered the sustainability stage - what does this mean?

As I said, the specific goal of the project is to evaluate the performance of the introduced nature-based solutions. That's why monitoring of the project areas was carried out from 2018-2022. It was divided into two stages – preliminary monitoring – carried out before the introduction of solutions in the demonstrator area, and final monitoring – after the completion of the work. Both, due to the nature of each research area, were divided into three categories: environmental monitoring, social monitoring and economic monitoring. In 2023 to 2027, the project is in the period of so-called project sustainability. During these four years, further research will be conducted to assess the long-term benefits of introducing nature-based solutions. This research is being carried out by the Department of Landscape Architecture at Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.

How is the work with residents invited to participate in this project going today? Has and how has Grow Green changed and is it changing the way we’re thinking about greenery in the city, especially an old one like Wroclaw, with a dense grid of buildings in the center?

As part of the social monitoring, we conducted a survey among residents of the project areas. Two years after the introduction of pocket parks in the neighborhoods, 97% of respondents believe that the new green areas in the backyards make them nicer, 93% believe that it is now nicer to stay in them and 70% believe that they stay in them more often thanks to this. Going further: 93% of respondents are able to list what nature-based solutions have been introduced in the new green areas, and also list their favorite among them, 83% indicate that thanks to the new green areas in the courtyards, one can observe birds and other animals more often, e.g. butterflies, pollinating insects. What's more, about 50% of survey respondents who participated in workshops with residents in any form say they would be more willing to participate in similar projects in the future, and 63% believe that the implementation of this project is an example that officials and decision-makers can successfully cooperate with residents in implementing changes in residential areas.

We know from our observations that the number of people using project areas, i.e. backyards, has increased from 43% to 83%. 40% of respondents declare that the new green areas in the courtyards and on the street make it safer - it is worth noting at this point that most of the positive responses were related to safety on the street, which has increased thanks to the much-feared parklets. And 77% of our respondents estimate that thanks to the introduction of greenery, the air in backyards smells nicer, among other things, garbage and exhaust fumes do not smell so much. Social monitoring and cooperation with residents of project areas will continue as part of the project's sustainability.

KBK

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