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UGB – Urban Green Belts

NEWS
ABOUT THE PROJECT
What We Do
PROJECT IN NUMBERS
APPROACHES
Documents
PROJECT PARTNERS
Gallery
Contact

31.05.2019

News

GOODBYE!
TO GET IN CONTACT

If you want to know more about the UGB project, write to zsofia.hamza@hegyvidek.hu or HegyvidekZoldPont@hegyvidek.hu

31.05.2019

NEWS

News Archives

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Having a park or garden right on your doorstep when living in a city is an advantage most property seekers are looking for. Such greens offer an improved life quality. They not only provide leisure or sports facilities but make the air cleaner, reduce urban noise and even improve the urban climate. Yet if they are not in a good shape they can easily turn into a burden and a constant “battlefield” between inhabitants and the responsible authorities.

Green belts, often spreading over a number of smaller settlements around big cities, are the “lungs” of these densely populated cities that can provide various environmental, social and economic benefits.

To achieve these benefits, however, traditional authority approaches are no longer enough and efficient. That is why the challenge of how these green spaces could be managed smartly through cooperation of inhabitants and various authorities were in the focus of Urban Green Belts.

There is a common demand for better functioning operational models in central Europe, yet project partners on their own would not have the capabilities to develop a complex novel system. Through improving capacities of all actors via this joint work, management of urban green spaces will become more efficient and a more integrated part of environmental management systems. This will also lead to an enhanced biodiversity, improved air quality, less urban noise, more bearable urban heat waves and a generally improved quality of urban life.

Urban Green Belt partners from 7 countries developed innovative methods and tools as guides linked to community involvement, multi-stakeholder governance and GIS methods leading to integrated models for managing urban green spaces smartly. These novel solutions were tested jointly through pilot actions and compiled into a smart governance manual to serve as guidance on reforming green spaces management for any public authority in Europe for the benefit of inhabitants.

Throughout the project, the partners, with nearly 300 stakeholders, studied the effectiveness of the models and designed local pilot activities. Stakeholders included national, regional and local organizations, knowledge partners, small entrepreneurs and NGOs as well as representatives of the local people.

The pilot activities carried out in the partner cities will continue to live on and be integrated into longer-term plans for managing urban green areas. For example, the stewardship program at Hegyvidék, or Krakow with good practices for maintaining and animating an urban forest, or a GIS-based green space quality indicator system in Salzburg and Padua, or a tree cadastre, could be the basis for further urban green development initiatives.

For more details, please read the Manual and learn about the activities of the cities below and contact us!

Green is good... :)

What We Do

GIS pilots

Padua

The Padua UGB team has been working on an upgrade of the software currently used to enable the acquisition of new datasets, as well as on a new set of indicators. The team is also developing a new app for private users that will enable the acquisition of data concerning privately owned green spaces.

gis pilots

Salzburg

The Salzburg team has collected and harmonised various data to help in calculating indicators that depict and assess the ecological and recreational value of green spaces. The demand for integrative supply studies is also being discussed with the local stakeholders.

gis pilots

zadar

Zadar has mapped selected green areas, and processed and verified all items for establishing a ‘Green Cadastre’. The Web GIS application is currently being implemented to view data over the internet, and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
pilots

Hegyvidék

Hegyvidék hosted its first meeting for residents participating in the ‘Green Space Stewardship’ programme. The event marked the beginning of our pilot’s community-building phase, which includes a series of events that will involve the public and district stewards involved in the project.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
pilots

Krakow

In July, the Witkowice GLL organised a picnic in the Witkowice forest, including a survey walk. This was the second in a series of consultations organised to meet the expressed needs of local citizens. The first included a survey of primary school pupils and an art competition titled ‘My Witkowice Forest’.

Community involvement
pilots

Maribor

UGB pilot activities are well underway in Maribor, with high levels of public participation and involvement. So far, everybody agrees that parking in nature areas should be regulated. Several transport alternatives (as opposed to cars) for reaching these areas have also been suggested.

Multi-stakeholder governance pilots

Hegyvidék

Preparatory talks were held with various stakeholders of the ‘Tree Alley Renewal’ pilot, which aims to facilitate cooperation between actors responsible for urban forestry in our district. We are working with Szent István University to create a guideline document on climate-resilient trees.

Multi-stakeholder governance pilots

Prague 6

Our pilot actions aim to diversify the actors involved in UGS management by: creating the basis for a social programme to involve selected groups in the maintenance of therapeutic gardens, and in establishing grant programmes to support green funds for different communities.