Urban renewal project to promote the sustainable restoration of a currently derelict site: the Zorrotzaurre project, Bilbao

    Solution ID
    Description of solution
    Summary (Challenges; Objectives)

    The Zorrotzaurre project is an urban renewal project to promote the sustainable restoration of a currently derelict site in the Zorrotzaurre peninsula, northwest of the city centre. The plan is to create a new quarter that is well-connected to the rest of the city, with affordable housing, environmentally-friendly business areas, social and cultural facilities, and spacious green areas for recreation. The Master Plan was designed by the architect Zaha Hadid, and includes the conversion of the current Zorrotzaurre peninsula into an island by opening up the Deusto Canal. The plan foresees a total surface of 673 000 m2 and includes flood prevention measures, a transport network, and restoration of the area's cultural heritage.<ul><li>Ecosystem services:<ul><li>Water management: Flood control; Water flow regulation and run off mitigation</li><li>Air quality: Regulation of air quality by urban trees and forests; Urban temperature regulation</li><li>Public health wellbeing: Nature based recreation</li><li>Social justice cohesion: Nature based education; Heritage, cultural</li><li>Green space management: Habitat and gene pool regulation; Lifecycle regulation</li><li>Links to further Ecosystem-based Approaches: Ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA);</li><li>Green Infrastructure (GI)</li></ul></li><li>Impacts:<ul><li>Enhancing sustainable urbanisation: Changing image of the urban environment; Creation of green jobs relating to construction &amp; maintenance of NBS; Increase accessibility to green open spaces; Increase population &amp; infrastructures protected by NBS; Increase well-being; Increase willingness to invest in NBS</li><li>Restoring ecosystems and their functions: Greater ecological connectivity across urban regenerated sites; Improve connectivity and functionality of green and blue infrastructures; Increase achievements of biodiversity targets; Increased cultural richness and biodiversity</li><li>Developing climate change mitigation: Carbon sequestration and storage; More energy efficient buildings; Reduction of energy in the production of new buildings and building materials;</li><li>Developing climate change adaptation; improving risk management and resilience: Better protection and restoration of coastal ecosystems; Flood peak reduction; Reduce flood risk</li></ul></li></ul>

    Success factors / lessons learnt

    Key lessons:<ul><li>Local authorities clearly understand that NBS projects have multiple benefits. This is evident in Bilbao's upcoming Master Plan, which strongly promotes NBS as a means of achieving the city's four main objectives.</li><li>Having a local project partner contact made the relationship between the RAMSES FP7 project and the local authority much easier.</li><li>Bilbao's history of successfully managing severe crises with commitment and creativity has helped it to adopt innovative measures.</li></ul> 

    Limiting factors / lessons learnt

    Economic constraints are the major factor that limits the adoption of NBS in Bilbao. In addition, local technical staff have little time available to collaborate in EU-level research projects.Another limiting factor is that even though the city was a partner in EU research projects, this has not incentivised it to subsequently apply for funds to implement the project's findings.

    Location Latitude
    43.2630000000
    Location Longitude
    -2.9347800000
    Comment on location

    The city runs along the Bilbao estuary, which extends from the southeast to the northwest and is surrounded by two mountain ranges that run parallel to the waterway. The mountain ranges are highest in the west, where they reach 700 m

    Keywords
    Ecosystem (s) impacted
    Urban
    Hazard(s) concerned
    Erratic rainfalls
    Other challenges
    Climate adaptation
    International classification
    Sustainable development goals addressed
    SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
    Sendai Frameword priorities addressed
    Priority 3. Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience
    Others
    Participatory process
    Yes
    Partcipatory approaches/ community involvement

    The local authorities promote stakeholder and citizen participation in urban-planning decisions, but these participatory processes have not yet been formalised.

    Risk reduction
    Hazard
    +
    Exposure
    +
    Vulnerability
    +
    Feasibility
    Technical Feasibility
    ?
    Economic Feasibility
    +/-
    Environment
    Water
    ?
    Soil
    ?
    Vegetation
    ?
    Landscape
    +
    Biodiversity
    +
    Society
    Quality of Life
    +
    Community involvement
    -
    Landscape Heritage
    +
    Economy
    Revitalization
    +
    Local Economy
    ?