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Description
The aim of the project is to create a green and blue infrastructure in Pobiedziska intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase the surface covered by green areas and create facilities for education.
The project addresses the problems identified in the the framework of the documentation of Pobiedziska City and Commune Development Strategy such as:
- low resistance of the commune to negative effects of climate change,
- insufficient public green space,
- inefficient management of rainwater,
- insufficient low-emission transport infrastructure (footpaths and bicycle paths, parking lots),
- insufficient amount of educational activities on climate change.
The project envisages measures such as:
- adaptation activities concerning the creation of a system of public urban greenery intended to increase rainwater retention,
- mitigation of negative effects of climate change
- development of zero-emission transport through the construction of pedestrian and bicycle paths,
- implementation of energy-saving solutions with the use of RES in green areas
- educational and informational events such as campaigns raising community''s awareness of climate change.
The residents and visitors of the Pobiedziska commune will be the beneficiaries of the project. They will be able enjoy not only green and blue infrastructure but also educational and informational actions.
The project partner INTBAU from Norway is actively involved in educational activities. The partner''s commitment concerns participation in promotional events such as Opening Conferences and training courses on climate change and the ways to mitigate and adapt to its effects.
The benefits of the partnership include the exchange of experience, knowledge and best practices in the field of increasing resistance to climate changes that had been implemented in Norway.
Summary of project results
In 2019, young people from the Pobiedziska Elementary School submitted a petition signed by 376 people to the Mayor to create a safe green space in the city, friendly to the young, elderly and disabled people.
Although the Pobiedziska municipality is rich in green areas, the students lacked places where they could integrate, establish social ties or organize green schools. It was this request from the students that became the seed of a major project. The aim of the project was to increase the resilience of the municipality of Pobiedziska to climate change through the implementation of green-blue infrastructure investments and to improve environmental awareness and behavior among residents to a more friendly one.
Under the project, a total of 13 mitigation and adaptation activities were implemented: TASK “1” PLANNING OF THE AREA AROUND SMALL LAKE IN POBIEDZISKI 1. Creating ecological alternatives to motorized vehicle travel through the construction of a pedestrian and bicycle path and an educational (didactic) path; 2. Creating a “toddler” park with greenery planting and rainwater management; 3. Increasing energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy sources used for lighting through the construction of solar lighting; 4. Introducing elements of small-scale retention through the construction of a retention trough; 5. Creating a system of urban greenery and increasing the biologically active area by carrying out greenery plantings; 6. TASK “2” II STAGE OF PLANNING THE AREA AROUND THE SMALL LAKE IN POBIEDZISKA 7. hardening of the promenade connecting the “promenade” with ul. Kostrzynska and the City Park through the use of drainage in the form of permeable pavement, increasing energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy sources used for lighting through the installation of solar lighting next to the promenade; TASK “3” CONSTRUCTION OF THE CITY PARK 8. introduction of greening elements in the built-up areas through the execution of greenery plantings and the creation of a community garden, which will be used to conduct educational activities, both for children, youth and the elderly (making their own plantings and communing with nature); 9.
Introduce small-scale water retention through the construction of a rain garden; 10. Increase energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy sources used for lighting through the installation of solar lighting; 11. Promote cycling and the use of the newly created infrastructure as an alternative to travel by motor vehicles through the installation of bicycle racks; 12. Create parking spaces with permeable paving; 13.
Construct access to the city park with permeable paving from Kostrzynska Street, along with the construction of solar lighting. As part of soft
activities: - the knowledge of the Municipality''s residents on climate change and the impact of individuals'' actions on these changes was increased through the publication of articles in the local press and the project''s website; - 822 students of elementary schools for which the Pobiedziska Municipality is the leading body participated in workshops organized in schools; - two editions of the National Environmental Picnic were organized.
As a result of the implementation of the project “Green and Blue Pobiedziska” co-financed from the funds of the EEA Financial Mechanism
2014-2021 under the program “Environment, Energy and Climate Change” in the period 01.08.2021 - 31.03.2024, a multifunctional public space was created in Pobiedziska on Lake Mały, which at the same time performs retention functions. Thanks to a well-thought-out concept, it was possible to create a space for residents and tourists visiting Pobiedziska of all ages. The resulting green complex includes: Toddler Park, City Park and Promenade, along with roads connecting the newly developed space with public roads.
The course of the promenade coincides with the existing forecourts, the implementation of the investment was intended to improve safety conditions and conditions of use, the indirect effect is also to improve aesthetic and visual qualities, as well as to increase the attractiveness of this area of the city in terms of recreation and leisure.
The project of landscaping the area with greenery was created on the basis of the concept of landscaping the area around Lake Mały in Pobiedziska. The concept specified the spatial location of the landscaping elements and included a detailed list of plant species with emphasis on native plant species. The concept was modified so as to fully preserve and expose the existing stand of trees, some of the existing trees colliding with the designed traffic system were replanted and integrated into the emerging plant systems. A number of technologies were introduced to protect the existing slope from water erosion - such as gabion baskets , geogrids, hydro seeding. In addition, within the existing stand of trees growing on the slope, dense plantings of parkland undergrowth plants were introduced. These plants, in addition to the visual effect, will protect the slope surfaces from landslides with their roots. According to the conceptual assumptions, retention basins planted with aquatic and aquatic plants were planned along the promenade, but the shape of the basins was modified to preserve the existing stand of trees and give them a more naturalistic shape and form. Retention basins are one of the main elements of this part of the park establishment, they will, in accordance with the latest trends, retain rainwater, while creating very valuable plant communities that provide habitat for many valuable insects and small amphibians , as well as a feeding base for insectivorous birds. An interesting solution is to make around the commemorative stone dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Beekeepers'' Circle in Pobiedziska - a meadow of plants that provide food for bees, so in the summer we can observe many of these valuable insects in the vicinity of the monument.
A total of more than 10.5 thousand plants were planted along the entire promenade, the vast majority of which are abundant flowering perennials . More than 600 square meters of lawns were restored or redone. All steep slopes were cleaned up and protected from water erosion. The entire space from the school to the lake shore was completely revitalized and reconstructed.
Another element of the newly created public space is the Toddler Park.
It is a playground that combines recreational and educational functions.
The Toddler Park is a paradise for children. It has a lot of playground equipment, such as a slide, carousel, sandbox, wooden house and others.
It also has the necessary elements of small architecture such as benches and trash garbage cans. Elements indicating proximity to nature, such as bird houses/feeders, have also been installed in the Park. There is also a sensory path in the Park and on the upper surface of the Park (on theslope) children have a balance beam. All toys are made of natural materials. There could also be no shortage of greenery. Many species of trees, shrubs and perennials have been planted. The area of the park has been fenced off and illuminated with lamps powered and renewable energy sources. Despite its small size, the Toddler Park is a very interesting playground for children , and the proximity of the Little Lake gives a sense of closeness to nature. A valuable element of the Toddler''s Park is the water section, an increasingly fashionable and yet very rare solution for playgrounds, which allows its users to have safe contact with water. At the same time it is a very valuable element of nature, it is a place of existence of rare plants.
The City Park is an ideal place for relaxation. The area of the park has been fenced off and illuminated with lamps powered by renewable energy sources. The City Park is a space for rest and recreation, open and divided into zones, among others:
concert/picnic area;
game area/outdoor cinema;
experimental garden with plant/vegetable boxes; rain garden - with a footbridge over the spillway; relaxation zone with poetry zone; an eco-classroom with a wall-table; a camping area with a fireplace and seating.
According to the project''s assumption, this is an educational park, hence there are such elements as an Experimental Garden, where students of a nearby school will be able to grow their own vegetables, a rain garden with a rich collection of plants including protected plants, an Eco Class, or collections of old varieties of fruit trees such as kosztela, papierówka pear clapper pear. As befits a park, there is also an area intended for outdoor events (concerts, film screenings) there is an area for picnics and a place for bonfires or barbecues.
Thus, the park combines both educational and recreational functions.
As part of the project for the construction of the park, along with the slope and the rehabilitation of the existing ditch, it is planned, to plant more than 18,000 shrubs and perennials and more than 60 new trees.
The area of the new shrub and perennial plantings alone is nearly 3,000 sqm.
The applied solutions for the ditch''s renaturalization were adopted based on the guidelines of the study “Nature-friendly shaping of rivers and streams”.
As part of the development, meanders and an island overgrown with trees were formed, including a small oxbow lake. The development of the banks of the watercourse was enriched with rich and impressive aquatic vegetation of the watercourse and marshland. The watercourse is a habitat-friendly area for a great many species of insects, amphibians small mammals and birds. The banks of the watercourse have a gentle descent which will allow amphibians and small mammals free access to the water.
Summary of bilateral results
A valuable experience was the cooperation with Intbau Norway. The Green and Blue Pobiedziska project was the first international project in which the municipality acted as a leader. This allowed us to gain a lot of institutional experience in the implementation of international partnership projects. The implementation of the project contributed to the establishment of cooperation with the Polish branch of INTBAU. We hope that the established relations will bear fruit in the future in the joint implementation of projects related to climate protection and cultural heritage. The implementation of the project involved a number of challenges. A major difficulty proved to be the very different work culture and sometimes divergent understanding of the principles of partnership on the part of the Municipality and the Norwegian partner.The Norwegian partner expected a much greater financial commitment from the Municipality to the Norwegian partner''s participation than was implied in the partnership agreement and the grant application. The difficulty was obtaining documents from the partner confirming that it had incurred expenses. However, these difficulties did not overshadow the main goal of the partnership and were only a minor obstacle to benefiting from the Norwegian Partner''s extensive experience.