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Description
The project goal agreed by both Parties is to prepare the city of Kłodzko and its inhabitants for changing climate conditions by mitigating climate change and adapting to their effects.
To accomplish the goal following activities will be taken by the Project Promoter – the municipality of Kłodzko:
ADAPTATION ACTIONS
Revitalization of park and green areas in the city of Kłodzko, the establishment of municipal vegetable gardens
Blue infrastructure and rainwater management actions
MITIGATION ACTIONS:
Introduction of an electric bike system,
Introduction of air pollution measurements in Kłodzko educational institutions together with an air purifier system,
Construction of electric car charging stations.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Creating Kłodzki Climate Lab and organizing as part of its workshops for different target groups:
Training city experts and municipal activists to conduct Climate Lab.
Organization of city picnics: green and blue Kłodzko - activation of the local community,
neighboring aid, ecological education.
Developing a catalog of investment rules for new investments in the field of counteracting
climate change, e.g. restoring retention capacity of impervious surfaces, creating water, retention infrastructure.
Organization of conferences on green and blue infrastructure in cities.
Running a support point for residents in the field of prosumer energy - presenting national support programs and EU funds, and assistance in obtaining them.
PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Promotion in social media, local TV, nationwide breakfast television.
Preparation and printing of a catalog of good practices, including developed solutions for the city of Kłodzko.
Creating a discussion panel for representatives of local governments of the Kłodzko region.
Summary of project results
The project was to prepare the city of Kłodzko and its inhabitants for changing climate conditions by mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects. Kłodzko, like other cities in Poland, is exposed to violent atmospheric phenomena and weather anomalies, such as floods and flooding, violent storms, urban heat islands, smog, thermal inversions, air circulation disturbances and droughts that contribute to water deficit. The city area is covered with forests to a small extent, urban green areas play a huge role in shaping the microclimate. Kłodzko is largely covered with a network of parks and squares that require renovation and new planting. The worst situation is in the strict center - the concreted market square.
Due to the dominance of agricultural land surrounding the city, exposed to solar radiation, low forest cover and compact urban development, Kłodzko is highly exposed to high temperature control, stronger evaporation of water from the soil and the urban heat island effect. The project was to introduce adaptation and mitigation activities in the field of green-blue infrastructure and support activities in organizing and deepening knowledge about climate change. Present the benefits of implementing green-blue solutions and promote ecological attitudes among residents. The planned activities were to be an invitation to residents, property owners, garden owners, authors of investments, Kłodzko entrepreneurs to jointly shape the urban space in symbiosis with water, with particular emphasis on the role of rainwater. The idea is to make the city more resistant to climate change, to function like a "sponge" - accumulating rainwater and enabling its use in periods of drought. The project was to be in line with the adaptation plan ensuring sustainable regional and local development taking into account climate change - increasing green and water areas, ventilation corridors and the permissible preferred method of heating buildings, natural revitalization, including restoring degraded green areas and water reservoirs to their original functions, with particular emphasis on small retention in cities, replacing impermeable ground surfaces with permeable ones and other key directions of action, reducing the health effects of thermal stress and extraordinary climatic events in sensitive population groups; education and raising awareness of: climate change and ways to minimize its effects, the impact of invasive alien species and the importance and necessity of saving resources (especially water), organizing training in the field of: climate change and methods of preventing and limiting its effects on residents; areas at risk of floods, landslides and strong winds, involving local communities and local government administration in actions to prevent the effects of climate change.
As part of the project, tasks involving the revitalization of green areas were carried out:
1. Revitalization of the Park at ul. Św. Wojciecha (including the introduction of memorial meadows, ornamental plants, small architecture).
2. Greening of the "concreted" Market Square (including the introduction of trees, biologically active surfaces, planting of perennial plants).
3. Greening of the Promenade at ul. Armii Krajowej, Wojska Polskiego (including the introduction of water to retention basins, the introduction of greenery in pots, the creation of a green retention basin).
4. Greening - the exit zone of the Underground Tourist Route (including the replacement of hardened surfaces with biologically active ones, the creation of
a pocket square).
5. Pocket Park ul. Zawiszy Czarnego Parking zone (including the introduction of a green belt, new plantings of pocket greenery).
6. Pocket park ul. Nad Kanałem (including the introduction of a green gutter, multi-level greenery).
7. Pocket park ul. Łukasińskiego (including the introduction of a green gutter, multi-level greenery).
8. Water playground at OSIR (including the introduction of water play devices imitating the current of a river, water devices such as Abyssinian, Archimedes'' screw, water dams).
9. Rain garden at Primary School No. 1 (using rainwater and directing it to a basin planted with hydrophytes).
10. Green wall monument - ul. Kościuszki (including the introduction of vertical vegetation, new plantings, plants protecting against exhaust fumes).
4 modular vegetable gardens were created in Kłodzko. Rainwater was managed by introducing rainwater tanks - market square, promenade and transferring rainwater tanks to the residents of the city. An electric bicycle system was introduced in the city (promoting cycling as an alternative to cars and promoting electromobility). Five employees of the Kłodzko City Office were trained in green and blue infrastructure in the city. Additionally, experts from the project partner International Development Norway conducted online training. The topics covered in the training and education activities are primarily:
• the goal of increasing the area of green areas in the city (including the so-called green infrastructure) supporting the processes of aeration of cities and promoting green corridors and preventing fragmentation of the city, as well as improving the functions of ecosystems and their services and increasing biologically active areas;
• capturing and managing rainwater at the place of its origin or in the immediate vicinity, the so-called green and blue infrastructure, promoting a network of natural and semi-natural solutions that increase retention, including small water retention and limiting local flooding and reducing the risk of flooding;
• reducing the urban "heat island" effect and improving the microclimate in the city by increasing green areas that affect the temperature and reduce energy consumption in buildings, e.g. by using collected rainwater to irrigate green roofs and walls;
• elimination of soil sealing or slackness by using water-permeable surfaces;
• counteracting threats resulting from floods, droughts, mitigating the effects of heat waves and the urban "heat island" effect in cities and/or implementing actions to reduce threats in urban areas resulting from extreme weather events;
• reducing greenhouse gas emissions by transforming towards, for example, electromobility, the development of sustainable means of transport.
The assumptions were implemented according to plan. Adaptation and mitigation activities were carried out in the field of the city''s green and blue infrastructure, and at the same time, support activities were undertaken to organize and deepen knowledge about climate change. For the youngest residents, stationary workshops were organized in schools and kindergartens, as well as outdoor workshops in parks and vegetable gardens. The workshops will be held cyclically to consolidate the knowledge of the city''s youngest residents.
Children and young people were made aware of their impact on the environment and activities for climate protection were indicated and motivated to take them. The campaign raising awareness and showing environmentally friendly solutions is continued. During educational and information activities, educational materials were made available to all target groups - in order to systematize knowledge, update it, and present new solutions. The recipients of the activities are all residents of the city and tourists.
Summary of bilateral results
How the project benefited from having a donor project partner:•Possibility of cooperation with Scandinavian experts which would not be possible without the support of EEA Grants•Exposure to the Scandinavian best practice for nature-based solution in city •Participatory based re-design of one of the backyards ( Lutycka) in the center of Klodzko based on the standards of Copenhagen and Oslo•Study visits in 3 Norwegian cities ( Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim)•Learning of the youth participation methods and activation for climate and environment•Building the basis for future collaboration The main results from a bilateral level:•Technical, architectural advisory in planning of the nature-based solutions •Exposure to the Scandinavian best practice for nature-based solution in cities•Youth hackathon – implementation of the innovation camp method •Collaboration also in other initiatives funded by EEA ( in Cultural program)•Exposure to other Norwegian organizations ( Ungt Entreprenørskap Trøndelag, BOGL Plans to continue the bilateral cooperation:•New initiatives focusing on climate and green transformation dependently on the possibilities of future programs