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Description
The project goal is to adjust the Czechowice-Dziedzice Commune to climate changes and their effects, in particular, in the scope of increasing retention capacity and rainwater infiltration. This results from Commune’s location near mountain areas and the occurrence of numerous water courses within its territory. The project will also be a response to such effects of climate changes as droughts and extreme heat waves or urban island of heat phenomena.
The project envisages realization of a number of investments in the scope of green-blue infrastructure within the Czechowice-Dziedzice Commune, including: - building retention reservoirs - planting of green areas - assembly of green bus-stop sheds - making of rain gardens-building pedestrian-bike routes along with Energy-saving streetlight system Educational-information actions designated to increase awareness regarding, i.e. climate changes are also a project element.
Project effect will be the adjustment of Czechowice-Dziedzice Commune to climate changes. Capacity of water retention system will increase, and the effects of drought and extreme heat will be limited.
All inhabitants of the Czechowice-Dziedzice Commune and visitors in the area will benefit from the project. It will improve the quality of natural environment and conditions of biodiversity growth.
Partner in this project is association called INTBAU Norway, which focus on traditional building and balanced development of urban areas, in line with environment. Partner will participate in conference opening the project and in one schooling. Partner will share his knowledge and experience in urban development projects, putting emphasis on environmental and climate changes related issues. This will cause added value, helping the authorities of Czechowice-Dziedzice commune to better understand the topic, by seing examples of good practises.
Summary of project results
The project called "Eagerly against climate changes – green-blue infrastructure in Czechowice-Dziedzice Commune" served as a response to several challenges related to climate change identified in the Commune of Czechowice-Dziedzice. More specifically, the project aimed to address the following issues and challenges:
- A reduced-efficiency system for collecting and utilising rainwater where it falls or in surrounding areas. Heavy rainfalls in the area of the commune on several occasions brought about issues related to excessive quantities of rainwater. This led to local flash flooding of land and buildings, road flooding, and destruction of infrastructure. The construction of storage tanks in strategic locations allowed for effective harvesting (collection) of both rainwater and meltwater. Subsequent infiltration of the water prevented excessive runoff. The storage tanks within the catchment area into the ditch in Wodna street, the Wenecka and Piasta streets, and in the area of Mikołaja Kopernika street are an important part of the commune''s rainwater management policy, improving local water management and reducing the risk of floods. Thanks to these storage tanks, the scale of destruction in the Commune of Czechowice-Dziedzice that was caused by the flood that affected the area in September 2024, brought by a Genoa low (Genoa cyclogenesis), was significantly smaller that it would have been without the tanks. The Genoa low brought with it heavy and – at some points – torrential rain that continued for a long time. As a result, the hydrological situation in the Commune of Czechowice-Dziedzice became dramatically worse within a matter of a few hours. The commune area was affected by numerous flash floods and long-lasting floods, the scale of which would have been far greater if the storage tanks had not been constructed within the framework of the project.
- The urban heat island (UHI) effect. Czechowice-Dziedzice, like many other towns and cities, was faced with the urban heat island (UHI). UHI is the situation where too much concrete and not enough green spaces in a town result in the air temperature in the town itself being higher than in the surrounding rural areas. The provision of "urban green islands" in six locations in the town aimed to improve the thermal balance in the urban environment of the commune. The size of the green space extension in the areas of Legionów street and the DK 1 dual carriageway, Cmentarna street and Wodna street helped reduce the air temperature through heat absorption. This, in turn, improved the thermal comfort and the quality of life for the local community.
- Not enough green areas and their insufficient quality. Czechowice-Dziedzice struggled with limited access to green spaces, which had an impact on the health of the local population and the quality of life in the town. The town''s response to this issue was the "urban green islands" and "rain gardens" projects in six different locations across the commune. Such spaces not only help to improve the quality of the air in the town and to reduce local noise pollution, but they also provide the local community with areas for leisure and social integration. Improved biodiversity in the urban environment is another benefit of such projects.
- Extensive soil sealing. Another issue that the town struggled with was soil sealing. The soil in the areas affected by soil sealing was less permeable, which adversely affected natural rainwater retention, leading to the accumulation of rainwater on the ground. The rain gardens in the commune''s key locations (including the streets of Legionów, Polna, Ignacego Jana Paderewskiego, and Kotulińskiego) allowed rainwater to be retained where it fell. The rain gardens not only played an environmental role as a rainwater retention measure, but they also helped provide the town with more vegetation, which benefited the microclimate and improved the quality of life for the local community.
- Low public awareness of climate change issues. The project included an extensive educational campaign that aimed to increase public awareness of climate change and the impact of human activities on the environment. A variety of activities as part of the project, such as educational competitions, educational trips, workshops and the publication of educational materials, provided the people of Czechowice-Dziedzice with a better understanding of the importance of the community''s pro-environmental behaviour in daily life.
The project served as a response to complex issues related to the negative impact of climate change and the town''s urban planning challenges. The project improved the quality of life for the local community through measures that will make the town more resistant to climate change, improve the quality of the local environment and create a space that promotes health and well-being. The project emphasised the importance of sustainable development and the involvement of the local community. A public awareness campaign as part of the project encouraged the local people to engage in pro-environmental activities, such as riding bicycles or looking after their local green areas.
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The project involved the implementation, in Czechowice-Dziedzice, of a number of interconnected adaptation and mitigation measures taken in response to identified issues and needs related to climate change.
More specifically, the following activities were implemented within the framework of the project:
- storage tanks (within the catchment area into the ditch in Wodna street, the Wenecka and Piasta streets, between Zamkowa street and Mikołaja Kopernika street in Czechowice-Dziedzice), which allowed for rainwater and meltwater to be collected and infiltrated;
- "urban green islands": new vegetation areas in 6 (six) locations in Czechowice-Dziedzice (near the crossroads of Legionów street and the DK 1 dual carriageway, behind the nearby cemetery; near the crossroads of Cmentarna street and the DK 1 dual carriageway; next to the railroad tracks next to Wierzbowa street, behind the railway viaduct; in Wodna street, near the pond in the vicinity of the crossroads of Wodna street and Zajęcza street; the land near the 7 R warehouse park next to the DK 1 dual carriageway; on a plot of land in Starowiejska street);
- green bus shelters, which have made the town greener (Kopernika/Zamkowa/Pałac Kotulińskich [Kotuliński Family Palace] in Kopernika street; Michałowicza/Park in Michałowicza street; Niepodległości/Skwer Stulecia [100th Anniversary Square] in Niepodległości street (on both sides of the street); Kolejowa/Smolna/Kablownia in Kolejowa street; Łukasiewicza/Łukowa in Łukasiewicza street (on both sides of the street); and Czechowice-Dziedzice Railway Station (four green bus shelters);
- rain gardens in 6 (six) locations in Czechowice-Dziedzice, which allow for retaining rainwater where it falls (in Legionów street: in the valley of Czechowicki Brook; between the streets of Polna and Krzysztofa Kamila Baczyńskiego; in Ignacego Jana Paderewskiego street: next to the Municipal Public Library; next to the road connecting Falista street with Łukowa street; in Kotulińskiego street: next to the walking and biking path between Falista street and Bestwińska street in Czechowice-Dziedzice);
- a walking and biking path between Falista street and Bestwińska street in Czechowice-Dziedzice), together with street lighting.
The project also involved an extensive public awareness campaign. Activities as part of the campaign included a series of articles published in regional print media, a TV programme prepared and broadcast, and information posted on a website dedicated to the project.
Furthermore, a number of activities were conducted as part of the project to encourage activity within the community. These included an educational competition for students attending schools located in Czechowice-Dziedzice, a Family Educational Rally, an urban educational route, as well as the preparation and printing of maps showing the town''s green and blue infrastructure. Moreover, an educational and information display was installed on the premises of the Czechowice-Dziedzice Centre for Ecological Education, and a training and education visit to Norway was organised.
The project also included a variety of activities to deliver knowledge and information to various audience in the local community: publishing a booklet and training brochures and providing short training courses and workshops.
The project activities aimed to reduce the urban heat island (UHI) effect, to increase the capacity of the commune''s urban areas to retain and utilise rainwater, and to expand – and the improve the quality of – the commune''s green spaces and blue areas (surface water bodies), to improve the quality of the air that the people in the commune breathe. Activities were also conducted to promote and support eco-friendly, alternative ways of getting around the town. A total of 5 (five) types of projects covering 30 different locations in Czechowice-Dziedzice were completed. A total of 7 (seven) storage tanks with a total water capacity of 39,250 CBM were constructed, which translated into more blue areas, increased rainwater retention capability, improved soil conditions, and ensured regular surface water level maintenance. The project created 6 (six) green urban islands in the vicinity of the town centre. They cover a total of 3.8 hectares of land with 2,135 new trees native to Poland, which expanded the town''s green spaces, increased its biodiversity, improved the quality of the air in the town, provided more space and more food for animals, and created new biotic communities in the urban environment. The 6 (six) rain gardens created as part of the project help collect rainwater, reduce rainwater runoff locally, bring some "relief" to the town''s sewerage system and promote the naturalisation of habitats. The 10 (ten) new green bus shelters helped provide more shade and improved air quality for public transport passengers and pedestrians. Other benefits include more green areas along the town''s streets, more food for insects, and improved safety for birds. The aforementioned walking and biking path, which also has a rainwater catchment function, directs rainwater to nearby water infiltration areas. This promotes eco-friendly and easier ways of getting around the town for the local community, created more space for recreation (benches and a picnic table) and improved safety for the local people (new street lighting). This is supplemented with one green roof designed as a rainwater harvesting solution for demonstration purposes.
A major part of the project was its educational component. This included activities that aimed to increase public awareness of climate change, as well as adaptation and mitigation measures implemented by the Czechowice-Dziedzice Centre for Ecological Education, with numerous workshops and training courses for both the local community and experts. One of the workshops was an exceptional experience. It covered mitigation measures, i.e. activities designed to make changes in the urban environment to counteract climate change. Mitigation measures are a broad concept. In modern urban planning and urban engineering, it primarily means the creation of modern, friendly urban spaces which are rich in blue-green infrastructure, low-carbon and emission-reducing and which benefit the climate not only globally, but also locally. It also means creating people-friendly towns that perform all important urban functions in a sustainable manner, while offering excellent areas for leisure and recreation, in harmony with the environment and biodiversity, delivered through nature-based solutions (NBS). Last but not least, it means creating a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly towns where people live well.
All residents were invited to the workshops, including local government officials, local councillors, civil servants, representatives of all of the town''s neighbourhoods and village districts, non-governmental organisations, schoolchildren and senior citizens, old and young members of the local community: everyone who cares about the welfare of the town. The workshops were conducted by experts from INTBAU Norge, INTBAU Poland and the Cracow University of Technology, while Town Hall staff and Mayor Marian Błachut personally were actively involved. The materials gathered during the workshops served as a basis for developing a concept for a new, resident- and nature-friendly town centre of Czechowice-Dziedzice, which includes revitalisation of old factory buildings in the centre proper. This is one of the many goals that the local government of Czechowice-Dziedzice expects to achieve ambitiously in the years to come.
As part of the project, 7 (seven) competitions were held for children and teenagers attending local schools. These activities aimed to increase their knowledge about climate change and its impact. The competitions covered topics such as the threats posed by climate change, the importance of green and blue infrastructure, the importance of biodiversity, air protection, resource conservation and alternative means of transportation.
Summary of bilateral results
How the project benefited from having a donor project partner?It has been enriched with knowledge and experience.The main results from a bilateral level-Better quality of implemented projects, modeled on solutions from Norway incl. OsloPlans to continue the bilateral cooperation-More projects are planned.