1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
The Municipal Plan for Urban Emptiness with Territorial and Social Implications (BUITS Plan) aims to stimulate disused land in the city of Barcelona, through activities of public interest of a provisional nature, driven by public or private entities without a spirit of profit, favoring the involvement of civil society in the regeneration and dynamization of the urban fabric (4).
- Fill out spaces in disuse;
- Promote the involvement of civil society in the reinvention of unused land;
- Regenerate the urban fabric and induce social dynamism in the environment;
- improve the quality of life of people (7).
- promote certain projects that favor the occupation and use of certain empty spaces in the city (Ref. 9)
- Fill out spaces in disuse;
- Promote the involvement of civil society in the reinvention of unused land;
- Regenerate the urban fabric and induce social dynamism in the environment;
- improve the quality of life of people (7).
- promote certain projects that favor the occupation and use of certain empty spaces in the city (Ref. 9)
Quantitative targets
45 895 m2 won as spaces for stay and citizen use; 147 implied entities of the city; 11 spaces to contest in the 2015 edition (7). Sizes of the lots are, by contrast, far from uniform, ranging from 100 m² (1,076 sq. ft) to 1,000 m² (10,760 sq. ft) (1). While this distribution aims to be as egalitarian as possible in terms of location, the sizes of the lots are, by contrast, far from uniform, ranging from 100 m² (1,076 sq. ft) to 1,000 m² (10,760 sq. ft) (1).
The project generally focuses on rehabilitation of derelict areas for social use, but the application of GI/NBS interventions is highly common (Ref 6). The vast majority of projects are focused on urban gardening and horticulture (Ref 6).
The project generally focuses on rehabilitation of derelict areas for social use, but the application of GI/NBS interventions is highly common (Ref 6). The vast majority of projects are focused on urban gardening and horticulture (Ref 6).
Monitoring indicators defined
m2 of spaces for stay and citizen use in the city (Ref 1)
number of different empty spaces across the city where emergent actions and tactical urbanism with Pla BUITS is happening (3).
number of implied entities of the city (Ref 1)
size of plots in m² (Ref 1)
number of different empty spaces across the city where emergent actions and tactical urbanism with Pla BUITS is happening (3).
number of implied entities of the city (Ref 1)
size of plots in m² (Ref 1)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Please specify "other Habitats and biodiversity restoration activity"
- One of the most popular projects is that of community gardens such as ConnectHort, in Poblenou, dedicated to permaculture, which has allowed the restoration of an abandoned area through sustainable urban agriculture practices (Ref. 12).
- The Illa dels Tres Horts project in the Font de la Guatlla neighborhood is an orchard where we work with vulnerable groups and allow the recovery of vulnerable species (Ref. 12)
- The Illa dels Tres Horts project in the Font de la Guatlla neighborhood is an orchard where we work with vulnerable groups and allow the recovery of vulnerable species (Ref. 12)
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Implementation activities
Compared with the stand-alone operations implemented previously, the Pla Buits adopts a very different approach: it invites outside organisations to find specific solutions for individual cases. At the centre of this plan, drawn up by Barcelona’s urban planning department (Hàbitat Urbà), is an open competition, launched between 1 November 2012 and 1 February 2013, for the opportunity to temporarily – for a period of between one and maximum three years – manage one of 19 vacant urban lots in the public domain that were originally earmarked for housing, public amenities, streets or green spaces in the local area master plan (the Pla General Metropolità of 1976). These vacant lots are distributed evenly among the city’s 10 districts, with the final result of 12 projects selected in this first edition. For the second edition of the contest, the available lots were 11, with the concession of 5 for civil management (Ref. 4), with the majority of the activities being urban agriculture (Ref. 1)
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
There are references to other similar projects, such as the one in England (1).
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
The success of the first project has stimulated a second round focusing on other parts of the city in 2015 (2). - an example for the community: - Pla Buits has allowed the creation of 12 small-scale community projects, although in a short time some of them have already become a benchmark for the neighborhoods where they are located. (Ref. 12)
