1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
The Great Route (GR) links the municipal forest parks with the urban parks in Bilbao. The path of the GR of Bilbao circles the urban nucleus and the five forest parks, and completes a 74 kilometer closed ring between paths, roads and streets marked with references routes, places of interest and general information. The GR provides access to a total green area of 1,225 hectares. 200 hectares of park area are distributed among 21 urban parks, and 1,025 hectares of forest areas are divided into 5 forested areas (Artxanda, Monte Avril, Arnotegi, Pagasarri and Arraiz). [2][4]
According to the Municipality of Bilbao, their goals for Great Route are:
- to expand and connect the city's green areas [1]
- to group together existing municipal forest parks on both sides of Bilbao with urban parks [2]
- to create a network linking the peripheral green belt with urban parks and other green areas inside the city [1]
- to improve resilience to climate change through carbon sequestration and local climate regulation [1]
- to increase water infiltration and reduce run-off [1]
- to provide space for recreation [3,4]
- to increase citizen well-being with accessibility to green space [1,3,4]
According to the Municipality of Bilbao, their goals for Great Route are:
- to expand and connect the city's green areas [1]
- to group together existing municipal forest parks on both sides of Bilbao with urban parks [2]
- to create a network linking the peripheral green belt with urban parks and other green areas inside the city [1]
- to improve resilience to climate change through carbon sequestration and local climate regulation [1]
- to increase water infiltration and reduce run-off [1]
- to provide space for recreation [3,4]
- to increase citizen well-being with accessibility to green space [1,3,4]
Quantitative targets
Total green area of 1,225 hectares [2][4]
Monitoring indicators defined
Green area per person [m2] [2][4]
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Climate change mitigation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Implementation activities
The City has planted 18,500 trees, mostly native, such as birch trees, oak trees, beech and ash, and also some foreign species such as lime trees or American oak. It has already led to 1 million extra square metres of green areas in Bilbao in the past decade. [1]
In order to enhance the leisure aspect of these areas, the City Council of Bilbao has created new areas of recreation and play, from having 27 hectares in 2006 to the 134 hectares that are maintained, distributed in 18 spaces. The City Council has also promoted the GR as a venue to host outdoor sports events, such as mountain marathons [3]
In order to enhance the leisure aspect of these areas, the City Council of Bilbao has created new areas of recreation and play, from having 27 hectares in 2006 to the 134 hectares that are maintained, distributed in 18 spaces. The City Council has also promoted the GR as a venue to host outdoor sports events, such as mountain marathons [3]
Type of NBS project
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Please specify system innovation
The initiative to link the entirety of Bilbao's forest parks with urban parks is a significant undertaking by the municipality. This commitment represents a governance innovation since its creation was a long process of commitment that transcended changes in city council personnel. It can also be considered a policy innovation as the creation of the green belt is part of Bilbao City Council has mentioned that there are more than one million of square meters of green surface that exists within the city, wherein 327 hectares are for enjoyment and recreation. Stand out parks, due to their magnitude, include Kobetamendi, Larreagaburu, Miribilla, Gardens of Gernika, Zorrozgoiti, Gazte- Lapiko, Irumineta, Etxezuri and, finally, the expansion of Araneko and Doña Casilda. In addition, the City Council is studying as possible new zones of Greenbelt expansion in the parks of Arangoiti, Mendigane and Mendiarte, which will add 90,000 new square meters to the offer of urban parks in Bilbao. [1][2]
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
The overall goal of the project is to connect preexisting green spaces to form a continuous green belt surrounding the city. This initiative builds on previous initiatives to create contiguous green spaces for various uses. In a way, it is a development of a previous initiative, however, the plan to create a contiguous connection presents emergent opportunities to engage citizens through the increased use of the green space for recreation as well as a way to maintain biodiversity through the creation of green corridors. Without the greenbelt, these opportunities might not be possible otherwise. [7]
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
It is unknown whether Bilbao's green belt plan has been transferred to new initiatives. Although Bilbao's Master Plan, which is currently under revision, underlines the goal of making Bilbao an example for other cities. [1][2]
