1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Catania
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Orti urbani Librino
Short description of the intervention
The municipality of Catania has promoted an initiative that involves schools and non-profit associations, for which available space for urban gardens and horticulture has been provided. The main aim was to regenerate areas which were used abusively as landfills and for criminal activities. What will be produced must strictly conform to the principles of sustainable production, by using biological products and 0 environmental impact techniques. (Ref.1.)
Address

viale Castagnola 15
95121 Catania
Italy

Location
Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place
Total area
30000.00m²
NBS area
30000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Previous derelict area
Residential
Website of the intervention
https://www.comune.catania.it/servizi/bandi-di-gara/default.aspx?bando=87425
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
unknown
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2016
End date of the intervention
2020
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Goals of the intervention
The goals behind this project, which as an extension is among the most relevant in Italy, are manifold:
-to bring citizens closer to the principles and practices of environmental sustainability: each garden, even the smallest and most secluded, contains and represents a challenge for a more sustainable lifestyle.
-urban agriculture also helps to reduce the carbon dioxide released by activities located in cities.
- producing your own food within urban borders means avoiding long-distance transport; at the same time, it is proven that the presence of plants absorbs CO2.
-the experience of urban gardens also concerns the social and educational functions they perform, bringing young people closer to knowledge, to the pleasure of cultivating the land and in general to ecology. (Ref. 4)
Quantitative targets
The intervention is scheduled for a total area of ​​approximately square meters. 30,000, of which approximately 10,000 sq m for paths and parking areas and 20,000 sq m for the construction of 81 cultivable units, with a single surface of about 200/250 sq m, possibly re-modulated in size.
Serving the needs of 100,000 citizens who live in Librino (Ref. 4, Ref. 5)
Monitoring indicators defined
Unknown
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change mitigation
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Effective management
Combatting crime and corruption
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Environmental and climate justice
Social cohesion
Social interaction
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Enabling opportunities for physical activity
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: agriculture
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Sustainable consumption
Sustainable production
Climate change mitigation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Sequester and store carbon
Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Increase green urban nature for carbon storage (wetlands, tree cover)
Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential
Implementation activities
In order to reach the predetermined goals, the areas for cultivation were first legally claimed by the municipality to clear the area from the mafia influence, Secondly, the city itself provided seeds and materials necessary for cultivation, which are available for those who want to participate, being residents, children, elderly people or schools and associations (Ref.2.)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Transformation of previously derelict areas
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Community gardens and allotments
Allotments
Community gardens
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
32 gardens
Vegetation Type
Grass
Shrubs
Trees
Garden beds
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unknown
Amenities offered by the NBS
Benches and drinking water stations
Sports areas and equipment
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Regulating services
Carbon storage/sequestration
Cultural services
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Social and community interactions
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Citizens or community groups
Marginalized groups
Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Young people and children
Marginalized groups
Elderly people
Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Citizens or community groups
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The municipality of Catania is the initiator of the project. It provides the land and the authorization to cultivate the areas, as well as the required material. A specific commission assigns the areas available to private citizens, schools and public and non-profit associations which are in charge to cultivate and take care of the area. (Ref.1.)
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Public sector institution
Citizens or community group
District/neighbourhood association
Land owners
No information found
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Co-management/Joint management
Citizen science
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
The intevention is influenced by the local plan "Norme di attuazione per l'assegnazione e la gestione degli orti urbani" (norms to implement and manage urban gardens and hoticultural practices), which establishes the modality of the intervention and the rules to comply with for the cultivation (Ref.3.)
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Please specify other type of voluntary intervention
The intervention is due to a result of the vandalistic acts by the organized crime in the open spaces, and it was implemented as a response to it (Ref.2.)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The intevention is influenced by the local plan "Norme di attuazione per l'assegnazione e la gestione degli orti urbani" (norms to implement and manage urban gardens and hoticultural practices), which establishes the modality of the intervention and the rules to comply with for the cultivation (Ref.3.)
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
City specific green space strategy or plan
Urban redevelopment plan
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
No
Co-financing governance arrangements
No
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
€500,000 - €2,000,000
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
805.661,15 EUR
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
1,400,000 EUR. Funds were given by the municipality of Catania from 5,000-20,000 EUR for every group of citizens or association that receives a garden to create and manage (Ref.5 and Ref.6)
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of land
Provision of goods
Provision of labour
Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Business models
Green densification model
Local stewardship model
Vacant space model
Green education model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Citizens / local communities
Type of innovation
Social
Governance innovation
Cultural innovation
Please specify social innovation
The innovation represents a cultural innovation because it is an attempt to dedicate public spaces to green inclusive practices, instead of leaving them to organized crime activities. This is an important signal to the whole city (Ref.2.). The co-management and involvement of private residents and schools is part of the governance innovation of the project.
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) with substantial adaptation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Previous initiatives in Sicily were aiming at regenerating and giving new value to areas threatened by the presence of mafia activities, nevertheless for the first time it has been implemented a community-based initiative for sustainable production (Ref.2.)
Replicability/Transferability
The innovation is not referred to as being transferred to new initiative(s)
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Environmental quality
Improved soil quality
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
Restoration of derelict areas
Description of environmental benefits
The project for the NBS will end in September 2020, therefore there are no evaluation studies or reports that can describe the impacts and the benefits. So far, from the data provided by the municipality, an unknown number of trees have been planted and an area that was considered derelict was transformed in community gardens (Ref.6)
Economic impacts
Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Description of economic benefits
No precise data provided.
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved liveability
Improved access to urban green space
Increased opportunities for social interaction
Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Description of social and cultural benefits
The project for the NBS will end in September 2020, therefore there are no evaluation studies that can describe the impacts in details. So far, from the data provided by the municipality, the NBS increased the access to green areas for a considerable amount of people, that expect an improvement in social interaction, health and wellbeing as a result from expected improvements of sustainable agriculture practices as a result of gardening (Ref.6).
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Indicators
-28 families and 4 associations (NGOs benefited from the gardens by managing plots (Ref.6)
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Inclusive governance
Effective management
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Social cohesion
Social interaction
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Enabling opportunities for physical activity
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: agriculture
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Voluntary work opportunities
Work for rehabilitation (e.g. for mental health, prisoners, older people)
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Positive distribution of NBS benefits
Improved access to green and/or blue spaces
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of July 2020.
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Please specify other modes of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
The citizens were asked about theier experience in the biological urban garden, and to what extent the initiative could be replicated and improved in the future (Ref.2.)
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Ref.1. Gli orti urbani a Catania sono realtà: ecco come funzionano
Ref.2. Orti urbani: Bianco, "Pubblicato bando, i primi dieci assegnati entro in…
Librino, tre ettari dedicati agli orti urbani: consegnati tutti i lotti agli as…
Norme di attuazione per l'assegnazione e la gestione degli orti urbani
Ponmetro Catania 2014-2020
List of references
Ref.1. CataniaMobilita (2016). Al via la riqualificazione di piazza Giuseppe Sciuti: sarà ZTL. Available at http://catania.mobilita.org/2016/09/06/al-via-la-riqualificazione-di-piazza-giuseppe-sciuti-sara-ztl/ (Accessed 20-6-2020)
Ref.2. Comune di Catania (2015). PROCEDURA APERTA PER L’APPALTO DI ESECUZIONE DEI LAVORI “PROGETTO PER LA RIQUALIFICAZIONE DI ALCUNE AREE IN PROSSIMITÀ DELLA PIAZZA CARLO ALBERTO – PIAZZA SCIUTI”. Catania: pp. 1-15 Attached

Ref. 3 Cronaca Oggi Quatidiano (2017), Consegnata alla città piazza Giuseppe Sciuti e l’area circostante dopo la riqualificazione, Available at http://www.cronacaoggiquotidiano.it/2017/12/10/consegnata-alla-citta-piazza-giuseppe-sciuti-larea-circostante-la-riqualificazione/ (Accessed 18-7-2020)



Urban gardens Librino

Orti urbani Librino



Ref.1. Sicilia press (2016). Gli orti urbani a Catania sono realtà: ecco come funzionano (Website not accessible in 2020)

Ref.2. Comune di Catania (2016). Orti urbani: Bianco, "Pubblicato bando, i primi dieci assegnati entro inizio luglio". Available at http://www.comune.catania.it/informazioni/cstampa/default.aspx?cs=51373 (Accessed 20-6-2020)

Ref.3. Comune di Catania (2016). BANDO PER L'ASSEGNAZIONE DI ORTI URBANI QUARTIERE LIBRINO. Catania, pp. 1-3, Available at https://www.comune.catania.it/informazioni/avvisi/avvisi-2017/allegati-2017/bando-orti-urbani-librino/bando-assegnazione-lotti-librino-parco-librino.pdf (Accessed 20-6-2020)

Ref. 4 Catania Mobilita (2018), Librino, tre ettari dedicati agli orti urbani: consegnati tutti i lotti agli assegnatari, Available at http://catania.mobilita.org/2018/05/04/librino-3-ettari-dedicati-agli-orti-urbani-consegnati-tutti-i-lotti-agli-assegnatari/, (Accessed 19-7-2020)

Ref. 5, Comune di Catania (2017), Norme di attuazione per l'assegnazione e la gestione degli orti urbani, Available at https://www.comune.catania.it/informazioni/avvisi/avvisi-2017/allegati-2017/bando-orti-urbani-librino/allegato-delib-n-14.pdf, (Accessed 19-7-2020)

Ref.6 Comune di Catania (no date), Ponmetro Catania 2014-2020, Available at https://ponmetro.comune.catania.it/, (Accessed 19-7-2020)
Attachments
Attachment Size
Ref.3. Bando assegnazione orti urbani (251.26 KB) 251.26 KB
Comments and notes
Pictures of the NBS
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