1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Kraków
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Ogród rekreacyjny z ogrodoterapią w centrum miasta
Short description of the intervention
The garden is located on the territory of the social welfare home 'Helclów' in Kraków under the protection of a regional monument conservator. It is supposed to integrate the residents of various age and support physical rehabilitation and leisure with elements of garden therapy. Its main goal is to integrate the elderly from the social welfare home with other citizens through joint activities, such as flowers and herbs planting and caretaking. The initiative involves planting greenery (including 314 trees and 134 square meters of shrubs between 2010 and 2016), setting a grill area, and renovating the infrastructure for the disabled. The garden is supposed to serve as an offset for harmful developments in other parts of the city. Private investors are often obliged to provide resources for new trees in the garden’s natural wall and a noise and pollution barrier. The park is publicly accessible between 9 AM and 6 PM and is available for the organization of events and meetings. The concept to open the previously closed garden to the public was initiated an application for a participatory budget in 2016 and very much supported by all parties involved [1,2,3].
Address

Dom Pomocy Społecznej im. Ludwika i Anny Helclów
ul. Helclów 2
31-148 Kraków
Poland

Area boundary
POINT (19.940593 50.073169)
POINT (19.939992 50.07226)
POINT (10.935915 50.072439)
POINT (19.936012 50.073423)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
https://www.google.pl/maps/place/Dom+Pomocy+Spo%C5%82ecznej+im.+Ludwika+i+Anny+Helcl%C3%B3w+w+Krakowie/@50.0726143,19.9355185,405m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x47165b03fb850bcf:0xda3aa8102e35b01e!8m2!3d50.0726109!4d19.9377072?hl=pl&authuser=0
NBS area
1860.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS
Public but closed greenspace area
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2016
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2017
End date of the intervention
2017
Present stage of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
1) Creating a green recreational area around the social welfare home that will be accessible to the public;
2) Increasing multigenerational integration between the local citizens (e.g. joint activities such as flowers and herbs planting, open barbecue);
3) Providing an offsetting for cutting trees in other parts of the city;
4) Protecting local natural and cultural heritage (e.g. a statue in the garden and ancient trees);
5) Creating a natural noise and pollution barrier around the fence of the park [1,2].





Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
1. number of trees planted and mainteined; 2. number of visitors and events organized; 3. regular control of the regional chief monuments conservator [2]
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Implementation activities
1. Planting trees to build a 'green screen' or a natural noise and pollution barrier;
2. Installing benches, a chess table, a table tennis table, a brick grill, swings and areas for public gardening/care of plants;
3. Maintenance and protection of the already existing ancient trees belonging to a valuable family of plane trees;
4. The removal of sick and dangerous trees [1,2].



NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Institutional green space
Parks and urban forests
Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Community gardens and allotments
Community gardens
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
1
Vegetation Type
Please specify how many trees were planted
314 (between 2010 and 2016)
Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS
CCTV, public grill area, chess table, public garden with herbs
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Regulating services
Air quality regulation
Noise reduction
Habitat and supporting services
Maintenance of genetic diversity
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Recreation
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Social and community interactions
Other
Please specify "other cultural service"
Multigenerational social integration [2]
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Governance
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 social welfare home together with local citizens' community prepared the project proposal and applied for funding. The social welfare home was responsible for the project's implementation [1].
Key actors - initiating organization
Land owners
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Public sector institution
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Please specify other land owner
Social welfare home
Please specify other landowner
Social welfare home
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"
All the projects submitted to the Cracow participatory budget have to be compatible with the statue of the city district in which they would be implemented, as well as with the city plans, policies and programs (including spatial development plans, City Council resolutions and decrees of the city mayor), with law (including property rights law), and they have to be implemented on the lands belonging to the municipality.(3)
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Please specify other type of voluntary intervention
The project proposal was developed by the local stakeholders on their own initiative.
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
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
Yes
Please specify
Participatory city budget of Cracow. (1)
The project has also obtained additional funds for its implementation from PFRON ('Państwowy Fundusz Rehabilitacji Osób Niepełnosprawnych') - the 'State Fund for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled'.(1)
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
No
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Financing
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
around 79790 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)
39.900 PLN from the Cracow participatory budget (around 9.500 EUR) and 295 650 PLN from the State Fund for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (around 70.284 EUR).(1)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Type of innovation
Please specify social innovation
The garden provides a green space for the multigenerational integration of the inhabitants of the local social welfare home and the citizens of the district. It is the first initiative of this sort in the area that additionally provides the green recreational space in the city part where there is a lack of such spaces.(2)
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
unknown
Impacts, benefits
Description of environmental benefits
The initiative involved planting greenery (including 314 trees and 134 square meters of shrubs between 2010 and 2016) while maintaining biodiversity. Greens and trees were selected after consultations with a landscape architecture company. The project also involves maintenance and protection of the already existing ancient trees belonging to a valuable family of plane trees. The garden serves as an offset for harmful developments in other parts of the city. Private investors are often obliged to provide resources for new trees in the garden’s natural wall and a noise and pollution barrier [2].
Economic impacts
Description of economic benefits
unknown
Description of social and cultural benefits
(Expected impacts) The concept to open the previously closed garden to the public was initiated an application for a participatory budget in 2016 and very much supported by all parties involved. It is supposed to integrate the residents of various age and support physical rehabilitation and leisure with elements of garden therapy. Its main goal is to integrate the elderly from the social welfare home with other citizens through joint activities, such as flowers and herbs planting and caretaking. There is a grill, a chess table, a table tennis table, benches and paths, disabled-friendly infrastructure, CCTV, and clear rules of the use of facilities and the need for mutual respect in the garden [2,4].
Type of reported impacts
Indicators
The number and satisfaction of the users; The number of trees planted and protected
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
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 August of 2020.
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
Yes
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
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
City Council Resolution (203.14 KB) 203.14 KB
The rules of the park's functioning (735.13 KB) 735.13 KB
List of references
1. City council projects' progress webpage,(2017) 'State of implementation of projects from the III edition of the participatory budget' ('Stan realizacji zadań III edycji budżetu obywatelskiego'), http://agd.um.krakow.pl/publikacja/view.php?id_publikacji=641 (Accessed: 29 August 2020).
2. Agaciak, A., (2016), 'The mysterious garden in the city center will open the gates for Cracovians' ('Tajemniczy ogród w centrum miasta otworzy bramy dla krakowian'), dziennikpolski24.pl, http://www.dziennikpolski24.pl/region/a/tajemniczy-ogrod-w-centrum-miasta-otworzy-bramy-dla-krakowian,11495209/ (Accessed: 29 August 2020).
3. (See attachment) 'RESOLUTION NO. XXXIV / 566/15 CITY COUNCIL OF KRAKOW December 16, 2015 On the Regulations of Citizens' Budget of the City of Cracow' ('UCHWAŁA NR XXXIV/566/15 RADY MIASTA KRAKOWA z dnia 16 grudnia 2015 r. w sprawie Regulaminu budżetu obywatelskiego Miasta Krakowa')
4. (See attachment) 'RESOLUTION NO. 35/2018 SOCIAL WELFARE HOME (UCHWAŁA 35/2018 DOM POMOCY SPOŁECZNEJ IM. LUDWIKA I ANNY HELCLÓW W KRAKOWIE). 07 July 2018.
Comments and notes
Additional insights
The publicly available information on the project does not specify which city strategies/plans were addressed by the project - only that the project had to be compatible with them.
Public Images
Image
Secret Garden in Cracow
Secret Garden in Cracow
Source: https://dziennikpolski24.pl/tajemniczy-ogrod-w-centrum-miasta-otworzy-bramy-dla-krakowian/ga/11495209/zd/21657421