1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Mobile (FUA)
Region
Northern America
Native title of the NBS intervention
Brookley by the Bay
Short description of the intervention
Brookley by the Bay is a 98-acre new waterfront park project along Mobile Bay's western shore (Ref 1). The park aims to reconnect people with the Mobile waterfront and coastal ecosystem (Ref 2). The area, once an abundant mosaic of tidal marshes, forested wetlands, and shallow lagoons, became a port, leading residents to lose contact with the natural landscape (Ref 2).
The park serves both recreational and environmental purposes, aiming to create and restore areas that enhance habitat resilience and allow coastal ecosystems to thrive (Ref 1). It features sports facilities, including kayaking, volleyball, golf, and biking, along with social gathering and educational spaces such as an amphitheatre lawn, a performance pavilion, and picnic tables (Ref 3, Images 1-3). The park provides safe and equitable access for all Mobile residents to nature, beaches, tree canopies, open fields, and varied shorelines, all connected by pedestrian and bike lanes (Ref 2). The project also focuses on habitat enhancement and restoration for biodiversity (Ref 3, Images 1 & 4), as well as flood protection through shoreline get-downs, vegetated edges (Image 4), and undulating berms and swales that serve as a layered protection system against stormwater and coastal flooding (Ref 2).
The development of Brookley by the Bay was guided by input from over 300 community members (Ref 1), local stakeholder organizations, and project partners, with the goal of establishing a more resilient, accessible, and enduring space for generations to come (Ref 2).
Implementation area characterization
Address

254 Old Bay Front Dr
Mobile, 36615
United States

Area boundary (map-based)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
1) Google Maps
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.6376121,-88.0587948,4666m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu
2) City of Mobile website
https://www.cityofmobile.org/brookleybythebay
Total area
396592.00m²
Area description
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS
the area "has served as a secondary airport for the city and supported industrial tenants with limited access to the public" (Ref 3)
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2020
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2022
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
1) To reconnect people with the Mobile waterfront and coastal ecosystem (Ref 2).
2) To create new green space to enhance access to urban nature for the residentsof Mbile (Ref 2)
2) To provide access to recreational opportunities to the residents (Ref 2) including sport facilities, social gathering spaces and cultural spaces (Ref 3)
3) To restore areas that enhance habitat resilience and allow coastal ecosystems to thrive (Ref 1).
4) To contribute to flood protection against stormwater and coastal flooding (Ref 2)
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 and NBS focus
Implementation activities
1) creation of a 98-acre (396 592 m2) waterfront park (reconversion of a former airport and industrial facilities area)
2) creation of sports facilities: kayaking, volleyball (Ref 3, Image 3), golf, and biking (Ref 3, Image 2)
3) Create social gathering and educational spaces: an amphitheater lawn, performance pavilion (Ref 3, Image 1), and picnic tables (Ref 3, Image 2).
4) restoration of nature: reforestation, open fields, and varied shorelines (Ref 3)
5) creation of pedestrian and bike lanes (Ref 3)
6) implementation of habitat enhancement and restoration for biodiversity: meadow restoration, ensuring delta diversity and wetland migration (Ref 3, Image 1, Image 4)
7) flood protection infrastructures: wave attenuation, shoreline get-downs, vegetated edges (Image 4), and undulating berms and swales (Ref 2)
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Coastal protection
Flood regulation
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Recreation
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Demographics in implementation area
Demographics of the city of Mobile (Ref 4):
- Total population: 187,041
- Median age: 37.3
- Median households income: $50,051
- Average families size: 3.16
- Ethnicity: Black or African American (Non-Hispanic): 52.9%, White (Non-Hispanic): 39.7%, Two+ (Non-Hispanic): 2.18%, Asian (Non-Hispanic): 1.85%, and Two+ (Hispanic): 1.25%
Socio-economic profile of the area
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Non-government actors
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Citizens or community groups
Primary Beneficiaries
Specify primary beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups: "safe and equitable access for all Mobile residents" (Ref 2)
Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups
Coastal communities, prone to flooding and storm surges.
Governance
Governance arrangements
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The City of Mobile: lead the project (Ref 1)
Partnered with the private sector (Ref 1):
- SCAPE architecture studio
- Volkert
- Moffatt & Nichol
- Thompson Engineering

The planning was guided by input from community members, local stakeholder organizations, and project partners (Ref 3), more than 300 community members (Ref 1)

Fundings (Ref 3)
- GOMESA (The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act ) (National government) has provided funding for the purchase of the park site
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Gulf Environmental Benefit Funds (NGO) were used to purchase and protect the surrounding wetlands through a conservation easement
- the City of Mobile is providing park design funds
Key actors - initiating organization
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
National government
Non-government organisation/civil society
Citizens or community group
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Level of citizen and community engagement
Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to a 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
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Unknown
Enablers & Barriers
Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.
The City of Mobiles worked with private sector to develop the vision of the project: "the City of Mobile worked with SCAPE, Volkert, Moffatt & Nichol, and Thompson Engineering to develop a vision for Brookley by the Bay" (Ref 1)
Barriers
unknown
Financing
Please specify total cost (EUR)
The purchase only of the land: 33 million USD = 29 610 459,53 Euros (exchange rate on 21/08/2024: 1 USD = 0,897287 EUR) "The City of Mobile, the State of Alabama, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation purchased the waterfront site [...] for $33 million" (Ref 3)
The other costs are not available.
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Entrepreneurship opportunities
Unknown
Business models
Impacts, benefits
Description of environmental benefits
-Increased protection against sea level rise: "The wetlands are projected to migrate into the upland forest as sea levels rise." (Ref 3)
-Storm / wave-induced erosion and flooding: "The site is exposed to regular wave action, coastal erosion, and high winds and waves during storm events","strengthening its resilience to frequent storm events." (Ref 3)
-Enhanced protection against extreme weather events (e.g. storms, cyclones, tidal surges, coastal erosion): "the site is exposed to regular wave action, coastal erosion, and high winds and waves during storm events","strengthening its resilience to frequent storm events." (Ref 3)
-Improved protection against strong wind: "the site’s eastern shore show signs of erosion, potentially due to strong northern winds" "An interactive habitat edge at the eastern tip of the site combines shoreline revegetation efforts"(Ref 3)
-Increased protection against flooding: "the site is affected from coastal flooding today and in the future with four feet of seal level rise." "At the water’s edge, a system of berms, swales, habitatenhanced breakwaters" (Ref 3)
-Improved stormwater management: "storm drainage pathways" (Ref 3)
-Enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems: " living shorelines enrich the park’s marine ecosystems while strengthening its resilience" (Ref 3)
-Increased green space area: "a 98-acre waterfront park" (Ref 3)
-Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems: "The “Loop and Berms” scheme stitches together three goals - conserve, restore, and activate" (Ref 3)
-Reduced biodiversity loss: "supports the biodiversity of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta" (Ref 3)
Environmental impact indicators
Total number of vascular plant species protected or introduced
unknown
Green space area created (in ha)
39,6 ha
Total area of habitat restored (in ha)
unknown
Water retention capacity (m³ or %)
unknown
Area of water management infrastructure (e.g. SUDs, rain gardens) (m2)
unknown
Economic impacts
Description of economic benefits
unknown
Social and cultural impact indicators
Surface area of accessible green spaces (in ha)
39,6 ha
Total area of recreational green space created or restored (in ha)
unknown
Number of participants in outdoor activities or exercise programs in green spaces
unknown
Number of community events, gatherings, or volunteer activities organized in green spaces
unknown
Number of environmental education programs, workshops, outreach activities (eg. in schools, community centers, public spaces)
unknown
Description of social and cultural benefits
-Improved access to urban green space: the project is expected to result in "equitable access for all Mobile residents" to the park (Ref 2)
-Increased opportunities for social interaction: the project is expected to "create vibrant gathering places for all" (Ref 3)
-Gain in activities for recreation and exercise: the project is expected "support waterfront access and recreation" (Ref 1) It features sports facilities, including kayaking, volleyball, golf, and biking, along with social gathering and educational spaces such as an amphitheatre lawn, a performance pavilion, and picnic tables (Ref 3, Images 1-3).
-Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure: "Because the site is historic fill", "Mobile is a city with a strong and historic relationship to its waterfront" (Ref 3)
-Increased knowledge of locals about local nature: "focusing on environmental education through programmatic elements like nature play, outdoor classrooms, and wildlife viewing" (Ref 3)
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
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Cost-benefit analysis
Unknown
Justice
Community satisfaction
Description of locals satisfaction with the project
unknown
Trade-offs & Negative impacts
Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement
High-quality & Transformative NBS
Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)
Yes
Goal setting and impacts delivery
Yes, from the planning phase the project aimed to address issues in these three key priority areas and it also delivered benefits across these three areas.
Long-term perspective
Yes
Cost-effective solutions
Unknown
Equitable impacts
Application of lessons learned
Perception of Environmental Change
Unknown
References
1.
CityofMobile.com (n.d.). Brookley by the Bay - CityofMobile.com. Mobile, Al: CityofMobile.com, p. 2 Accessed on August 21, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
2.
Scapestudio.com (n.d.). Brookley by the Bay - Scapestudio.com. Mobile, Al: Scapestudio.com, p. 2 Accessed on August 21, 2024, [Download];
3.
VOLKERT, Scape Studio, City of Mobile (n.d.). Brookley by the Bay - A COLLECTIVE VISION FOR THE CITY OF MOBILE'S LARGEST WATERFRONT PARK. Mobile, Al: VOLKERT, Scape Studio, City of Mobile, p. 59 Accessed on August 21, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
4.
Data.census.gov (n.d.). Demographics Mobile - Data.census.gov. Mobile, Al: Data.census.gov, Accessed on August 21, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
Comments and notes
Public Images
Image
Image showing the social gathering facilities and nature restoration in the Brookley by the Bay project
Image showing the social gathering facilities and nature restoration in the Brookley by the Bay project
https://www.cityofmobile.org/brookleybythebay accessed in21/08/2024
Image
Skyview of the Brookley by the Bay project
Skyview of the Brookley by the Bay project
https://www.cityofmobile.org/brookleybythebay accessed on 210/08/2024
Image
Image showing the sport facilities in the Brookley by the Bay project
IImage showing the sport facilities in the Brookley by the Bay project
https://www.cityofmobile.org/brookleybythebay accessed on 21/08/2024
Image
Image showing the shoreline protection in the Brookley by the Bay project
Image showing the shoreline protection in the Brookley by the Bay project
https://www.cityofmobile.org/brookleybythebay accessed on 21/08/2024