1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Nürnberg
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Pegnitztal West
Short description of the intervention
Pegnitztal West is a new corridor and recreation zone along a section of the Pegnitz river in Nurnberg suitable for all kinds of social groups and intended for recreational activities (1). The project instrumentalizes green and blue infrastructure for creating conditions for sport, leisure, and recreation, as well as serving a transitional function for the dwellers of the neighboring Gostenhof and St. Johannis districts (1). The green corridor also provides a protected urban habitat for various species, including more than 8 different tree species, water bats, green woodpeckers and swamp warblers. The project also stabilized the water level of the river and helps flood protection efforts. (2, 7)
Address

90419 Nurnberg
Germany

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary
POINT (11.0167 49.46854)
POINT (11.04898 49.45956)
POINT (11.04623 49.45805)
POINT (11.07018 49.45454)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
Reference 8: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/42465072#map=14/49.4604/11.0482
Total area
590000.00m²
NBS area
590000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Other
Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS
Riverbank in the city centre (2)
Website of the intervention
https://www.nuernberg.de/internet/stadtportal/pegnitztal_west.html
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
unknown
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2008
End date of the intervention
2016
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Goals of the intervention
1. New recreational area for all social and age groups (1)
2. Provide the opportunity for natural experience within the city (2)
3. Improve quality of life in the city center (2)
4. Provide Nurnberg residents and visitors open access to river bank (2, 7)
5. Improve urban climate, reduce the heat island effect (2)
6. Enhance leisure-related activities and tourism (2)
7. Maintenance and protection of biodiversity (2)
8. Flood protection (2)
Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
1. Water quality (2)
2. Amount of new green space (2)
3. Average temperature reduction in comparison with the city center in °C (2)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Water management (SDG 6)
Flood protection
Improvements to water quality
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Habitat and biodiversity conservation
Green space creation and/or management
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Regulation of built environment
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Social interaction
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Enabling opportunities for physical activity
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Tourism support
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Reduce the impacts of climate risks events on urban places and communities
Build resilience
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
Create or improve outdoor spaces to help people escape from urban heat
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Species-focused
Ecosystem-focused
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Protect and enhance urban habitats
Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
Promote environmentally-sound development in and around protected areas
Create new habitats
Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity
Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
Protect species
Undertake specific measures to protect species
Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Species-focused
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
Restore valued species
Restore ecological connectivity
Implementation activities
1. Primary dendrological evaluation, biotope mapping (2)
2. Paths for cycling, walking, and running were created (1)
3. Green walking loans along the river side arranged (2)
4. Infrastructure for barbecues and trash disposals provided (1)
5. Access to the river banks improved (1)
6. Sports facilities for adults and playgrounds for children created (1)
7. Lawn/meadow areas were created where shrubs and 8 new tree species with a total of 142 trees were planted. 44 benches were also placed in the park. (2)
8. High bank walls against flooding erected (2)
9. The park was granted environmental protection (7)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Protection of natural ecosystems
Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Riverbank/Lakeside greens
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Green corridors and green belts
Other
Blue infrastructure
Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
Please specify "other parks or (semi)natural urban green area"
Lawn/meadow areas (2)
Vegetation Type
Shrubs
Trees
Please specify how many trees were planted
142 (2)
Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS
Paths for cycling, walking, and running were created (1); Primary dendrological evaluation, biotope mapping (2); Infrastructure for barbecues and trash disposals provided (1)

Amenities offered by the NBS
Benches and drinking water stations
Sports areas and equipment
Swimming areas
Other
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Water (surface and ground water for drinking and non-drinking purposes)
Genetic materials from all biota
Regulating services
Local climate regulation (temperature reduction)
Flood regulation
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Maintenance of genetic diversity
Cultural services
Tourism
Recreation
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Physical and experiential interactions with plants and animals
Social and community interactions
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Young people and children
Other
Please specify "other primary beneficiary"
more than 8 different tree species, water bats, green woodpeckers and swamp warblers (2,7)
Please specify other local relevant strategy
directives: Flora Fauna Habitat-Gebiete (FFH), Special Protection Area (SPA), Landschaftsschutzgebiete (LSG) (3);
The project is realized within the strategy "Lebenstadt Innenstadt" that promotes development of inner cities attractive to citizens by developing local centers for housing, retail, crafts, culture and leisure. (5)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Government-led
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The project was initiated and led by the local government. (1) Funding came mostly from the city but received subsidies from the federal cooperation project “koopstadt”. (2)
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
National government
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Unknown
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Yes
Please specify the "Regional Directive/Strategy"
Parts of the project area are managed within the framework of three directives: Flora Fauna Habitat-Gebiete (FFH), Special Protection Area (SPA), Landschaftsschutzgebiete (LSG) (3)
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan
The project is realized within the strategy "Lebenstadt Innenstadt" that promotes development of inner cities attractive to citizens by developing local centers for housing, retail, crafts, culture and leisure. Around 100 Bavarian communities participate in this initiative (5)
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
The project is conducted within the urban renewal of the area "Northern Old town" of Nurnberg (2)
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Mandatory (based on policy)
Intervention is mandatory
Spatial planning guidance
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
Yes
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
The project is a response to goals set in the frames of the „Nürnberg am Wasser“ project. It aims at the improvement of the overall environmental conditions in the city and provision of access to water for local citizens and visitors (6)
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
Water regulation strategy
Municipal / city level environmental plan or programme
Urban redevelopment plan
Other
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development of Germany sponsored cooperation project "koopstadt" between partner cities Nurnberg, Bremen and Leipzig, under the theme "Places On the water" highlighting providing access to water as an important development impulse (2).
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
The city spent 338,000 euros on the regeneration of an area of 1800 square meters, of which 195,000 euros came from the federal state program (6).
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
Yes
Co-governance arrangement
Other
Please specify other co-financing type
The city spent 338,000 euros on the regeneration of an area of 1800 square meters, of which 195,000 euros came from the federal state program (6).
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?
unknown
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)
The cost of the entire intervention is unknown, but the municipality of Nürnberg states that the city spent 338,000 euros on the regeneration of an area of part of the project (on 1800 square meters), of which 195,000 euros came from the federal-state program (6).
Source(s) of funding
Public national budget
Public local authority budget
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Business models
Risk reduction model
Green densification model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Type of innovation
Unknown
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
unknown
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Water management and blue areas
Increased protection against flooding
Green space and habitat
Increased number of protection areas
Increased green space area
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Increased number of species present
Description of environmental benefits
According to a report by the City of Nuremberg - Economic Department Office for Housing and Urban Development, the project had a positive effect on flood protection and helped stabilize the water level of the river. (2) Green space area in the city center was increased by the creation of the 59-hectare large green corridor, where a total of 142 trees were planted. (2) The green corridor became a protected area, which provides habitat for many species including water bats, green woodpeckers, marsh warblers, orioles and hawfinches. (7). According to the results of the German Weather Service, the temperature level in the project area on hot days is up to 3 °C lower than in the densely built old town (2)
The park was granted environmental protection (7)
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Increased opportunities for social interaction
Health and wellbeing
Improved physical health
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Please specify other environmental justice issue
The green corridor became a protected area, which provides habitat for many species including water bats, green woodpeckers, marsh warblers, orioles and hawfinches. (7)
Description of social and cultural benefits
According to a report by the Transport Network for the greater Nuremberg area, the Petzingtal West corridor has become a popular recreational area, where the newly created paths for cycling, walking, and running are treasured by citizens. (7) Canoe trips are also offered and in summer, there is an area designated where people can swim in the river. (1).
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
- A total of 8 new tree species introduced to the area, 142 trees were planted and 44 benches were placed in the green corridor.
- According to the results of the German Weather Service, the temperature level in the project area bulk on hot days up to 3 °C lower than in the densely built old town (2)
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
No information available
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Other
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown (in September 24 2020)
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
Collection of monitoring data continuously throughout the project to aid evaluation
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Measurements of biophysical aspects of the NBS (e.g. temperature, water flow)
Where can this data be accessed? Please include a link to a report or web-page.
https://www.nuernberg.de/imperia/md/umweltamt/dokumente/projekte/bestand_pegnit…
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
Yes
Link to monitoring/evaluation reports
https://www.nuernberg.de/imperia/md/umweltamt/dokumente/projekte/bestand_pegnit…
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
Yes
Link to a web-based monitoring tool
http://www.hnd.bayern.de/pegel/donau_bis_kelheim/nuernberg-lederersteg-24225000
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Temperature and other physical measurements conducted in the project area and in the city center in order to measure the cooling rate (2)
Link to the output of assessments
https://www.nuernberg.de/imperia/md/stadtplanung/broschueren/brosch_altstadtans…
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
Web links relevant to the intervention
Freizeit genießen, Natur erleben: Pegnitztal West
Gewässer Pegnitz
Bestand Pegnitz
Leben findet innen Stadt
Angeln, Sporteln, Chillen
Reference 7: Nürnbergs Landschaftschätze - Natur vor der Haustür
List of references
1. Stadtportal Nürnberg. (nd.) Pegnitztal West. [online]. Available at: https://www.nuernberg.de/internet/stadtportal/pegnitztal_west.html [Accessed: 24 Sept. 2020].
2. Stadt Nürnberg - Wirtschaftsreferat, Amt für Wohnen und Stadtentwicklung. (2012). Altstadt ans Wasser. Nürnberg: Stadt Nürnberg - Wirtschaftsreferat, Amt für Wohnen und Stadtentwicklung. Available at: https://www.nuernberg.de/imperia/md/stadtplanung/broschueren/brosch_altstadtanswasser.pdf [Accessed: 24 Sept. 2020].
3. Stadtportal Nürnberg. (2014) Gesamtstädtisches Freiraumkonzept Nürnberg "Baustein Wasser". Available at: https://www.nuernberg.de/imperia/md/umweltamt/dokumente/projekte/bestand_pegnitz_03-2014.pdf [Accessed: 24 Sept. 2020].
4. Stadtportal Nürnberg. [image] Gesamtstädtisches Freiraumkonzept Nürnberg "Baustein Wasser". Available at: https://www.nuernberg.de/imperia/md/umweltamt/dokumente/projekte/bestand_pegnitz_03-2014.pdf [Accessed: 24 Sept. 2020].
5. Bayerisches Staatministerium für Wohnen, Bau und Verkehr (nd.)
Leben findet Innenstadt. [online]. Available at: https://www.lebenfindetinnenstadt.bayern.de/ [Accessed: 24 Sept. 2020]."
6. Stadtportal Nürnberg. (nd). Angeln, Sporteln, Chillen. [online]. Available at: https://www.nuernberg.de/internet/stadtportal/nh_102_pegnitz.html [Accessed: 24 Sept. 2020].
7. Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg. (2017). Nürnbergs Landschaftschätze - Natur vor der Haustür. Nürnberg: Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg, pp.12-13. Available at: https://www.vgn.de/b18aa44f-c942-04b1-55c5-53c24a7efe54 [Accessed: 24 Sept. 2020]
8. Openstreetmap.org. (nd.) Landschaftsschutzgebiet Pegnitztal West. Available at: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/42465072 [Accessed: 24 Sept. 2020].
Comments and notes
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/n_pegnitztal_west_3.jpg
Public Images
Pegnitztal West
Pegnitztal West
Photographer: Christine Dierenbach, retrieved 09/20/2018 from Data Exchange Service (City of Nürnberg)
Pegnitztal West
Pegnitztal West
Photographer: Christine Dierenbach, retrieved 09/20/2018 from Data Exchange Service (City of Nürnberg)