1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Sintra
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Projecto ponte verde de Queluz
Short description of the intervention
The Queluz Green Bridge is a pedestrian link that includes the creation of continuous green space in the natural areas adjacent to the gardens of the National Palace of Queluz, with connections to the Palace Square and Quinta Nova, and the Parque Urbano Felício Laurel. Integration of the landscape by the integration of an acoustic barrier in the slope with vegetal cover, and by the green bridge of connection between the gardens of the Palace of Queluz and Matinha was also scheduled. (2)
In 2020 the Municipality of Sintra signed a memorandum for the construction of the Queluz Green Bridge, inserted in the Green and Blue Axis project. The approval of these documents allows the launch of the construction contract for Ponte Verde in the first half of 2020 (5).
Address

Sintra
Portugal

Location
Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Residential
Website of the intervention
http://www.cm-sintra.pt/concursos-de-ideias-para-requalificacao-no-eixo-verde-e…
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2017
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2020
End date of the intervention
unknown
Present stage of the intervention
In planning stage
Goals of the intervention
1. Establish two areas of support and experience and two axes of crossing, according to a model of continuous circulation in the natural environment.
2. Ensure the protection of the gardens of the National Palace of Queluz and Matinha against the impact of road traffic IC19, by creating an acoustic and visual barrier and stability of similar characteristics. (1)
3. Create a pedestrian and bicycle path above the IC19 through the creation of a continuous green space area with requalification of previous green spaces ; (1)
4. Improve mobility by taking into consideration the location of the routes and the comfort conditions that need to be provided according to its topology. (2)
5. To re-naturalize and improve the quality of the water bodies and requalification of the space surrounding the Jamor River and its tributaries. (4)

Quantitative targets
unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
unknown
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Implementation activities
This project had a public contest for the design and implementation and the winner of the proposal was already decided (2). The next stage of the implementation is the execution of the plan.
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Other
Please specify "other urban green space connected to grey infrastructure"
Green bridge
Vegetation Type
Grass
Shrubs
Trees
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unknown number of trees
Amenities offered by the NBS
Sports areas and equipment
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Water purification / filtration
Cultural services
Tourism
Aesthetic appreciation
Recreation
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Citizens or community groups
Young people and children
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The local government opened to contest the intervention and private actors participated proposing ideas. (1) The competition was promoted by the Sintra - Monte da Lua Parks in conjunction with the Sintra City Council.
The winning proposal for the tender for the Queluz green bridge, by Biodesign / Tetraplano, coordinated by Jorge Manuel Frazão Cancela, emphasizes "the integration of the landscaping, namely by the good integration of the acoustic barrier in slope with vegetal cover, next to IC19 , And the green connecting bridge between the gardens of the palace [of Queluz] and Matinha. " (ref.3)
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
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Yes
Please specify the "Regional Directive/Strategy"
This NBS is connected to the EU funded project Jamor River Green and Blue Axis. EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributes financially through the “Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Sustainable urban development”. (4)
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 project is part of the Green and Blue Axis, an intermunicipal project that aims to create a pedestrian and cycling link between the Serra da Carregueira mountain range , in Belas, and the sea, on the coast of Oeiras.(1)
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Mandatory (based on policy)
Intervention is mandatory
Environmental regulation
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The project is part of the Green and Blue Axis, an intermunicipal project that aims to create a pedestrian and cycling link between the Serra da Carregueira mountain range , in Belas, and the sea, on the coast of Oeiras.(1)
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.
Municipal / city level environmental plan or programme
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
Private funding from Sintra - Monte da Lua Parks. (ref.1)
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
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)
4.700.000 Euros is the total cost of the requalification (1). The contest is promoted by the Sintra - Monte da Lua Parks in conjunction with the Sintra Town Hall. The municipality of Sintra invests 3 million euros, leaving the public capital company the remaining funds. (ref.1)
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Corporate investment
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
Green densification model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Citizens / local communities
Type of innovation
Technological
Infrastructural innovation
Please specify technological innovation
Landscape integration, in particular, by the good integration provided by the acoustic barrier in slope with vegetal cover. (2)
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is completely new without connections to previous initiative(s)
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is part of a tailor made design for this intervention.
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Not mentioned as replicable.
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Description of environmental benefits
The project is still in its planning phase so no reported impacts were measured. However, it is mentioned that it is expected an increase in green area of 86% in the region. (4)
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Unknown
Description of social and cultural benefits
Increase in green space area (4).
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
No impacts reported
Indicators
Unknown
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
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 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
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Concursos de ideias para requalificação no Eixo Verde e Azul
Projecto ponte verde de Queluz
Biodesign/Tetraplano vencem concurso para a Ponte Verde de Queluz
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
Blue Axis in Sintra (5.41 MB) 5.41 MB
List of references
(1) Câmara Munic. Sintra (2017) Concursos de ideias para requalificação no Eixo Verde e Azul Available at http://www.cm-sintra.pt/concursos-de-ideias-para-requalificacao-no-eixo-verde-e-azul (Accessed 23-6-2020)

(2)Encomenda (2017), Projecto ponte verde de Queluz [WWW Document],Available at http://encomenda.oasrs.org/concursos/detalhe/X3ktkz/projecto-ponte-verde-de-queluz (Accessed 23-6-2020).

(3) Espaço de Arquitetura (2017), Biodesign/Tetraplano vencem concurso para a Ponte Verde de Queluz, Available at https://espacodearquitetura.com/noticias/biodesign-tetraplano-vencem-concurso-para-a-ponte-verde-de-queluz/ (Accessed 23-6-2020)

(4) Municiality of Sintra (no date), Jamor. Eixo Verde e Azul, Document attached

(5) CM Sintra (2020) Sintra aprova protocolo para a construção da Ponte Verde. Available at: https://cm-sintra.pt/atualidade/noticias-institucional/sintra-aprova-protocolo-para-a-construcao-da-ponte-verde (Accessed 19-08-2020).
Comments and notes
Additional insights
In 2020 the Municipality of Sintra signed a memorandum for the construction of the Queluz Green Bridge, inserted in the Green and Blue Axis project. The approval of these documents allows the launch of the construction contract for Ponte Verde in the first half of this year.
https://cm-sintra.pt/atualidade/noticias-institucional/sintra-aprova-protocolo-para-a-construcao-da-ponte-verde
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/download.jpeg
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/eixo-ic19.jpg
Public Images
Ponte Eva
Ponte Eva (similar project to the green bridge in Sintra)
Source: https://cm-sintra.pt/atualidade/noticias-institucional/sintra-aprova-protocolo-para-a-construcao-da-ponte-verde