1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Zaragoza
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Arcosur
Short description of the intervention
Arcosur is a new residential neighbourhood project approved for construction in 2008 after the hosting of the Zaragoza Expo 2008. In its structure, it seeks to develop a space of 4 500 000 m2 into around 21 000 new homes, and out of which around 1 500 000 m2 will be squares, parks, and other green spaces. These green spaces would connect the neighbourhood and ensure all residents have access to green areas. (Ref. 1)
Address

Zaragoza
Spain

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 (-0.945847 41.640528)
POINT (-0.972282 41.633985)
POINT (-0.967218 41.620256)
POINT (-0.949194 41.619871)
POINT (-0.940611 41.625517)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
Ref. 8, Grupo Arqueros
Total area
4500000.00m²
NBS area
1500000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Unknown
Website of the intervention
http://www.arcosurzaragoza.es/arquerosarcosur/arcosur/un-nuevo-barrio
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2002
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2008
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Goals of the intervention
Contribute to the overall quality of urban space (ref 1)
Design a new open space with parks, lakes and large gardens (ref 1)
Quantitative targets
1 500 000 m2 of greenery (parks, lakes, open spaces) (ref 1)
22 600 new homes (ref 1)
60 hectares set aside for a public park (ref 5)
Monitoring indicators defined
m2 of green space and parks, number of new homes (ref 1 and 5)
hectares set aside for a public park (ref 5)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Regulation of built environment
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Real estate development
Employment/job creation
Implementation activities
2008 during Expo 2008 the project is approved for construction (ref 1)
June 2009 the construction works begin (ref 1)
The first residents moved in 2012 (ref 1)
In 2012 a new general directive plan was drafted to extend construction until 2018 and augment the number of residential units by 1667. (ref 2,3)
In 2016 announcements were made for a 60 hectares park to be completed, an original part of the project. (ref 5)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Community gardens and allotments
Other
Blue infrastructure
Lakes/ponds
Please specify "other allotments and community gardens"
large gardens (ref 1)
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
unspecified: large gardens (ref 1)
Vegetation Type
Garden beds
Other
Amenities offered by the NBS
Sports areas and equipment
Educational and research amenities (nature protection centre, monitoring stations)
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Cultural services
Recreation
Social and community interactions
Please specify "other regulating service"
The project plan mentions the intervention seeks to "contribute to the overall quality of urban space" but no specific service is mentioned. (ref 1)
Please specify "other cultural service"
residential area with connection to green space. (ref 1)
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Private sector/Corporate/Company
Citizens or community groups
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Citizens or community groups
Other
Please specify other non-government actors involved
Independent landowners, reached agreement with City Council in 2004 for partial plan for Arcosur (Ref. 1,6)
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
Asociacion de vecinos Arcosur, citizen group of residents in the neighborhood organizing citizen representation in the governance and affairs of the neighborhood. (ref 1)
City Council of Zaragoza responsible for initial plans and facilitating the continuation of construction efforts (ref 4); and the upkeep of the green areas in the neighborhood (ref 1)
Junta de Compensación del Sector 89/3, the collective of private companies and cooperatives that have partaken in the construction projects. (ref 1)
Independent landowners, reached agreement with City Council in 2004 for partial plan for Arcosur (Ref. 1,6)
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Business association or network
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Citizens or community group
District/neighbourhood association
Other
Please specify other key actors – Initiating organization
Independent landowners, reached agreement with City Council in 2004 for partial plan for Arcosur (Ref. 1,6)
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Real estate developer
Other
Please specify other Key actors - Other stakeholders involved
Independent landowners, reached agreement with City Council in 2004 for partial plan for Arcosur (Ref. 1,6)
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Business association or network
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Citizens or community group
District/neighbourhood association
Other
Please specify other participatory methods
Asociacion de vecinos Arcosur, citizen group of residents in the neighborhood organizing citizen representation in the governance and affairs of the neighborhood. (ref 1)
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Real estate developer
Other
Please specify other land owner
Independent landowners, reached agreement with City Council in 2004 for partial plan for Arcosur (Ref. 1,6)
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Other
Please specify other landowner
Independent landowners, reached agreement with City Council in 2004 for partial plan for Arcosur (Ref. 1,6)
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 management plan of the sector 89/3, in the General Urban Plan of Zaragoza. (Ref. 1)
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 General Plan for Urban Organization in Zaragoza (Plan General de Ordenación Urbana de Zaragoza) is the main document outlining urban project and interventions. (Ref. 1)
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
General municipal plan
Please specify other vegetation type
'green space', 'parks', 'greenery' (ref 1)
green areas. (Ref. 1)
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
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)
35 million euros for development and 600 million for construction. (these are projected numbers from ref 6)
300 million euros in development costs, financed by developers (ref 6)
Investment and maintenance by City Council (ref. 1,2,3,6)
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
Yes
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Business models
Green densification model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Type of innovation
Technological
Infrastructural innovation
Please specify technological innovation
The construction of the project aims to expand the living space of the city with an urban setting high in green areas, this way all parts of the neighborhood would have access and be connected by green areas. (ref 1)
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
not mentioned in the available documents
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
not mentioned in the available documents
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Description of environmental benefits
Expected Impacts:
- 60 hectares set aside for a public park (ref 5)
- 1 500 000 m2 of greenery (parks, lakes, open spaces) (ref 1)
Economic impacts
Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Stimulate development in deprived areas
Description of economic benefits
Expected Impacts:
- 45 000 and 50 000 jobs generated between the Arcosur development and social housing development (Ref. 6)
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Increased opportunities for social interaction
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Description of social and cultural benefits
Expected:
- recreation and social interaction through development of public facility for activities, workshops, events (ref 7)
- 60 hectares set aside for a public park (ref 5)

Achieved:
- green space access through green space creation (ref 1)
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
green space area (m2, ha) (ref 1); public facilities (ref 7); number of jobs (ref 6);
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 ...
Paid employment positions
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
Yes
Please specify the negative impacts
Despite its plans to be a green and connected neighborhood, it has been criticized for falling short of its plans and promises with many aspects of the project falling behind, or not being implemented. One such part of the intervention are the plans for the park. (ref 4)
Other criticisms are related to lack of public facilities and mobility issues. There is also controversy around the development of a municipally-owned golf course in the neighborhood (ref 5)
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of 10 September 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
Yes
Mode(s) of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
Other
Please specify other modes of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
The Arqueros de Arcosur citizen group holds assemblies to address the needs of the residents and represent them at a level of local government. (ref 1)
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 Un Nuevo Barrio
Ref. 2 El Gobierno de zaragoza aprueba inicialmente la modificacion del plan pa…
Ref. 3 El Gobierno local aprueba el plan parcial de Arcosur
Ref. 4 Arcosur: doce años de esclavitud
Ref. 5 En Arcosur falta mucho por hacer, pero tampoco vivimos en una isla
Ref. 6 Las primeras VPO de Arcosur comenzarán a construirse en 2009, tras 12 añ…
Ref. 7 registra un centenar de instancias para conseguir nuevos servicios
Ref. 9 Los vecinos de Arcosur, indignados con el plan de crecimiento del barrio
Arqueros de Arcosur
List of references
1. Grupo Arqueros. (2013). Un Nuevo Barrio. Available at: http://www.arcosurzaragoza.es/arquerosarcosur/arcosur/un-nuevo-barrio [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

2. Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. (2012). El Gobierno de zaragoza aprueba inicialmente la modificacion del plan parcial de Arcosur. Available at: http://www.zaragoza.es/ciudad/noticias/detalleM_Noticia?id=149257 [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

3. Europa Press. (2012). El Gobierno local aprueba el plan parcial de Arcosur. Available at: http://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/noticias/aragon/gobierno-local-aprueba-plan-parcial-arcosur_776912.html [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

4. El Periodico de Aragon. (2014). Arcosur: doce años de esclavitud. Available at: http://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/noticias/aragon/arcosur-doce-anos-esclavitud_929387.html [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

5. Soro, Pilar. (2016). “En Arcosur falta mucho por hacer, pero tampoco vivimos en una isla”. Heraldo. Available at: http://www.heraldo.es/noticias/aragon/zaragoza-provincia/zaragoza/2016/06/13/arcosur-falta-mucho-por-hacer-pero-tampoco-vivimos-una-isla-904841-301.html [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

6. Heraldo. (2009). Las primeras VPO de Arcosur comenzarán a construirse en 2009, tras 12 años de trámites. Available at: http://www.heraldo.es/noticias/aragon/zaragoza/las_primeras_vpo_arcosur_comenzaran_construirse_2009_tras_anos_tramites.html [Accessed: 9 September 2020].

7. Ruiz, L. (2020). Arcosur registra un centenar de instancias para conseguir nuevos servicios. Available at: https://www.heraldo.es/noticias/aragon/zaragoza/2020/01/10/arcosur-zaragoza-reivindicaciones-instancias-conseguir-nuevos-servicios-1352529.html [Accessed: 10 September 2020].

8. Grupo Arqueros. (2013). Plano de calles y parcelas. Available at: http://www.arcosurzaragoza.es/arquerosarcosur/arcosur/plano-de-calles-y-parcelas [Accessed: 10 September 2020].

9. Ruiz, L. (2019). Los vecinos de Arcosur, indignados con el plan de crecimiento del barrio. Available at: https://www.heraldo.es/noticias/aragon/zaragoza/2019/12/23/vecinos-arcosur-indignados-plan-crecimiento-barrio-1349924.html [Accessed: 10 September 2020].
Comments and notes
Additional insights
2020 comments:
The project is still under construction and has faced several delays and opposition from an expansion of its original plan. (ref 4,6,7,9)
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/arcosur.jpg
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/arcosur2.jpg
Public Images
Arcosur 1
Source: Ref. 5
Arcosur 2
Source: Ref. 9, Toni Galan