Green Infraestructures Strategy in Reus

Proposal

In the upcoming climate change scenario, it is necessary to review the role of urban greenery in terms of its relationship with the biophysical matrix (topography, hydrography, subsoil, ground covers, climate) and with the evolution of the uses that have embraced it. over time (mainly recreational) to determine the potential to host new uses and management models that diversify the ecosystem services it can offer.

Objectives

The objective of the project is to draw up a Progress of the Strategic Plan for the green areas of Reus, which establishes an index and a work program for the Strategic Plan for the green areas, to be carried out in a second phase.

This work should allow, in a second phase, to carry out a strategic planning that puts the green-blue infrastructure in the foreground as an environmental network that incorporates ecosystem services (provisioning, regulation, maintenance and cultural) in the municipality, integrating the city, the space public and nature.

Approach

The criteria of the proposal are:

Renaturing the city and rebuilding ecological connections (mainly structured by hydrography and runoff) to achieve better water and thermal regulation, enhancing streams, rivers, and permeable soils in agricultural and forest areas.
Encouraging civic reconnection between the urban centre and the agrarian mosaic is key for its knowledge and enjoyment by the population to guarantee the preservation and recovery of the structure of the agrarian mosaic, promoting agriculture, forestry management and extensive livestock both due to its environmental and social interest in regulating the water cycle, maintaining biodiversity, preventing natural risks and supplying local food.
Prioritize interventions to promote social inclusion and the promotion of viability between the urban green and the rural environment, considering the neighbourhoods with the least amount of green and the worst indicators of habitability conditions, social and economic risk.
The transition of the urban green management model, promoting a resource management model with low environmental impact and the incorporation and promotion of ecosystem services by adapting the urban green in the local water availability, promoting biodiversity and the low cost of maintenance.

Results

The quality of parks and gardens is analysed, a proposal is made for improvements in terms of environmental sustainability strategies, the mitigation effect of climate change, improved mobility, new facilities and uses. They analyse and make a proposal to improve pedestrian and personal mobility vehicle (VMP) relationships between green areas: analysis and study of a “road network”, study of the interurban area by creating connecting roads with the urban area, relations, and connections of the parks with the peri urban-rural area, analysis of the road network.

The data provided by the different departments of the Reus City Council are collected to prepare the necessary documentation to be able to carry out a strategic planning that puts the green-blue infrastructure in the foreground as an environmental network that incorporates the ecosystem services of the municipality that makes up the city, the public space and nature, reviewing the role of the green spaces and civic axes of Reus in relation to the biophysical matrix and the evolution of the uses they have received over time, usually recreational, to determine the potential at the time to host ecosystem services.

The document includes the analysis and diagnosis plans on the Territorial (1: 120,000 and 1: 80,000), Municipal (1: 40,000) and Detail (1: 20,000) stairs, which should serve to detect opportunities and how it must be the connectivity between them.