Avellaneda Park Management Plan - Buenos Aires

The Avellaneda Park is the second largest park in the City of Buenos Aires, and - due to its size, its forestation and its socio-cultural heritage - it is of significant importance for the urban population. Since its creation in 1914, it has suffered the same processes of deterioration that have affected all green and public spaces in the city. Based on the establishment of the Avellaneda Park Management Plan in 1994, the park is in a very important state of recovery that includes landscaping and the opening of more than twelve hectares to the public, thanks to the relocation and modernisation of greenhouses; the installation of new lighting, irrigation and signalling systems; the refurbishment of the buildings and their re-affectation for administrative, social and cultural activities. The plan has it´s origins in 1989 when local residents of Parque Avellaneda organized themselves to promote the park restoration and protection. The public´s efforts resulted in the recognition of the importance of the intervention by the local government and the subsequent formulation of a plan and budget allocation.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Dedicated strategy, plan, or law

Challenges addressed

Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Social cohesion
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The plan aimed to ecologically revitalise the Avellaneda Park, including the planting of trees and other plants.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Innovative

Inclusivity

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Subsecretaría de Medio Ambiente de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (Undersecretary of Environment of the City of Buenos Aires)

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The Avellaneda Park Management Plan was the result of a public and open participation process, in which officials, neighbours, NGOs and other networks were involved, with the aim of committing themselves to activities for the recovery and development of the Park. The Plan began with the development of planning and management workshops, aimed at recognising the park as a cultural territory, recovering it ecologically and sustainably, promoting its joint management with neighbours, and integrating it into a system of green areas in Buenos Aires. Over 100 persons participated in the planning process.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Type of actor involvement:

Co-planning or co-design of instrument (e.g. boards, advisory role)

Civil society consultation through e.g. workshops, surveys

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

Based on the first plan, the Avellaneda Park Environmental and Management Unit has been formed. It consists of local officials, NGOs and the interested public to meet regularly and implement many activities concerning cultural, environmental, or sport aspects. There is also work done in order to connect the park to the wider city environment. The park's Environmental Strategy includes, for instance, the creation of a Tree working group for the park, protecting the existing trees and plant new trees. The work in Avellaneda Park also includes a programme of free activities aimed at promoting the education and training of residents in a wide range of environmental, cultural, educational and management specialities.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Citizen councils or consultation for co-planning (e.g. workshops, surveys)

Co-design of NBS, implemented by government

Implementation of NBS (e.g. with government funds)

Citizen monitoring and review

Citizen science

Targeted actors:

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Financing

Sources of funding:

Unknown

Budget:

Unknown

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The project was formalised through Decree 1221/2000 (Article 6 "Administration of Avellaneda Park"), which institutionalised a Working and Consensus Roundtable to promote inter-institutional communication and cooperation between civil society organisations and the City Government to ensure the sustainable park management. The plan has been updated several times since. The current Open Plan for the Avellaneda Park and Surrounding.

Success factors and lessons learned:

Three main success factors were identified: 1) A conceptual support: only from a common identity the sense of belonging that sustains the commitment and the will to appropriate public space for the construction of community can be generated. From there, participation becomes a part in the elaboration of the decision taken by the government. 2) An ethical-operational axis: transparency and consensus. Today, this is the central demand of society all over the world. 3) Two coordinates: Participatory Planning and Associated Management. The Roundtables for Work and Consensus are a mechanism for the participatory management of municipal parks. The mechanism was created by the Avellaneda Park Management Plan, and the experience was replicated in other parks in the City of Buenos Aires and surrounding districts, such as Villa Albertina Park and Parque de la Estación. The Roundtables for Work and Consensus make their decisions by consensus, with the participation of neighbors, representatives of local community organizations, and governmental agencies. This management mechanism was recognized by the Legislature of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Cuenca en Red (2022). Unidad Ambiental y de Gestión Parque Avellaneda. https://cuencaenred.com.ar/mtc-parque-avellaneda/ (Accessed: 04 August 2022). Plural Noticias (2019). Revisión del Plan de Manejo en el Parque Avellaneda. https://pluralnoticias.ar/revision-del-plan-de-manejo-en-el-parque-avellaneda/ (Accessed: 04 August 2022). Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable (2000). Actualizacion plan de manejo año2000. https://www.scribd.com/doc/86566213/actualizacion-plan-de-manejo-ano2000 (Accessed: 04 August 2022).

Photos

@ Wikimedia