Document guiding the development of urban green areas - Krakow

"Directions of development and management of green areas in Krakow for 2019-2030" is a document indicating the directions of Krakow's (Poland) activities regarding green areas. Adopted by the Order of the Mayor of the City of Krakow, the document consists of a descriptive part and a spatial database (interactive maps). For each of the current and planned green areas mentioned in the document, there are designated actions to be taken so that greenery in Krakow develops, i.e. everyone has green recreational areas near their place of residence, developed in an attractive way, supporting Krakow's nature and respecting cultural heritage. The overarching goal of the document is to define a coherent, planned and long-term policy for the development of green spaces in Krakow. The document assumes the designation of a system of public green areas, which are open to users regardless of the state of ownership and possession or which are indicated in this document as an area to be made available to the public, including acquisition by the Municipality of Krakow, resulting from the need to obtain or maintain the continuity of the system or the lack of green areas in the area in question. The "Directions" are not a binding document, but rather a strategic guiding document.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Urban planning mechanisms

Challenges addressed

Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

A number of restorative actions are outlined in the document (see above). The goal of these activities will be to achieve a state of the environment similar to the natural one, thus increasing biodiversity, restoring ecological balance, improving water and soil conditions water and soil conditions, and restoring landscape values. There are 1514 hectares in Krakow, and eventually there will be more than 400 more hectares of public green areas (parks, squares, green spaces maintained by the city). Some of these will serve as green corridors, in conjunction with a steadily expanding network of bicycle paths. Currently, 75% of Krakow residents have access to green areas within walking distance. By 2030, this will already be 86%, surpassing the average for European cities. The adopted standard of 10 sqm per capita on a city-wide scale will be achieved already in the first stage of implementation. Currently it is about 8.3 m2 per capita. More areas with the highest natural and scenic values will be protected as ecological grounds and natural and scenic complexes. Together with areas already under protection (existing landscape parks, reserves, ecological uses and Natura 2000 areas), they will cover 17.50% of the city's area. More green areas will be placed under conservation protection, e.g. Wanda Mound will be included in the register of monuments, and it is proposed to establish a cultural park for Podgórskie Krzemionki already in the first stage of implementation. In the existing green areas, the city has already introduced the "Maintain Standard" system of maintenance work. New standards for maintenance, establishment and care of green areas will also be implemented. They will also be able to serve owners, property managers and investors who want to take better care of for greenery on their properties.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Green areas for water management

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Sustainable in the long-term

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

City of Kraków

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The document was prepared by the Environmental Design Department of the Krakow City Hall in cooperation with the Urban Landscape Architect from the Board of Urban Greenery. An expert team consisting of, among others, representatives of Krakow universities such as the Krakow University of Technology, the University of Agriculture and the AGH University of Science and Technology was also invited to develop the document. Independent experts in the field of nature protection were also invited to cooperate. Within the Kraków City Hall, the following were further involved in the work: Office of Spatial Planning, Department of Investment, Department of City Development, Department of Geodesy, Department of the City Treasury, Office of the Municipal Conservator of Monuments, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Department of Promotion and Tourism, Management of Municipal Buildings, Management of Municipal Infrastructure and Transportation, and Management of Urban Greenery.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Researchers, university

Type of actor involvement:

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

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The document plans such tasks as: educational action for residents regarding the natural values of trees; development and publication of a manual of good practices in the field of management and maintenance of greenery for investors, owners and property managers; creation of an educational path of interesting dendrological specimens in Krakow; information campaign on the possibility of submitting trees for protection in the form of nature monuments; information and education campaign for owners and managers of areas where amphibian breeding sites are located; development of an information brochure for network managers regarding the rules for conducting work in green areas and in the vicinity of trees; information campaign on the establishment of community gardens with Educational activities in the form of lectures and workshops titled "School of Urban Gardeners"; Action Park of Krakowians - joint planting of trees commemorating the birth of a child in areas that will be new city parks; "Sponsorship packages" - the possibility of financing greenery by external entities(companies and individuals); educational activities carried out in the municipality by the Center Environmental Education "Symbiosis"; cyclical educational actions for residents titled "Green horizons"; actions related to the animation of green areas carried out under the The project titled "Get lost in greenery; project "Apiary Krakow" aimed at increasing the population of bees in the city; development of informational and educational brochures and publications On reducing the amount of waste produced and living in accordance with the "Zero waste" philosophy; development of informational and educational brochures and publications concerning the interaction of man with nature; creation of an educational project on "Trees Judges" and more.

Targeted actors:

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

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public local authority’s budget

EU funds

Details about instrument financing:

The document includes a ranking list, which is an inventory of investments in areas of strategic importance for the realization of the system of green areas of Krakow due to social demand (existing or anticipated deficit of green areas) or the need to shape links between individual areas. Tasks will be financed largely with funds from the city's own budget. In addition, the document identifies potential sources of funding for tasks in the development of green areas, such as: European Structural and Investment Funds available under national programs, regional programs, and European Cooperation programs Territorial Cooperation; European Union Framework Programs, European Commission Programs and Initiatives; the European Investment Bank; national funds at the disposal of provincial marshals; national funds at the disposal of individual ministers, including in particular the minister responsible for the environment; the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management; National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management; Norwegian and European Economic Area Funds; Private investors' financing for the implementation of plantings in public green spaces in exchange for the cutting of trees on investment plots; public-private partnerships; sponsorship packages.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Yes

Monitoring of implementation is carried out from the first year of implementation of the document's findings. The document indicates a list of indicators for monitoring progress. In January of each year, the Municipal Landscape Architect, on the basis of data collected from individual units for the previous year, will calculate the value of the indicators included in the list in order to monitor the degree of implementation of the document's provisions.

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

Due to the short duration of the document, the first-monitoring procedure has not yet been carried out and the impacts are still unknown. Yet, if the aims are achieved, the following impacts can be reached: There will be an integration of the scattered green structure into a continuous system, linking existing and new public urban green areas with pedestrian and bicycle routes and greenery tracts - creating a kind of green "bloodstream" of the city. Such a solution is beneficial in terms of nature (greenery routes act as ecological corridors) and utilitarian (it gives the opportunity to move around the city on foot or by bicycle using green corridors). In addition, the accessibility of green areas for the residents of Krakow will be improved. Ultimately, public green areas are to be available to everyone within walking distance (300 m in a straight line) from the place of residence and meet social needs. For each resident there is to be min. 10 sqm of public, landscaped green areas with a recreational function. There will also be an increase in the proportion of areas covered by forms of nature protection that are important for the ecological system of protected areas, conducive to the proper protection of habitats. The area of green areas under conservation protection, important for the quality of the cultural landscape will increase. The process of raising the standards of maintenance and establishment of green areas, which has already begun, will continue in the coming years. Management of green areas in Krakow will also be improved through the implementation of modern tools based on spatial information systems.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The highly participatory and collaborative design and implementation of the document is expected to contribute to its effectiveness and acceptance in practice. The breadth of activities and supporting documents to encourage public participation and therewith the achievement of the outlined objectives is an additional strength. Furthermore, the overarching goal to define a coherent, planned and long-term policy for the development of green spaces in Krakow adopts a holistic approach and integrates relevant stakeholder groups into decision making and implementation. The acquisition of green spaces by the Municipality of Krakow enables the designation of a system of public green areas, which are open to users regardless of the state of ownership and possession. As the "Directions" are not a binding document, but rather a strategic guiding document it remains to be see what the impact will be in practice.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

https://zzm.krakow.pl/dla-mieszkancow/kriztz.html