Green Plan for a Manking Heritage Town: Segovia (Spain)

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Reference Date: 26-07-98

Experience selected in the 1998 Dubai Award for Best Practice, and catalogued as BEST. ( Best Practices Database.)
País/Country: Spain

United Nations Region: Europe
Ecological region: Continental
Activity: Town/city
Partnerships: Local Authority. Central Government Professional Association.

Themes = Architecture and Urban Design: historic preservation; landscape design. Environmental Management: "green" accounting; ecological sustainability; environmental health; environmental remediation; resource management; urban greening. Infrastructure, Communications, Transportation: safe water provision; sanitation.

Main contact:
Junta de Castilla y León (Local Authority)
Leopoldo Yoldi Enríquez
Domingo de Soto, 3
Segovia 40002
Spain
Tel: 34 921462038
Fax: 34 921462034
E-mail: Aytosego@ctv.es
http://www.ctv.es:80/aytosego/

Partner:
Ministerio de Educación y Cultura (Central Government)
Florencio Robledo Martín
José Zorrilla, 38
Segovia 40002
Spain
Tel: 34 921 435561
Tel: 34 921 425877
E-mail: Segovia.dp.mec.es
Partner One Support Type: Technical Support

Partner:
Instituto Nacional de Empleo (INEM) (Central Government)
Andrés Espina García
Fernández Ladreda 31, 2.
Segovia 40002
Spain
Tel: 34 921425335
Fax: 34 921437971
Partner Two Support Type: Administrative Support

Partner:
Asociación Forestal de Segovia (Professional Associations)
Félix Arias Fernández
Cañuelos 28, Bajo B
Segovia 40001
Spain
Tel: 34 921431309
Fax: 34 921431309
Partner Three Support Type: Technical Support

Nominating Organization:
National Sapnish Committee
D. Marta García Nart
Paseo de la Castellana 67
Ministerio de Fomento
Madrid 28071
Spain
Tel: +34-91 597 75 72
Fax: +34-91 597 86 04
E-mail: mgnart@mfom.es

Financial Profile:
Total amount 1.992 - 1.997: 3.460.000.000 Pta.
1.- Segovia Town Hall: 29,30 %
2.- Regional Governement (Junta Castilla y León): 59,25 %
3.- European Fund of Regional Developement (FEDER): 10,01 %
4.- Central Governement, (Ministerio de Fomento): 1,44 %

S U M M A R Y

The Plan of Recuperation and Management of a Town Heritage of Mankind. Green Plan of Segovia, started as an initiave in 1.991.

The starting point was a situation of abandon and chaos of both urban valleys:

• Deficient sanitation with direct waste.
  
• Abandoned riversides with erosive processes.
  
• Orchards forgotten in progressive deterioration.
  
• Solitary dangerous areas.
  
• Degradation of historic-artistic, cultural and
  traditional aspects.
  
• Uncontrolled centres of solid waste.

• Frequentation and rational use of the urban surrounding. Recuperation of traditional elements and trades.
  
• Ecologic, environmental and traditional aspects.
  
• Urban image and sustainability.
  
• Life quality with more green areas.

• Recuperation of the urban valleys and return to the citizens for their use.
  
• Participative-educational aspect: generation of knowledge, valuation and attitude of defence of the environmental education of citizens.
  
• Improvement of the quality and integral conception of the environmental aspects in the town (landscape, sanitation, traditional uses, pleisure...), improvement of the lack of green areas, flora and fauna.

Key Dates

N A R R A T I V E

At that time, the surrounding of the town and especially the two valleys that give it shape are completely degraded: rivers polluted with direct waste, riversides abandoned and subject to erosive processes, forgotten deteriorated orchards, solitary dangerous areas, progressive loss of historical,artistic, cultural and traditional values, spots of uncontrolled waste and growing urban threat.

The Town Council limit their actions to keep the traditional gardens, with no other aims. The Regional Government still has no environmental office in Segovia. The contact with the Central Government is scarce.
A movement emerges of citizens worried about the environment and the landscape, assembling associations for environment preservation with a powerful association of University students in Segovia Parallelly, in the Polit.cnica University in Madrid, there is a working team that, at the guidance of Doctor Ángel Ramos -a prestigious scientist in the field of planning on an ecological basis-, starts building a methodology for the planning of the preservation and improvement of the environment and landscape in
towns.

Several contacts, exchanges and discussions take place between the members of this University Department, Segovia.s Town Council and the groups mentioned. The result is:

1. Promotion of important environmental activities in Segovia. Due to their relevance must be mentioned the "Cuida lo Tuyo" ("Take care of what is yours"), of a local character, and the Jornadas del Paisaje (Lectures on Landscape), with national and international scope. (See Annex I).
   
2. Participation of people from the University Department related to the mentioned citizen movement in the beginning of the elaboration of the Special Planning of the Town and in the analysis of environmental impact. (See Annex I)
   
3. Elaboration of the Doctoral Thesis 2Entorno y Paisaje de Ciudades Históricas. Segovia. Caminos para su conservación" (Surrounding and Landscape of Historical Towns. Segovia. Ways to their Preservation) , which provides answers to the problems of natural areas in towns and their surrounding, centering on Segovia, published by the Ministry of Public Works and Urbanism in 1.990
   (See Dossier 1), and provides a basis for the future "Green Plan" (Plan Verde).

The Plan highlights values such as the natural "capital" (hydrological and ecological systems, bio-diversity...), the antropic landscape (historical, artistic and cultural values,
traditional cultivation practises,...), the promotion of the recreational-educational use of the environment (leisure, walks, environmental education,...) and the use of its potential as a
ôgreen lungö generating positive synergies between urban and rural elements.

This Plan proposes an action programe for the protection, restoration and adjusting of the urban surrounding (integral river sanitation, recuperation of agricultural customs -orchards-,
recuperation of riversides and slopes, improvement of town sights, conditioning of open-air areas for their enjoyment, recuperation of historic and artistic aspects...) making recreational and
educational aspects compatible with landscape, ecological, environmental and productive aspects, searching also for their integration in the urban framework.

Due to the shortage of means, a division into "homogeneus units" was attempted, in order to plan the action, searching for a global treatment of the problems and thinking of the sustainability of
the actions.
Starting from the aptitude (reception capacity) of the different areas and from the compatibility of the future actions, between themselves or with the landscape, the units were valued according to:

1. Vegetation quality and land uses.
   
2. Cultural and natural singularities.
   
3. Landscape aspects.
   
4. Recreational potential.
   
5. This valuation was the basis for the priority of
   the initial actions and projects.

1. Integral sanitation of the water courses: basic for giving the valleys their life and use back.
   
2. Making citizens aware and sensitive searching for their environmental education and their participation: key to the success, understanding and enjoyment of the actions by the community.
   
3. Integral management of the woodland: fundamental since the tree is understood as a basic union element between Man and Nature, as an integrating element of the urban framework with the surrounding.

1. Team work for the different subjects.
   
2. Greatest adaptation to public property, focusing on the indispensable actions when private property.
   
3. Environmental design: based on materials, colours, volumes and shapes harmonious with the environment, besides the use of autochthonous vegetation.
   
4. Integral perspective of the actions, taking into account ecological, cultural, traditional, landscape,... aspects.
   
5. Immediate and continuous maintenance of the recovered areas as a guarantee of their sustainability, based on the recuperation of traditional trades (stonemasons, horticulturists, gardeners, ...).

• The National Employment Institute (INEM) financed the training of unemployed youth so as to create personnel prepared for the execution and the maintenance (See Annex IV).
  
• The Regional Government (Junta de Castilla y León) financed a great part of the actions, outstandingly contributing to solve the wastes upstream the town - out of the local scope. (See Annex III)
  
• The European Union has financed 70% of the emblematic "Recuperation of the Clamores Valley", for which an agreement between Council and Regional authorities was resolved. (See Annex II).

The Integral Management of Segovia's Woodland Plan submitted in 1.997 will incorporate the Woodland Advising Council as a longed for organism for citizen information and participation, which will break with the lack of habit in the involvement of the community for assuming responsabilities and taking decisions, contributing to the strenghthening of the community (Annex VII).

The book Del Árbol a la Ciudad Sostenible ("From the Tree to the Sustainable Town") will soon be published, containing and explaining the Woodland Plan (Annex VII). On the other hand, a novel book has already been published: Materiales Didácticos
del Plan de Gestió Integral del Arbolado de Segovia ("Didactic Material on the Integral Management of Segovia's Woodland Plan"),
elaborated by a group of teachers from the Education Ministry (M.E.C.) in collaboration with the Town council, which is a guide for the spreading of the Plan at schools by teachers (Annex VIII).

Segovia's Forest Association (Asociaci.n Forestal de Segovia) has signed an agreement with the Town Council (Annex VII) for the effective management and development of an ambitious reforestation
programme (already in execution) in slopes, barren plains and uncultivated land.
One of the outstanding subjects of the Green Plan is the recuperation of the orchards. In spite of their tradition, the age of the horticulturists and the modern way of life make their cultivation difficult. In this sense, the effort in different educational activities must be mentioned (Annex I), informative publications (Annex VII), local urban contribution to the Special Plan for San Lorenzo (Annex II) and exchanges- Vitoria Town
council (Annex IX).

Once known the general deficiencies for an adequate urban protection and normative, the Town Council has promoted the drafting of a Special Plan of Woodland and "Green Net" (Plan Especial de Arbolado y Malla Verde) on the basis of the Green Plan, now under procedure, that embraces not only the tree but also the area that supports or might suppor it, understanding them as an urban system of "Green Net" (see publication Del Árbol
a la Ciudad Sostenible - "From the Tree to the Sustainable Town", Annex VIII).

Another most important aspect of the Green Plan is the considerable social work integrated in the actions:

• Apart from the mentioned occupation and training of unemployed people through the "Workshop Schools" (Escuelas Taller), fruit of several agreements with the National Employment Institute (see Annex IV), the creation must be stressed of Special Employment Centres to guarantee the social intergration of the handicapped (see Annex V), initiative that favours social equality and
  equity, admitting and valuing different capacities.
  
• The importance has been recorded of the Green Plan as a vehicle of social inclusion, since the recovered areas have become a meeting point of different social and cultural strata, enjoying it
  without distinction.

• 370.000 square metres of recovered green and natural areas.
  
• 680.000 square metres of reforested areas.
  
• 13.000 lineal metres of walks for urban connection and for transit in the surrounding.
  
• 5.500 lineal metres of new drainpipes.
  
• Depuration in a quantity of 110.000 equivalent inhabitants (30.000 cubic metres a day).
  
• Generation of stable employment:
  
  • Maintenance of green urban areas: 13 people
    in conventional enterprises 10 handicapped people in special employment centres with social integration.
    
  • Maintenance of purifiers: 16 people.

As qualitative indicators (see Dossier 3) must be mentioned:

• The social acceptation of the Plan, derived from the positive valuation that the citizens make of the knowledge and enjoyment of the recovered areas and of the subsequent ecological landscape
  improvement (Annex III), recorded from the remarkable increase of frequentation of the areas.
  
• Progressive consolidation of the urban landscape.
  
• Recuperation of urban ecosystems with consolidation of the flora and fauna habitats and the subsequent increase of associated species and populations.
  
• Improvement of property structure.

• The Local Government has imbricated it in its policy (Annex III), reinforcing it through the urban plans, creating a normative.
  
• The institutionalisation through agreements of the relationship between the different Entities.
  
• The opening of a way of responsible participation of the community in decision taking.
  
• The introduction of a line of social integration.
  
• The systematic annual budgetary allocation for the execution and maintenance of the Plan.

All this contact and commitment with the associated institutions and with the community is provoking a change in the environmental sensitivity of the local leaders, to such an extent that the Town Council is preparing, with the financial and technical help of the Regional Government, an Analysis of the Environmental Management, so as to elaborate then a System of Environmental Management towards the urban sustainability, something unthinkable not long ago (Annex IX).

During the development of this Plan, the following process has been recorded in the community as a key for the sustainability of the actions:
GREEN PLAN in order to KNOW in order to ENJOY in order to VALUE in order to DEFEND in order to ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY.

This process generates a commitment between community and managers that guarantees the preservation and protection of the rural and
natural environment of the town, favouring the development of the Plan and assuring the permanent maintenance of the recovered areas.

Three key lessons have been learnt:

• From the meetings with other "Mankind-Heritage" Towns: the town problems are similar and the exchange of experience is fundamental (Annex IX), Segovia's Town Council assuming the coordination of their Environment Commission.
  
• From the exchange with Valencia.s Town Council (Spain): the importance of basing the Plan on an urban and normative instrument; with the result of the interest in approving the Woodland and Green Net Special Plan (Annex IX).
  
• From the visits to the Centre of Environmental Studies of Valencia's Town Council: the importance of promoting educational and community participation processes; as a consequence, a survey was made in order to define the "Local Programme of Environmental Education".
  The Green Plan and the Plan of Woodland Integral Management are innovating and pioneer working tools that provide working methodologies easily exportable to other towns. The Green Plan has been presented in different places such as the National
  Congress on Public Parks and Gardens (Annex IX).
  In order to present the woodland Integral Management Plan we have been invited to the International Congress on Arboriculture that will be held next June in Terrasa, Barcelona (Annex VIII).

References

Due to the amount of information and articles enclosed, this is just a list of the most important titles. In order to have the complete information and dossier, see the complementary
documentation : support materials for the Narrative (Part X) and for the References (Part XI).

Yoldi Enríquez, Leopoldo (1990) Entorno y Paisaje de una Ciudad Histórica. (Segovia. See Dossier 1 " Plan Verde") .

Yoldi Enríquez, Leopoldo (1987) "Segovia, Entorno y Paisaje". (La Práctica de las Estimaciones de Impactos Ambientales. Page n. 487 - 522. See Annexe I) .

Abella Mardones and others (1993) "Segovia, Ecología y Paisaje, Guía para una Comprensión Integral de la Ciudad". (See Annexe VI) .

Aparicio Cabrero and others (1993) "Segovia, Ecología y Paisaje, Guía para una Comprensión Integral de la Ciudad". (Propuesta de Actividades Didácticas para el Profesor. See Annexe VI) .

Ayuntamiento de Segovia/Leopoldo Yoldi Enríquez (1991) Plan Verde de Segovia. Para la Mejora Integral de la Ciudad y su Entorno. (See Dossier 1 "Plan Verde".)

Ministerio de Obras Públicas, Transporte y Medio Ambiente. Dirección General de Obras Hidráulicas. Confederación Hidrográfica del Duero (1996) Acondicionamiento del Azud de la Casa de la Moneda Segovia. (See Annexe VI) .

Moreno Mínguez, Almudena y Crespo Ballesteros, Enrique (1996) Alternativas a las Huertas Periurbanas de Segovia como Elementos de Integración y Cohesión de la Ciudad. (See Annexe VII)

De Frutos Gordo and others (1998) Materiales Didácticos. La Gestión del Arbolado Urbano en la Ciudad de Segovia. (See Annexe VIII)

Brunicardi and others (1998) Plan Educación Ambiental. Nosotros, los Ciudadanos y el Medio Ambiente en Segovia. (See Annexe VI)

Arroyo Rueda, Felipe Esteban Alonso; Vicente Iguiñiz Agesta; Gabriel Marcos; Ramón Manuel, Tecnigral S.L. Leopoldo Yoldi Enríquez (1998) Del Árbol a la Ciudad Sostenible, Plan de Gestión Integral de Arbolado. (See Annexe VIII) .

Yoldi Enríquez, L. , Salinas Alvarez , B., Arroyo Rueda, F. (1996) "El Río y la Ciudad, Segovia, Enclave Histórico entre los Ríos Eresma y Clamores" (Publication title : Medio Ambiente en Castilla y León. Pages 42-45. See Annexe IX) .

Yoldi Enríquez, L., Arroyo Rueda, F. (1996) "Planificación de Zonas Verdes y Entorno Urbano. El Plan Verde de Segovia". (Publication title :Parjap '96 Congress on the Spanish Association of Public Parks and Gardens Page : 4 and next. See Annexe IX)

Martín, Aurelio (1994) "Verdes Valles. La Alameda del Parral, un Espacio Recuperado para el Paseo y el Ocio". (Publication title: El Adelantado de Segovia Date: 31 03 94. Page : 4. See Annexe III)

Martínez Calle, Jesús (1994) "El Ayuntamiento controla 200 Ha. de jardines y zonas verdes. La afluencia ciudadana, la mejor respuesta a la política municipal". (Publication title : El Adelantado de Segovia. Date: 11 07 94. Page: 8. See Annexe III)

Martínez Calle, Jesús (1996) "Segovia, pionera en la región en contar con un Plan de Gestión del Arbolado". (Publication title : El Adelantado de Segovia. Date: 26 09 96 Page: 5. See Annexe VIII)

Aguiar, Javier (1994) "El Ayuntamiento concluye la recuperación de la pradera de San Marcos" (Publication title : El Norte de Castilla. Date: 19 12 94. Page: 5. See Annexe III.)

Martínez Calle, Jesús (1996) "El Casco Urbano de Segovia y su Cinturón Verde acogen alrededor de 8.000 árboles". (Publication title: El Adelantado de Segovia. Date: 24 02 96. Page: 7. See Annexe VIII)

López, Miguel Ángel (1995) "Protagonistas, Los Valles". (
Publication title: El Norte de Castilla. Date: 17 05 95 Page: 14, 15. See Annexe III)

Martínez Calle, Jesús "El Valle de Tejadilla será reforestado en su totalidad durante los próximos años". (Publication title : El Adelantado de Segovia. See Annexe III) .

Lapuerta, Teresa (1997) "El Colector de Residuales evitará que el Valle del Clamores sea una cloaca". (Publication title : El Norte de Castilla Date: 14 03 97. Page: 3. See Annexe III)

Martínez Calle, Jesús (1996) "Una mayor participación ciudadana objetivo del Programa de Educación Ambiental" (Publication title : El Adelantado de Segovia. Date : 27 02 96. Page: 6. See Annexe VI) .

Sanz, Teresa (1995) "Una forma especial de trabajar. Jóvenes deficientes se encargan de la Conservación de los Jardines de Segovia" (Publication title: El Mundo. Date: 06 04 95. Page: 7.
See Annexe V) .

Isabel, Hernández (1996) "Un camino hacia la Integración" (Publication title: El Norte de Castilla Date : 29 07 96. Page: 5
See Annexe V) .

Arribas, Sergio (1998) "El Ayuntamiento edita un libro sobre arbolado para alumnos de Secundaria" (Publication title: El Adelantado de Segovia. Date : 21 03 98. See Annexe VI) .

López, Ana Teresa and others (1994) Cuida y disfruta tu ciudad. (Ayuntamiento de Segovia. See Annexe VI) .

Martínez, Jesús (1996) "Toledo copiará la gestión municipal sobre los jardines de Segovia". (Publication title: El Adelantado de Segovia. Page: 7. Date: 28 /12/96. See Annexe IX) .

F.J.L (1997) "Ritual para un domingo de julio". (Publication title: El Adelantado de Segovia. Page: 4. Date: 28/07/97. See Annexe III) .

A.S.R. (1997) "Segovia Verde" (Publication title: El Adelantado de Segovia. Page: 8. Date: 30/03/97. See Annexe III) .

Lapuerta, Teresa (1996) "El Pleno aprueba por unanimidad el plan de saneamiento integral". (Publication title: El Norte de Castilla
Page: 5. Date: 03/12/96. See Annexe III) .

(1997) "Junta y Ayuntamientos estudian hoy la solución a los vertidos en el Eresma". (Publication title: El Norte de Castilla. Page: 3. Date: 17/03/97. See Annexe III)

Lapuerta, Teresa (1997) "Un colector solucionará el sanemiento de los pueblos aguas arriba de la EDAR". (Publication title : El Norte de Castilla. Page: 3. Date: 05/01/97. See Annexe III) .

San José, Fernando (1997) "Finalizan los trabajos de prolongación del colector del valle de Clamores" (Publication title : El Adelantado de Segovia Page: 8. Date: 11/10/97. See Annexe III and IX) .