Environmental restoration of the Eirís Park

Panoramic of the Park of Eirís (by Julia Huertas)
Area characterisation: 

The Eirís Park covers a total of 8.77 hectares of natural space, which contains a rich historical past - with the ruins of a 17th century castle - and natural beauty, with spectacular views of the ocean, the harbour and nearby beaches.

The Eirís Park was created in 2003, as a result of a natural restorative project which aimed to recover this land from the severe impacts caused by the industrial development of the area in the past century.

This part of the city was transformed from a traditional rural area -with land dedicated to agriculture- in almost an abandoned area surrounded by the large infrastructures connecting the harbour with the city, as well as a gas pipeline underground.

Slideshow:

The Mayor of A Coruña, Xulio Ferreiro, visits the Eirís Park with the attendees at the #transformingcities18 symposium, held in A Coruña in May, 2018.
Objective: 

A Coruña is medium-sized city sited in the Northwest of Spain with more than 244,000 inhabitants who live in barely 37.8 km2. Due to this high population density, A Coruña has a reduced number of green areas (compared to similar European cities), but the existing urban parks are authentic green lungs, which contribute to the improvement of air quality and the fight against climate.

Actions: 

The creation of the new park involved the construction of a large pergola in the upper zone of the neighbourhood, the formation of a pond that increases the biodiversity of the area, as well as other facilities for the leisure of citizenship.

NbS benefits 
  • Developing climate change adaptation; improving risk management and resilience
  • Developing climate change mitigation
  • Restoring ecosystems and their functions
  • Greater ecological connectivity across urban regenerated sites
  • Improve connectivity and functionality of green and blue infrastructures
  • Increase Biodiversity
  • Increase quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructures
  • Improve air quality

Further information

Sustainable Development Goals 
  • 3. Good Health and Well-being
  • 4. Quality Education
  • 9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  • 10. Reducing Inequality
  • 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • 13. Climate Action
  • 15. Life On Land
  • 17. Partnerships for the Goals