FundBiodiv2021_GiroNat

Turning towards reNaturalization for a more resilient and healthy Girona – (GiroNat)

GiroNat is a shared city project, lasting and demonstrative, that promotes biodiversity and ecological infrastructure as the backbone of a 180-degree GIR towards urban renaturalization, transforming Girona into a greener, more resilient and healthier city. The project proposes an urban transformation that responds to the challenges and opportunities that Girona faces as a Mediterranean city, university and educators, socially diverse, fluvial and close to nature. The project proposes the following changes: • Strategic GIR in urban planning, providing the city with its first Integral Renaturalization Strategy, which projects the roadmap and actions to be implemented in the short and long term. • GIR towards nature by increasing, improving and connecting green and blue infrastructure to promote an even distribution of ecosystem services. • GIR towards resilience, betting on the continuous improvement of municipal environmental policies by integrating solutions based on nature (SBN) in a transversal way. • GIR towards preventive health, promoting a more livable city and natural infrastructure as a health asset. • GIR towards social transformation, guaranteeing access and use of nature for all citizens and contributing to a more sensitized and socially and environmentally just city. • GIR towards innovation, betting on the co-generation of knowledge, shared governance, the incorporation of best practices and the promotion of transferability and replicability of results. ICRA contributes to the project in two major actions: 1st) in the development of a hydraulic model of the Girona drainage network in order to evaluate the impact of the implementation of different solutions based on nature in terms of reducing of overflow volumes towards the natural environment, 2nd) in the evaluation of the effectiveness of green walls for the treatment of gray water for its reuse. ICRA’s contribution to the project is coordinated by Josep Pueyo and Lluís Corominas, and has the participation of Joaquim Comas and Rubén Oncala.