Collaborative Green Infrastructure Design Group G

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Girona river

Name	Girona river
Location	Marina Alta
Country	Spain
Authors	Maria Josep Ripoll, Majid Amani Beni, Catalina Papiu-Zoran

Landscape and/or urban context of your case

Girona river is born at 650 meters over the see level in the small town of Vall d’Alcalà. In the west side of the Marina Alta county. It has 34.7 km long and his drainage basin has 105 km². The river crosses the spectacular and hilly site known as “Barranc de l’Infern” (Devil’s gorge). It has an important geological and archeological value, and is highly appreciated by hikers and climbers. At the exit of the Devil’s gorge, a dam was builded on 1944 to increase water supply but it failed because of the permeable soil below the damp. Today the damp is almost silt with sediments and it hardly works delaying the flash flood. All these area upstream is a natural protected zone associated to the European Natura 2000. It is protected as a Site of Community Importance (SCI) and a Special Protection Area of Wild Birds (SPA).

From the damp to the sea, the river has 20.38km long. This stretch of the river plain does not have any kind of protection. After the damp, the river crosses a width river plain that shapes the north of the Marina Alta county. The richest soils for agriculture are found here. The matrix of the river plain is composed mostly by orchards and vegetable gardens. The river is followed by several towns, some of them in the river banks. The river plain is crossed by road infrastructures (motorway, highway, roads). Several urban settlements and activities are placed there: towns, urban sprawl, shopping mall, industrial areas.

Girona River ends in a sandy beach in the Mediterranean sea. It’s last stretch is surrounded by urban sprawl, detached and semi-detached houses for tourists or owned by elderly residents from central and north Europa. A submarine area about 2.200 ha in front of the Girona river mouth is protected as a SCI and SPA because it keeps a big Posidonia oceanica reef (seagrass endemic to the Mediterranean sea) very important for sea birds feeding.

Some details about the towns in the river plain:

Population: Beniarbeig: 1.915 inhabitants (2013) Ondara: 6.613 inhabitants (2013) El Verger: 4.856 inhabitants (2013) Els Poblets: 3.402 inhabitants (2013)

The tourism and foreign residents has an important impact over population and public services. A lot of foreign residents owned a house and spend part of the year in our county; tourist rent a house or a flat or a room in a hotel for vacations. This “floating” population is not included in the population census but they use infrastructures and public services that used to become overloaded on vacations. Most of the foreign residents are elderly which increases the average age and implies more pressure over medical public services.

Economy: The economy of the towns around the Girona river are based mainly on the services sector (tourism, restaurants, transport, retailing and wholesaling, etc.) and construction sector. The industrial sector is formed by small family business based on traditional manufactured items (furniture, leather industry). Nevertheless, the agriculture sector is still important with the traditional production of oranges and the new introduction of kakis.

River vegetation and fauna The riverbank vegetation is diverse and mainly composed by perennial vegetation: reedbed (Phargmites communis), rhizomatous grasses (Paspalum paspaloides, Paspalum vaginatum), water vegetation (Ranunculus, Potamogeton, etc.), trees such as Salix, Populus, Pinus halepensis, and bushes such as Nerium oleander, Rubus, Rosa canina, Crataegus monogyna, etc. Nevertheless, one species is dominating along the river: Arundo donax, a perennial invasive cane. This cane grows really fast and is reducing the population of native species. The vegetation gives shelter to different species of fish, amphibian or crustacean. Some of them are endemic and fragile or are endangered. The amount and variety of birds that visit the Girona river is increasing because of the proximity of the Oliva-Pego Marsh Natural Park. Several protected species of birds spend the winter or nest in the marsh and used the Girona river (upstream and downstream) to graze and feeding.

River water quality Using a biological index IBMWP (Iberian Biomonitoring Working Party) it is possible to stablish the water quality depending of the macro- invertebrates collected in different water samples (2004 and 2005). Near the town of Sanet the index was 127 and in El Verger 97, corresponding to index values of very good quality (good ecological condition, water without contamination or not disrupted). (Zamora et al. 2005)

History Before the second half of the 20th century, the river was very important for the daily life of the towns surrounding the river. People got canes as construction material and to feed the livestock. Sand and stones were used in construction too. But most of all, the water was used for irrigation. Some of the towns were really rich providing vegetables and fruits to the market.

Dynamics The urban pressure and the new economic activities are the dynamics behind it’s degradation. Today the river is almost abandoned. Infrastructures and urban activities near the river are narrowing the river bed and blocking the water flow. And the industrial activities are throwing waste and polluting the water.

• Illustrations
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  Location

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  Description

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  Drainage basin

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  Tributaires

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  Protected areas

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  Settlements

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  Study area and case study location

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  Study area: river plain land planning

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  Study area: river plain land zoning

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  Study area: flood riskiness

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  Study area: natural and protected areas

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  Case study: Beniarbeig. Aerial view

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  Case study: Land planning

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  Case study: Land zoning

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  Case study: Natural and open areas

What are the overall objectives of your design? What are the specific objectives for enhancing green infrastrucutre?

Please give a short written argumentation (not more than 150 words). It is ok if you have different or even contradicting objectives within your group. Just make it explicit at the beginning of your process

Analytical drawings

Please add four analytical sketches/drawings (or montages/schemes) of your case. Every group member needs to contribute at least one drawing.

• Analytical Drawings
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  GI oportunities

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  The town, The river and Green islands (Current condition)

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  Flooding settlements/river section (Catalina)

• Yourfilename4.jpg

  analytical drawing 4

Projective drawings

Please add four projective sketches/drawings (or montages/schemes), of course with an emphasis on green infrastructure aspects. Every group member needs to contribute at least one drawing representing his/her individual ideas.

• Projective Drawings
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  The town, The river and Green islands (Proposed for future)(Majid)

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  Projective drawing of the river sides (Catalina)

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  GI solution for built and natural areas (Catalina)

• Projective drawing river girona public use.jpg

  The river as a green public space (Maria)

Design Synthesis

Please analyse the individual approaches presented so far and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses (you may use the SWOTanalysis model). Try to create a synthesis and represent it with a plan and some sketches. You can still use drawings/sketches.

• Design Synthesis Drawings
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  synthesis drawing 1

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  synthesis drawing 2

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  synthesis drawing 3

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  synthesis drawing 4

Summary of the collaborative process

Please reflect on your collaborative design process. Which potentials have you encountered? What was most difficult? What does collaborative design mean for you? (approx 150 words).

Image Gallery

You may add a series of images/photos in addition to the sketches/drawings

• Image Gallery
• Yourfilename1.jpg

  image 1

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  image 2

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  image 3

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  image 4

References

* Please make sure that you give proper references of all external resources used.

* Do not use images of which you do not hold the copyright.

* Please add internet links to other resources if necessary.

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