Urban regeneration of the CFR Park
Basic information
Project Title
Urban regeneration of the CFR Park
Full project title
Physical transformation of an abandoned area into a new park that fits for all
Category
Prioritising the places and people that need it the most
Project Description
This is the first municipality’s urban regeneration, „fit for all” project, implemented through participatory budgeting. The project refers to a deserted and abandoned area near the railway station transformed into a modern park with trees, green spaces and automatic irrigation system, sustainable lightning system, leisure and fitness areas, playground for children, 2 pump tracks for teenagers.
Geographical Scope
Local
Project Region
Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Urban or rural issues
Mainly urban
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
The project is the result of the Municipality's 2022 participatory budgeting and was submitted by the Association Mothers of Valcea. The Association won the citizens' votes with their project concerning the creation of a new park in town with a dedicated space for teenagers. The Municipality transformed an area of 1822 sqm of land degraded and restricted to the public (owned by the National Railway Company and rented to the Municipality in 2022) into a new park. The overall aim was the regeneration of a degraded area with citizens participating in co-creation and co-design of the project. The teenagers were the target group but the project is also addressing citizens of all ages. The project addresses specific challenges (degraded land owned by national government and regenerated by local government with local funds and people that need particular attention, especially referring to teenagers that had no dedicated outdoor space before); is sustainable (creates new green spaces); inclusive (has dedicated pump tracks for teenagers as well as green and fitness and leisure areas for seniors and playgrounds for children) and promotes dialogue across ages.
The project’s objective are: to reconnect the local community with nature; to increase the green spaces of the Municipality; re-functionalize and sanitize the degraded area; support the citizens' participation in local decision making process; support the inclusion of all category of citizens with a focus on teenagers and seniors and support the intergenerational exchanges. The project's result is a new park that changed the aspect of the whole zone situated in the proximity of the railway station. The beneficiaries of this project are the teenagers, but we might consider the whole local society as a beneficiary. Also, the travelers who pass by train in Ramnicu Valcea and have some time between two trips can also be considered beneficiary, since the park has free entrance and is opened to all.
The project’s objective are: to reconnect the local community with nature; to increase the green spaces of the Municipality; re-functionalize and sanitize the degraded area; support the citizens' participation in local decision making process; support the inclusion of all category of citizens with a focus on teenagers and seniors and support the intergenerational exchanges. The project's result is a new park that changed the aspect of the whole zone situated in the proximity of the railway station. The beneficiaries of this project are the teenagers, but we might consider the whole local society as a beneficiary. Also, the travelers who pass by train in Ramnicu Valcea and have some time between two trips can also be considered beneficiary, since the park has free entrance and is opened to all.
Key objectives for sustainability
Back in 1880 here it was a huge park that lasted until the end of World War II when it was transformed by the communist regime into a zone with block of flats leaving a small rectangle until recently deserted and abandoned.
The new park was built in 2023, on this "small rectangle" of 1822 sqm and it managed to transform the "communist" neighborhood into a sustainable place. Among the dedicated space for teenagers (two pump tracks with a total length of about 90 meters, ideal for speed travel with rollers, bicycles, scooters or skateboards), it has trees and green areas, an automatic irrigation system, garbage cans, sustainable street lighting system that reduce the environmental impact of human activities. The new park re-connects people with nature, increases the number of green areas in town, making it less polluted by helping lowering the CO2 emissions in town. The "small rectangle" has been transformed from an abandoned, polluted, full of waste area, into a green, "breathable" space. The project is in line with the Municipality's Integrated Urban Development Strategy 2021-2027 that aims to increase the quality of life of the inhabitants by ensuring access to attractive public spaces and diversified opportunities for spending free time and practicing sports by arranging, until 2029, 60 hectares of new green spaces, including by reconversion of degraded lands under use and modernization of 5 hectares of existing green spaces. The Municipality's project could be considered exemplary because it supports the implementation of sustainable development goals at the local level (the no.11 and 13 SDGs, referring to sustainable cities and communities and climate action) by emphasizing the citizens participation in the decision making process at the local level.
The new park was built in 2023, on this "small rectangle" of 1822 sqm and it managed to transform the "communist" neighborhood into a sustainable place. Among the dedicated space for teenagers (two pump tracks with a total length of about 90 meters, ideal for speed travel with rollers, bicycles, scooters or skateboards), it has trees and green areas, an automatic irrigation system, garbage cans, sustainable street lighting system that reduce the environmental impact of human activities. The new park re-connects people with nature, increases the number of green areas in town, making it less polluted by helping lowering the CO2 emissions in town. The "small rectangle" has been transformed from an abandoned, polluted, full of waste area, into a green, "breathable" space. The project is in line with the Municipality's Integrated Urban Development Strategy 2021-2027 that aims to increase the quality of life of the inhabitants by ensuring access to attractive public spaces and diversified opportunities for spending free time and practicing sports by arranging, until 2029, 60 hectares of new green spaces, including by reconversion of degraded lands under use and modernization of 5 hectares of existing green spaces. The Municipality's project could be considered exemplary because it supports the implementation of sustainable development goals at the local level (the no.11 and 13 SDGs, referring to sustainable cities and communities and climate action) by emphasizing the citizens participation in the decision making process at the local level.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The project might be considered a "Cinderella": a deserted and abandoned area was transformed into a beautiful park with the citizens' support in co-creation and co-design. This is also the Municipality's first project implemented as a result of participatory budgeting. The project emphasizes the New Leipzig Charter policy framework that stipulates the fact that ”public participation in urban development processes should involve all urban actors, which also strengthens local democracy. Whenever possible, citizens should have a say in processes that affect their daily lives. New forms of participation should be encouraged and improved, including through co-creation and co-design." The project helped the Municipality manage its conflicting situations with the citizens that live in the area and had to face a deserted and abandoned space full of waste, identified innovative solutions for teenagers (2 pump tracks in the park), while reshaping the urban space. Citizen participation was essential for the realization of the new environment: the citizens were part of the transformation of a place neglected by its owners (the Ministry of Transport - Romanian Railway Society) into a new, green area with funds from the local budget, as result of an idea project coming from the civil society (the citizens voted for this project, they chose this project to be implemented by the Municipality). The citizens felt they really belonged to the local community and they had also the feeling of doing something useful for the society and for the city's future.
The project also responds to needs beyond functionality: the Municipality's need to regenerate a degraded land that is not owned by the Municipality but it created a constant discomfort to the citizens, as well as the teenagers' need to have a dedicated space and the whole citizens' need to have more green spaces for outdoor quality time.
The project also responds to needs beyond functionality: the Municipality's need to regenerate a degraded land that is not owned by the Municipality but it created a constant discomfort to the citizens, as well as the teenagers' need to have a dedicated space and the whole citizens' need to have more green spaces for outdoor quality time.
Key objectives for inclusion
Ramnicu Valcea experiences a sharp aging and is also confronting with a migration of the young generation to rich cities. The ratio between the number of elderly people (over 60 years) and young people (under 15 years) increased significantly between 2014-2021 from 126.5% to 175%. On the other hand, a 2022 UNICEF Romania study on quality inclusive education, shows the fact that the impact in terms of absenteeism and drop out in Romania is limited by external factors such as family and social circumstances. The study emphases the fact that the non formal activities as well as improved communication and collaboration among stakeholders (school, local authority, parents) generates more welcoming environments for students. Considering the conclusions of this study as well as the official data regarding the structure of the local population, the local administration took into consideration the fact that has to invest more in non formal activities for children and teenagers, so it started with a Youth Hub opened in 2022, a dedicated space for the Municipality's students. The present project is basically the Municipality's second project related to teenagers and the young generation.
It is also a fit for all project, since the new park in town has dedicated areas to all category of ages, it is accessible and affordable (it is free of charge, situated in a central area of the city, with a bus stop nearby, so it can be reached from any corner of the town).
At the same time, the project addresses the teenagers' need for a dedicated space as well as the local society's need for more green spaces in order to spend some quality time in town, it encourages the dialogue across ages and prioritizes the people that needed most (the teenagers) and the area that needed most (deserted zone in central part of the city, in the proximity of the railway station, situated in a neighborhood with no parks).
It is also a fit for all project, since the new park in town has dedicated areas to all category of ages, it is accessible and affordable (it is free of charge, situated in a central area of the city, with a bus stop nearby, so it can be reached from any corner of the town).
At the same time, the project addresses the teenagers' need for a dedicated space as well as the local society's need for more green spaces in order to spend some quality time in town, it encourages the dialogue across ages and prioritizes the people that needed most (the teenagers) and the area that needed most (deserted zone in central part of the city, in the proximity of the railway station, situated in a neighborhood with no parks).
Results in relation to category
The results reflect the physical transformation and regeneration of a degenerated area of the Municipality, into a beautiful, sustainable place with green and leisure components. The project provides a new green area in town, a new place for leisure and fun as well as a dedicated outdoor space for teenagers. The reconversion of the degraded land transformed the whole neighborhood from a degenerated, grey, "communist" space, surrounded by block of flats, into a greener, sustainable and livable area. The direct beneficiaries of the project are the teenagers (since it addresses their particular need for a dedicated recreational space), the indirect beneficiary is the whole local community, since it is a project that impacted all citizens that live in Ramnicu Valcea, not only the teenagers. The project helps the Municipality achieve the national targets regarding the surface of green spaces per inhabitants as well as those assumed by signing the Covenant of Mayor's 2030 Adhesion Form, through increasing its resilience by adapting to the impacts of climate change. It also increased the citizens' confidence in their capacities of changing the city they live in.
How Citizens benefit
The project implementation helped the Municipality
manage conflicting interests between generations (teenagers feeling neglected and not belonging to the local society, mothers demanding more playground and recreational spaces for their children, seniors demanding more leisure areas in town) and identified innovative solutions (dedicated space for teenager in a leisure park), while reshaping urban spaces. Citizens' participation played an essential role in the design and implementation of the project.
The citizens took part from the very beginning, in the co-creation and the co-design process. The Association Mothers of Valcea won the 2022 participatory budgeting with a project idea regarding the creation of a new park with a dedicated zone for teenagers. Since their initial proposal area for this new park could not be considered eligible (in a forest, the Capela Hill), they chose together with the local administration that the abandoned area near the railway station would fit the project. The citizens had the opportunity to vote for their favorite project, so from the very beginning this project benefitted from the local community's support.
We also took into consideration the Municipality's European Local Democracy Week project, the 2017 edition, when we asked the students from Matei Basarab College to tell us what would they do if they were the mayor of the town. Their answers shaped the Municipality's Urban Development Strategy and consequently, the Municipality's projects and actions.
We might say that the civil society played multiple roles: "author" of the project idea, "supporter" of the project idea and of the project itself, "participant" in co-creation and co-design, "beneficiary" of the "final result", the new park.
manage conflicting interests between generations (teenagers feeling neglected and not belonging to the local society, mothers demanding more playground and recreational spaces for their children, seniors demanding more leisure areas in town) and identified innovative solutions (dedicated space for teenager in a leisure park), while reshaping urban spaces. Citizens' participation played an essential role in the design and implementation of the project.
The citizens took part from the very beginning, in the co-creation and the co-design process. The Association Mothers of Valcea won the 2022 participatory budgeting with a project idea regarding the creation of a new park with a dedicated zone for teenagers. Since their initial proposal area for this new park could not be considered eligible (in a forest, the Capela Hill), they chose together with the local administration that the abandoned area near the railway station would fit the project. The citizens had the opportunity to vote for their favorite project, so from the very beginning this project benefitted from the local community's support.
We also took into consideration the Municipality's European Local Democracy Week project, the 2017 edition, when we asked the students from Matei Basarab College to tell us what would they do if they were the mayor of the town. Their answers shaped the Municipality's Urban Development Strategy and consequently, the Municipality's projects and actions.
We might say that the civil society played multiple roles: "author" of the project idea, "supporter" of the project idea and of the project itself, "participant" in co-creation and co-design, "beneficiary" of the "final result", the new park.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Innovative character
One of the most important characteristics of an innovative idea is that it solves a problem. The current project solves two problems (one of the deserted area and another referring to the city’s teenagers and their need of a dedicated outdoor space). It is also a „first time” collaboration between the national and the local government for the benefit of the local community: the representatives of the national government agreed to rent the land to the Municipality of Ramnicu Valcea who took on its charge all the expenses related to the physical transformation of the land into a new park. The innovative character of the project is reflected by the fact that it improves people's lives while making a city more beautiful and sustainable. It gives also a solution on how to transform deserted and abandoned zones in the proximity of railway and railroads into green, sustainable places. Ramnicu Valcea is a city crossed by a railroad and the lands in the proximity of it are owned by governmental agencies and bodies, so it is almost impossible for the local administration to restore these parts of the town. Still, the local and national governments managed to come to an agreement and the Municipality managed to restore the place.
This project is the Municipality's second one referring to the transformation of the lands in proximity of the railroad, the first one is also the result of citizens' participation and is about the creation of a dedicated park for citizens and their dogs.
This project is the Municipality's second one referring to the transformation of the lands in proximity of the railroad, the first one is also the result of citizens' participation and is about the creation of a dedicated park for citizens and their dogs.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
For the design of the project, we might talk about creative cognition since we combined and remixed the existing elements (the project idea of a new area with dedicated space for teenagers) with the technology (participatory budgeting) and the territory (the existing deserted land) in order to discover a new possibility: the reconversion of the deserted area into a new park.
For the implementation we might talk about the landscape planning, a dedicated team formed by internal (civil servants) and external experts working to put into practice this new idea.
Also, communication played an important role in both the design and implementation phases, since the local administration had to communicate externally (with the national government, civil society representatives, citizens) and internally (between various departments of the Municipality).
For the implementation we might talk about the landscape planning, a dedicated team formed by internal (civil servants) and external experts working to put into practice this new idea.
Also, communication played an important role in both the design and implementation phases, since the local administration had to communicate externally (with the national government, civil society representatives, citizens) and internally (between various departments of the Municipality).
Methodology used
We started from what of our students wrote us, as part of the 2017 European Local Democracy Week project: "your town is a your home. Your home should tell the story of who you are and be a collection of what you love!"
We came with a formulation of what would be our "collection": places, but at the same time there are some land that is not owned by the Municipality and therefore can be easily restored and we love our people, but we realize that there are some category (ies) of citizens that need(s) the Municipality's immediate attention.
Then we analyzed how the context of these categories can be improved, in order to make the city a home for all of its citizens. We emphasized the communication and the collaboration with the national government as well as with the representatives of the local society in order to solve these problems. We used the external and the internal communication for the implementation of the project. We might say that we emphasized the "waterfall methodology", meaning that each task of the project had to be connected to the previous one, so we did not move on to the next step unless we’ve finished the previous one (first we had the rent agreement, then the participatory budgeting, then the ultimate solution for the reconversion of the land, then the technical solution that had to be put into practice). This approach helped us promote collaboration between the relevant stakeholders and ensured that the entire team from the Municipality stayed focused on the task at hand.
We came with a formulation of what would be our "collection": places, but at the same time there are some land that is not owned by the Municipality and therefore can be easily restored and we love our people, but we realize that there are some category (ies) of citizens that need(s) the Municipality's immediate attention.
Then we analyzed how the context of these categories can be improved, in order to make the city a home for all of its citizens. We emphasized the communication and the collaboration with the national government as well as with the representatives of the local society in order to solve these problems. We used the external and the internal communication for the implementation of the project. We might say that we emphasized the "waterfall methodology", meaning that each task of the project had to be connected to the previous one, so we did not move on to the next step unless we’ve finished the previous one (first we had the rent agreement, then the participatory budgeting, then the ultimate solution for the reconversion of the land, then the technical solution that had to be put into practice). This approach helped us promote collaboration between the relevant stakeholders and ensured that the entire team from the Municipality stayed focused on the task at hand.
How stakeholders are engaged
We engaged different stakeholders from the national and the local level: the National Government (the Ministry of Transport with the National Railway Company), the Local Council, various regional and local NGOs as well as citizens.
The project highlights an important "victory" of the local government that managed to convince the representatives of the national government, after several years of negotiations, to rent the land to the Municipality in order to be transformed it into a new park in town.
The civil society representatives were involved in the design and implementation of the project, which is also the result of a participatory budgeting: the Association of Mothers from Valcea came with a project idea regarding the creation of a new park in town with a dedicated space for teenagers which was declared eligible and received the largest number of votes from the citizens of Ramnicu Valcea. The representatives of the local community imagined and transformed together with the local administration a small, degraded area of the city into a sustainable and inclusive public space. The civil society was also a "catalyzer" for the project because it "pushed" the local administration to prioritize territories and people that needed most attention and to solve some pressing issues. The added value of the citizens' as well as of the local administration's engagement is reflected into the fact that the entire local community "regained" a territory and made it beautiful, useful, sustainable.It is also a project reflecting the youth's way of reshaping the city's environment and architecture. In 2017, the Municipality carried out a project in which asked the students to tell them what would they do if they were the mayor of the city. Most of the answers referred to more green spaces, more places for teenagers. The teenagers wrote that "people ask for air", and as a mayor, they would try to "improve environment, people and the image of the town, little by little".
The project highlights an important "victory" of the local government that managed to convince the representatives of the national government, after several years of negotiations, to rent the land to the Municipality in order to be transformed it into a new park in town.
The civil society representatives were involved in the design and implementation of the project, which is also the result of a participatory budgeting: the Association of Mothers from Valcea came with a project idea regarding the creation of a new park in town with a dedicated space for teenagers which was declared eligible and received the largest number of votes from the citizens of Ramnicu Valcea. The representatives of the local community imagined and transformed together with the local administration a small, degraded area of the city into a sustainable and inclusive public space. The civil society was also a "catalyzer" for the project because it "pushed" the local administration to prioritize territories and people that needed most attention and to solve some pressing issues. The added value of the citizens' as well as of the local administration's engagement is reflected into the fact that the entire local community "regained" a territory and made it beautiful, useful, sustainable.It is also a project reflecting the youth's way of reshaping the city's environment and architecture. In 2017, the Municipality carried out a project in which asked the students to tell them what would they do if they were the mayor of the city. Most of the answers referred to more green spaces, more places for teenagers. The teenagers wrote that "people ask for air", and as a mayor, they would try to "improve environment, people and the image of the town, little by little".
Global challenges
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues at the global level, as it contributes to rising temperatures, extreme weather events and pollution. Air pollution alone is considered the largest global threat to human health, accounting for an estimated 7 million deaths annually.
The project is part of an ongoing measure taken by the local authority that aims at increasing the green areas in town in order to combat the climate change.
In 2015, the Municipality’s green spaces counted 200 ha. From 2015, the local authority put into practice a series of measures in order to increase the green areas, starting with afforestation campaigns and the creation new parks. Thus, in 2019, According to the Register of Green Spaces of the Municipality, the surface of green spaces reaches 240 ha, 40 ha more than in 2015. Currently, Râmnicu Vâlcea Municipality has an administrative area of 8,955 ha, about 36% being occupied by forests and forest vegetation.
Another global challenge is the global public health, and with a new green area in town the Municipality manages to provide a healthier environment for the citizens.
The project also addresses the global challenge of enhancing lives and communities. It helps build a resilient community and it enhances the quality of life by proposing solutions that address social determinants of health and promotes wellbeing.
In a world where democracy and peace are at stake, we believe that democracy strengthening is also a global challenge. The Municipality of Ramnicu Valcea recognizes the importance of citizens' participation in local decision making process as a tool for democratic governments.
The project is part of an ongoing measure taken by the local authority that aims at increasing the green areas in town in order to combat the climate change.
In 2015, the Municipality’s green spaces counted 200 ha. From 2015, the local authority put into practice a series of measures in order to increase the green areas, starting with afforestation campaigns and the creation new parks. Thus, in 2019, According to the Register of Green Spaces of the Municipality, the surface of green spaces reaches 240 ha, 40 ha more than in 2015. Currently, Râmnicu Vâlcea Municipality has an administrative area of 8,955 ha, about 36% being occupied by forests and forest vegetation.
Another global challenge is the global public health, and with a new green area in town the Municipality manages to provide a healthier environment for the citizens.
The project also addresses the global challenge of enhancing lives and communities. It helps build a resilient community and it enhances the quality of life by proposing solutions that address social determinants of health and promotes wellbeing.
In a world where democracy and peace are at stake, we believe that democracy strengthening is also a global challenge. The Municipality of Ramnicu Valcea recognizes the importance of citizens' participation in local decision making process as a tool for democratic governments.
Learning transferred to other parties
The processes might be replicated by other beneficiaries. Basically, this project is based on communication and collaboration: the Municipality invested in a land that does not own in order to solve some pressing issues (an area that needed to be regenerated immediately, and to content some category of citizens that felt neglected and demanded to have some dedicated spaces in the city). Also, the "waterfall" methodology might be replicated because it helped the Municipality promote and ensure collaboration with the stakeholders and helped the Municipality's team to remain focused during the entire project implementation activities. The "final product", the park, might be easily replicated since it is a simple solution that "fits for all" and it brings benefits to the entire community. It is also a simple solution to put into practice when it comes to degraded places in the proximity of railroads and how these place might be used by the community and transformed into leisure spaces. We also have some learnings to share, one is that a local authority needs to rely on a permanent collaboration with the local community and the other one is that the New European Bauhaus principles are not that hard to be put into practice and they can really harness the potential of participatory approach. The project gave the citizens the feeling of doing something useful for their city, their territory and of belonging to an European community of active citizens.
Keywords
Regeneration: it regenerates a degraded area of the Municipality that is not owned by the local administration but disturbs the local community.
Participation: it is a citizen participation project, created by citizens, made with citizens
Inclusion: it is inclusive, it increases the teenagers' feeling of truly belonging to the local community; in the meantime, it is a "fit for all" project, since it encourages dialogue across ages and it can be used by all
Transformation: the new park transforms the whole neighborhood who did not benefit from green spaces before by giving it a "greener" tent to compensate its grey and communist aspect
Prioritization: it prioritized places (one of the most degraded area of the city) and people (the teenagers who did not have a dedicated leisure space) who needed most.
