Nature will welcome you when buying fruits and vegetables in Valladolid
The City of Valladolid (Spain) has installed a green structure on the canopy covering the fruit and vegetable market in the local Plaza España. This is an innovative infrastructure from both the technical and aesthetic point of views. It is one of the 42 Nature-Based Solutions that the Department of Innovation, Economic Development, Employment and Trade of the Valladolid City Council is installing in the city with the collaboration of the Departments of Urban Planning, Mobility and Urban Space and Environment. These actions are carried out as part of the EU-funded project URBAN GreenUP, which is implementing a set of innovative urban solutions inspired by nature in its three Frontrunner cities of Valladolid, Liverpool (UK) and Izmir (Turkey). The main goal of URBAN GreenUP is to make cities in Europe and beyond more sustainable and healthier. The plant layer covers 45% of the surface of the canopy thanks to the load-bearing capacity of the metal structure. The waterproofing on the entire roof increases the thermal insulation and the collection of rainwater is enabled by a system of pipes and gutters. The irrigation of the roof is of the automatic drip type. The green infrastructure will improve air quality via the capture of CO2 and retention of particles and increases urban biodiversity. Both aspects contribute to increasing the well-being and health of citizens, as well as boosting economic activity and the tourist attractiveness of the area. The green canopy will be a reference for the integration of architecture and nature in the city. This intervention will give the area a new, fresher and healthier look, as it means recovering part of this square as a garden space, while also housing a market and an underground car parking. The technical specifications of the green canopy project have been developed by the URBAN GreenUP partner SingularGreen S.L.. SingularGreen S.L. is a company specialized in landscape architecture that works on the integration of natural elements in urban architecture through vertical gardens, green roofs and other green infrastructures. FURTHER INFORMATION URBAN GreenUP is a project funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 730426. It aims at developing Renaturing Urban Plans, which include actions focused on mitigating the effects and risks of climate change and improving the air quality and water management of cities through NBS. URBAN GreenUP is run by an international consortium of 25 partners from 9 countries, coordinated by the CARTIF Technology Centre. Activities will take place in the three demonstrator cities of Valladolid (Spain), Liverpool (UK) and Izmir (Turkey) and will be replicated across Europe, Latin America and Asia.
Keywords
Nature-based solution, Green infrastructure, waterproofing, air quality, urban biodiversity