The Txomin River Park project in Donostia-San Sebastian has been selected as a success story in the Ihobe Guide to Nature-Based Solutions in the Basque Country. KREAN participated in the transformation works of the Txomin River Park as a member of the Project Management team managed by the Donostia City Council's Site Manager. These works in the river park complement those also carried out by KREAN in the works for the eco-urbanisation of Txomin and the renovation of the Espartxo bridge. In the area of Txomin, KREAN has shown its knowledge and commitment in the area of sustainability and eco-design.
The guide ‘Nature-Based Solutions in the Basque Country: 20 Successful Cases for Adapting to Climate Change by Applying NBS’ is a recent publication by Ihobe that highlights innovative projects in the Basque Country. These projects use nature-based solutions (NBS) to address the challenges of climate change, promoting sustainability and environmental resilience.
The Txomin River Park has become a backbone of the new neighbourhood, with more than 30,000 m² of green areas, paths, and a river promenade that connects with the existing walk along the banks of the Urumea River. The works included in the guide stand out for their focus on ecological restoration and the creation of multifunctional green spaces that not only improve the quality of life for residents, but also increase the area's resilience to flooding and other impacts of climate change.
The Txomin floodplain is a prime example of how Nature Based Solutions (NBS) can be implemented to improve urban resilience to the challenges of climate change. This project focuses on the restoration and sustainable management of river areas to mitigate flood risks and improve the quality of life of residents.
Four main characteristics of the Txomin floodplain can be highlighted: the Restoration of River Ecosystems, where native vegetation has been recovered along the banks of the Urumea River, which helps to stabilise the banks and improve local biodiversity as well as contributing to the improvement of water quality by filtering pollutants and sediments; Sustainable Water Management, where work has been done on the floodplain to act as a temporary storage area during heavy rainfall events, reducing the flooding of the environment; the Creation of Multifunctional Green Spaces, which not only serve for recreation and leisure for residents, but also act as ecological corridors that facilitate the movement of fauna and flora, as well as helping to conserve and promote local biodiversity, creating habitats for various species; and finally Ecological Connectivity, with the improvement of ecological corridors facilitating the movement of species and contributing to the resilience of the ecosystem.
The Txomin floodplain not only improves the area's ability to manage flood events, but also provides additional benefits such as improving air quality, reducing the urban heat island effect and creating recreational spaces for the community. This holistic approach demonstrates how Nature-Based Solutions can be an effective tool for climate change adaptation and improving urban sustainability.
