Program of restoration of surroundings areas, 1994-2002 in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Barcelona

Abstract

San la Coloma de Gramenet is a municipality of 125.000 inhabitants located within the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, well on its way lo sustainability: Between the fifties and the seventies a heavy wave of immigration led lo largely unplanned urban growth . This had serious impact on the surrounding natural area, where there are still spaces preserving a certain ecological value in spite of the high human pressure and pollution by solid wastes.
In 1994 the City Council se t up the Sub urban Restoration Programme under taken by five successive Vocational Training centres which succesfully achieved the following goals:
, The ecological restoration often sites in urban fringe areas (former uncontrolled waste tips or other degraded areas) and its transformation in leisure areas for the population, carefully designed in order lo minimise their environmental impact and costs of works and maintenance.
, The work training in environmentally-related professions of 215 young unemployed people of ages between 16 and 25. achieving an index of later labour insertion of 60%.
, The participation of neighbourhoods civic organisations, thus improving the relationship citizens-environment, towards the ecological sustainability: Previous altitudes that had led to the degradation of the areas underwent positive change. From 1924 lo 2002 this experience has been enhanced by the adoption 01 Local Agenda 21 (approved in 1999 with the consensus of more than 80 civic organisations) and the participation of the European Commission through the economic instrument LIFE (200 1).