The Salburua neighborhood will see the birth of a large space in the coming months urban community gardens Designed for the neighborhood. The Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council has launched a project to transform a currently unused plot of land into a place for cultivation, meeting, and social activity.
This land will be equipped 73 community-managed gardens, designed both to promote self-sufficiency and local food production and to strengthen community life in one of the youngest neighborhoods of the Alava capital.
Where will the 73 community gardens of Salburua be located?
The new orchards will be located in a Plot of 12.300 square meters Located in a busy area of the neighborhood. The plot is bordered by the streets Elorriaga Portal, Warsaw Avenue, Budapest Avenue and Galileo Street, in the area popularly known by some residents as the passage of the old "Avenue of Desire".
Of all that surface area, the City Council will initially condition 7.000 m² for horticultural use, reserving the remaining 5.300 m² as a possible margin of future expansion if the demand for plots grows, something that experience in other neighborhoods suggests.
The choice of this location reflects the municipal intention to reclaim an unused space and transform it into a local facility that better connects the neighborhood, improves its aesthetics, and serves as a meeting point for residents of different ages and backgrounds.
What will the design and construction of the orchards be like?
In this first phase, the works will focus on level and adapt the terrainbecause the plot has a significant slope. To make it suitable for cultivation, [further work will be carried out]. terraces or terraces that allow you to work safely and comfortably.
The execution contract will have a six month term since its award. During that time, the internal roads, access areas and the various common spaces will be prepared, in addition to all the necessary irrigation and storage infrastructure.
The project has a budget of 300.000 Euros, included in the budget agreement signed between the municipal government team (PSE-EE and PNV) and EH BildThis item covers both earthmoving and the creation of infrastructure and the installation of the planned equipment.
Municipal sources have insisted that the design of the terraces seeks, in addition to facilitating cultivation, visually integrate the gardens in the urban environment, so that the result is not only functional, but also more pleasant for the neighborhood as a whole.
Distribution of plots and planned facilities
Each of the 73 cultivation units will have an approximate area of Sqm 50These are similar in size to other urban gardens in Vitoria-Gasteiz, designed to be manageable by individuals or small groups without the need for machinery.
In addition to the plots, the project includes three irrigation pools These will guarantee the water supply, which is especially important in contexts of greater water stress. These pools will be connected to the irrigation network that will run throughout the entire area.
The new venue will also feature an outdoor and an indoor warehouse for storing tools, materials, and other work equipment. This way, users won't have to constantly transport their belongings from their homes, making daily use of the allotments easier.
The installation of a modular cabin with toiletsincluding an adapted bathroom, to ensure accessibility. Inside this covered area, a picnic area and meeting, designed so that users can rest, meet and share experiences.
Community management and allocation system
The initiative is part of the model of community management which Vitoria-Gasteiz already applies in other municipal gardens, such as Zabalortu (Zabalgana), Lakuakolore (Lakua) u Ortubi (Borinbizkarra). In this scheme, it is the neighborhood group or association awarded the contract that organizes the internal operation.
The City Council, through the Center for Environmental Studies (CEA), will be in charge of to obtain the concession for the new orchard from Salburua. Once assigned to a group, this group will define the criteria for allocating plots, always under general guidelines set by the council.
From the outset, a procedure is envisaged transparent and rotating awardThis is similar to the system already in place in the other municipal urban gardens. The aim is to provide opportunities for a wide range of residents and prevent the same people from monopolizing its use for years without taking over.
The City Council plans to accompany the opening of the space with information sessions and technical support to explain how it works, answer questions, and help with the first growing seasons. The specific application and allocation schedule will be announced once the works are completed.
A new link in the network of allotments in Vitoria-Gasteiz
With these 73 allotments, Salburua will join the municipal network of cultivation spaces which is already operating in other parts of the city. There are currently established projects in neighborhoods such as Abetxuko (Urarte orchards), managed by the CEA, and in Zabalgana, Lakua and Borinbizkarra, where the formula is also community-based.
Between them all they already add up to almost 400 plots in the city, with growing interest from the public. As an example, in the lottery for 63 plots in Urarte held in February, there were even registrations more than 500 requests, which illustrates the strong existing demand.
Municipal officials and representatives of EH Bildu have emphasized that this new facility in the eastern area will allow territorially balance the supply of urban gardens, bringing the model to neighborhoods that until now did not have this local resource.
Furthermore, the option remains open that, if demand justifies it, the number of plots is increased using the part of the plot that will not be urbanized in this first phase, which could significantly increase the project's capacity in the future.
Environmental, social and health objectives
The City Council and the groups promoting this initiative insist that the allotments are not limited to producing food, but also aim to... to have an impact on various aspects of the neighborhoodfrom quality of life to the image of the urban environment.
In environmental terms, the aim is to promote self-sufficiency and local production of fresh food, something especially relevant in the current context of climate crisisEH Bildu has pointed out that in Vitoria-Gasteiz only a small percentage of horticultural products from Álava are consumed, so these initiatives are seen as a way to reduce that dependence.
Local authorities also highlight the potential of these spaces for improve urban biodiversity, create small green islands, attract pollinators and soften the presence of hard surfaces in recent residential environments such as Salburua.
In the social sphere, councilwomen such as Beatriz Artolazabal They have emphasized that urban gardens "not only allow you to grow food, but also build community"In newer neighborhoods, where many people have arrived in recent years, having a shared space helps to..." Build community, combat loneliness and to create networks among neighbors who might otherwise barely know each other.
At the same time, the work on the plots encourages Healthy lifestyle habitsby promoting gentle outdoor physical activity and direct contact with everyday nature, something increasingly valued in European cities.
Citizen participation and the role of the neighborhood
The Salburua community garden project was born, to a large extent, as response to the neighborhood demand the rest growing spacesExperience in other neighborhoods shows that the involvement of residents is key for these types of initiatives to work in the medium and long term.
According to municipal officials, the following will be organized participatory days to publicize the project, gather proposals and form a engine group responsible for promoting management once the space is operational.
This group, together with the CEA and the City Council, will define practical aspects such as shifts for the use of common areas, the basic rules of coexistence, the distribution of collective tasks or the organization of training activities, workshops and meetings open to the neighborhood.
Representatives such as Xabier Ruiz de Larramendi They have emphasized that this type of space gives residents the opportunity to take an active role in the so-called eco-social transition, going from being mere users to direct participants in the management of a community resource.
The council plans to maintain a technical support During the first seasons, both in agronomic matters (crop rotations, water management, pest control) and in organizational aspects, with the aim of consolidating a stable and replicable model in other parts of the city.
With the implementation of the 73 community gardens in SalburuaVitoria-Gasteiz is reinforcing a line of work that combines urban agriculture, citizen participation and improvement of the environment, adding a new cultivation space to its municipal network, with 50 m² plots, complete facilities, collective management and an approach that looks both at self-consumption and biodiversity as well as the creation of links between neighbors in one of the expanding neighborhoods of the city.
