In the heart of Zamora's historic center, the Balborraz Urban Gardens They have just unveiled a new look thanks to a project that completely reorganizes and modernizes this community garden. Far from starting from scratch, the project builds on an initiative that has been underway since 2021 and which, in a short time, has become a small neighborhood meeting point.
The project, driven by Zamora City Hall Within the RenaturaliZA program, it aims to strengthen the social and environmental use of a municipal plot of land that was previously hardly usedThe reform introduces new infrastructure, improves accessibility and strengthens security, but maintains the essence of the micro-gardens and the leading role of the people who work them daily.
A well-established urban garden in the heart of the city
The Balborraz community gardens are not a newly launched initiative, but rather the continuation of a community project that has been running for four years On a hillside adjacent to one of Zamora's most photographed streets, small plots of land owned by the municipality have been gradually created and are now being organized and improved with this renovation.
Currently, the venue houses 16 micro-gardens managed by around 30 peoplewith a waiting list that demonstrates the clearly growing interest in farming in Balborraz. The City Council emphasizes that the intervention does not eliminate the social dimension of the project, but rather reinforces it by providing it with Better services, more security, and more efficient use of space.
The underlying idea is to consolidate Balborraz as a leading community urban garden in the center of Zamora, associated not only with the production of vegetables and greens, but also with the Environmental education, community participation, and food sovereigntyIn the words of the Councillor for Infrastructure, Pablo Novo, it is a small space in surface area, but with a great symbolic weight in the new model of a greener and more participatory city.
The site, located on a steep slope next to the street that connects the Plaza Mayor with the Duero River, had a barren appearance until a few years ago. With the implementation of the micro-gardens first, and with the current remodeling integrated into RenaturaliZA Afterwards, that slope has been transformed into a green area with daily life, neighborhood traffic and a clear community component.
Furthermore, Balborraz's experience adds to other initiatives of urban gardens in ZamoraExamples include the spaces set up in the former provincial prison on the Almaraz road or the children's garden in Valorio, forming an ever-expanding network of small plots of land in different neighborhoods. More examples and details about urban gardens in Zamora They show similar initiatives in other urban areas.
Reorganization of the plot and new infrastructure
The intervention carried out in Balborraz has focused on a municipal plot of 610 square meterswhere a complete redistribution of the cultivation areas and internal pathways has been carried out. Until now, the terraces and paths had emerged more spontaneously; with the work, they have been given a clear and homogeneous structure.
They have been configured tidy raised beds, delimited with autoclave-treated planks and metal profilesproviding greater stability to the planting areas and facilitating the daily work of the users. The paths have been improved with Pine bark, a finish that improves walking comfort, reduces mud on rainy days and contributes to better landscape integration with the surroundings.
One of the key aspects has been the improvement of the safety in areas with the greatest slopeTo this end, repair work has been carried out on the existing walls and new elements have been installed. fences with concealment elements in those areas where there was a greater risk of falling. This combination of physical barriers and reinforcement of the original structure allows for safer use of the garden, especially for the elderly or those with reduced mobility.
The project has also carefully considered the integration of the site into the historic center, where any intervention requires a certain sensitivity. The choice of materials, the layout of the paths, and the shape of the terraces are intended to make the orchard feel like a an orderly yet welcoming space, adapted to the slope and respectful of the urban landscape that surrounds it.
At the same time, the renovation has been used to improve the spaces for gathering and meeting, so that the allotments are not just a place to go to water and plant, but also a informal meeting point for the people who participate in the project and for the neighborhood that comes to look around or to learn.
Renewed irrigation system and commitment to composting
One of the most notable changes in the remodeling is the comprehensive renovation of the irrigation systemThe garden now has a network of buried pipes, inspection chambers and individual connections on each terraceThis allows for better adaptation of the water supply to the needs of each plot and reduces the risk of leaks or visible breakdowns.
The system is completed with a automatic irrigation programmerThis facilitates more efficient water management, which is especially relevant in a context of increasingly hot summers and greater pressure on available resources. This automation also simplifies organization among users, who can better coordinate to decide on irrigation schedules and times.
Along with the modernization of irrigation, the intervention has focused on closing the organic matter cycle within the garden itselfFor this purpose, the following have been installed: three new composters built with recycled materials, intended to transform plant waste from pruning and cleaning into usable compost for the terraces themselves.
This practice, common in many urban agriculture projects, contributes to reduce waste generation, improves soil fertility and it has an important educational component, since it allows you to show in a very tangible way how plant remains are turned back into nutrients.
The set of technical improvements—irrigation, paths, and composting—has been designed with the intention that the garden be easy to manage on a daily basiseven for people with little prior experience, and that encourages a dynamic of shared work and collective care of the space.
Booth, bench-viewpoint and new plantings
The renovation has also included the highest part of the property, where a new tool shed on the old slab of a disused crane. Instead of removing this element, it was decided to give it a different use, integrating it into the project as a base for the shed and as a support for a perimeter bench-viewpoint.
This bench-viewpoint creates a small space for rest and gathering, allowing one to contemplate the orchards and the urban environment from the upper part of the plot. The previous shed, meanwhile, It has been restored and relocated to a nearby locationso that the complex now has more storage space for tools, materials and other items needed for daily activity.
Regarding the vegetation, the action has included the planting of low-growing fruit and ornamental shrubs around the perimeter of the plotThis helps to visually frame the garden and create small shaded areas and shelter for urban wildlife. At the same time, [further elements] have been incorporated aromatic spices, culinary and medicinal in the common areas, designed both for their use and for their educational purpose.
These new plantations increase the biodiversity of the space and its sensory appealScents, colors, and textures that change throughout the year make the garden more pleasant not only for those who cultivate it, but also for passersby. All of this has been done while respecting the available space so that each micro-garden has enough room for its own plantings.
With this set of interventions, Balborraz gains in functionality, aesthetics and comfort, reinforcing its role as a place of production, learning and coexistence in the heart of the city.
Cost of the work and support from European funds
The renovation of the Balborraz Urban Gardens has been carried out with a base tender budget of 38.984,36 eurosFinally, the project was awarded and carried out by the company GEOSTINSER AMB, SL for an amount of 31.848,16 Euros, a figure that is in line with other similar urban renaturalization actions.
This intervention is part of the line B17 of the RenaturaliZA projectA municipal strategy that brings together different actions for greening and restoring urban spaces. Funding comes from Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, with the support of the Biodiversity Foundation, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and European funds Next Generation EU.
Linking the project to this European framework means that, beyond local improvements, the action contributes to broader objectives of biodiversity conservation, adaptation to climate change and rewilding of citiesThese include increasing green spaces, improving air quality, promoting rainwater infiltration, and providing social spaces with an environmental component. Similar actions, such as the creation of urban gardens, are included in projects like the one in Almeria.
In this sense, the Balborraz orchards are considered another piece of a mosaic of small urban green infrastructure projectswhere each recovered plot contributes to the overall transformation of the city towards a more sustainable model.
Social, educational and environmental impact in Zamora
Beyond the economic investment and the physical work, the City Council focuses on the social and community impact of the Balborraz Urban Gardens. The space serves as a meeting point for neighbors of different ages who share tasks, knowledge, and harvests, fostering the social cohesion and support networks at the neighborhood scale. Projects where community gardens act as local classrooms show similar results in other cities: gardens as educational spaces.
The project is also used as environmental education toolBy putting into practice concepts such as responsible consumption, composting, water management, and the recovery of traditional vegetable varieties, it's not uncommon for visits or educational activities to be organized from time to time to demonstrate how the space works to interested individuals or local groups. More information about educational initiatives in school gardens can be found at this link: school gardens and education.
On an environmental level, the intervention allows to renaturalize a plot of land that had very limited ecological valueThis increases vegetation cover and creates small havens for urban wildlife. The presence of shrubs, flowers, and aromatic plants helps attract pollinators and other beneficial insects, while also helping to moderate the temperature of the immediate surroundings.
The City Council frames this action within a broader strategy of Promotion of urban gardens in different parts of ZamoraIn addition to Balborraz, plots of land have been set up for cultivation in the old provincial prison and a children's garden is being promoted in Valorio, in addition to neighborhood projects such as those of the Josa estate, which is also being adapted for a wider citizen use.
With all this, the city is shaping a network of small growing spaces spread throughout different neighborhoodsThese initiatives, which bring agriculture closer to everyday life, allow you to obtain fresh, locally sourced produce and offer a place to learn by doing—something increasingly valued by the public. For ideas on gardens in small spaces and home micro-gardens, you can consult this practical guide: home garden 2.0.
Following the renovation, the Balborraz Urban Gardens are presented as a a more organized, safe and comfortable spaceBut above all, it is a strengthened community project, where neighborhood participation, environmental education, and care for the environment come together to recover a corner of the historic center and turn it into a symbol of change towards a greener, closer, and people-centered Zamora.
