Urban Greening in St Petersburg Environmental aid projects Dancee, 19992005

1
Urban Greening in St PetersburgEnvironmental
aid projects (Dancee), 1999-2005
Kjell Nilsson and Cecil Konijnendijk Department
of Parks and Urban Landscapes, SL
2
St Petersburg, Russia
5 million inhabitants Rich cultural heritage,
Window on Europe Major economic, social,
political, environmental challenges Extensive
inner-city green structure, and Forest Park Zone,
play important role for recreation, culture,
environment
3
Planning and Rehabilitation of Urban Green Areas
in St Petersburg (1999-2002)

• Local partners Department of Parks and Gardens
  of St Petersburg, State Forest Technical Academy

• Main activities
• Develop (GIS) information base to support
  planning and management
• Restoration activities in selected parks
• Awareness raising public involvement

Inner-city green areas Focus on three parks of
different types (historical, Soviet, forest)
4
Approach for GIS development
5
Approach for GIS development (2)
6

• Restoration projects
• Achieve some physical improvements on the
  ground
• Meeting direct needs of local parks department
• Danish experts as technical consultants
• For example restoring drainage in part of
  historical Tavrichesky Garden

7

• Awareness raising
• public involvement
• Establishment of nature playgrounds
• Development of nature base for environmental
  education
• Organisation of Parks Days
• Hosting of news conferences
• Danish experts (Frilufsrådet) to support

8
Planning and Management System for the St
Petersburg Forest Greenbelt (2002-2005)

• Local partners Dept. of Parks and Gardens, State
  Forest Technical Academy, Toxovo Forest
  Enterprise

142,500 ha Forest Park Zone of St Petersburg (for
which city is responsible)

• Main activities
• Develop planning/management strategy and (GIS)
  information base to support this
• Improve cooperation among stakeholders
  (responsibilities and ownership are unclear)
• Awareness raising capacity building e.g. via
  demonstration forest, Greenbelt Day

9
Development of a Strategy for the Forest Park
Zone (FPZ)

• Priorities
• Protect and expand the FPZ in line with growing
  demands, threats
• Continued special legal status at Federal level
• More clarity about responsibilities
• Diversification of funding
• Enhance multifunctionality and e.g. recreational
  infrastructure
• Develop monitoring, information base (GIS),
  demonstration areas

Developed for City Administration, but with
involvement of key stakeholders
10
Awareness raising and capacity building
Enhancing awareness/capacities concerning FPZ
issues among different audiences (public, local
and regional politicians, forest managers)

• Activities
• Greenbelt Day
• Documentary for local television
• Establishment of nature trails
• Establishment of demonstration forest for
  training

11
Some factors for success

• Start with identifying local capacities and
  expertise (which is significant in St
  Petersburg).
• Find out where outside knowledge could come in to
  assist local development.
• Do not try to copy-and-paste experience from
  other places. (We did go wrong here sometimes.)
• Time is needed for building trust and procedures
  for collaboration. (The second project was much
  easier to get off the ground.)
• Develop a detailed plan of milestones (e.g.
  through LFA) and use this actively to steer the
  project, finances, responsibilities.