New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Project category

Identify the award category for which this project is being submitted
Reconnecting with nature

Email user
amela.greksa@gmail.com

Basic information
Project title
ReNaturalization-Rain gardens as NbS

Full Project Title
Rain gardens as a part of Nature-based solutions for the territory of Novi Sad and Serbia

Please provide a short, catchy description of your project to be used in communication towards the public.
The aim of the project is install rain gardens projects as a part of Nature-based Solutions in urban and rural areas of Serbia, in order to transform them into spaces that will promote green areas inspired with nature, to reduce the risk of floods, reduce pollution, preserve biodiversity and enhance the environment. Goals of project are to represent rain gardens trough practical, pioneering implementation projects that can address global climate change and also support sustainable development

What was the geographical scope of your project?
National

Where was your project implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Serbia

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Municipality of Novi Sad and its surrounding settlement

Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?
It addresses urban-rural linkages

Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Has your project benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your project won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Is your project fully completed
Yes

Please indicate a date (mm/yy)
2023-01-01

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As an individual
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project).
- First name: Amela
  Last name: Greksa
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Serbia
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Vojina Paleksica 10,
  Town: Kac
  Postal code: 21241
  Country: Serbia
  Direct Tel: +381612093283
  E-mail: amela.greksa@gmail.com
  Website: https://www.kisnivrtovigreksa.rs/
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amela-greksa/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #kisnivrtovigreksa #kisnivrtovirbija
In case my project is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my project in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
Social Media

Description of the project
Please provide a summary of your project.
The project represents the promotion and implementation of rain gardens as a part of Nature based approach for urban and rural area of Novi Sad, Serbia. The main objective of the project was to install a concrete pioneering examples of rain gardens that have not been implemented before in Serbia and present them from the ecological, sustainable and aesthetic aspect. The use of rain gardens is an innovative and fully sustainable way for managing rainwater, which is used to reduce the risk of flooding, reduce pollution of surface and underground water, and to protect the environment. The aim was to apply rain gardens on a different locations-scale, with the tendency to further install them also into other cities in Serbia with climate change issues such as urban flooding. Project involved installation of two rain gardens whithin suburban community of Novi Sad and rain garden installation along parking of urban part of Novi Sad. Projects have the goal to educate about benefits of rain gardens, to serve for analysis and monitoring. The implementation of rain gardens is considered from different aspects, from individual to citizens acceptance and engagement. The project will encourage their integration as climate-adapted, multifunctional solutions within the boundaries of urban space, which, in addition to managing rainwater and increasing flood risk resistance, can also create additional ecological, social and economic value for cities in Serbia.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words.
Rain gardens

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Nature based Solutions

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Biodiversity

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Climate change

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
Communities conection with nature

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Key objectives of the project in the terms of sustainability is reflected trough improvement of rainwater and pollutant capture, biodiversity and ecosystem resilience in urban and rural areas. The role of rain gardens as NbS is to help with protection from climate change impacts while slowing further warming towards both climate mitigation and adaptation. Implemented examples of rain gardens have a primary function of managing rainwater in a sustainable way by capturing, holding and filtering rainwater after a rainfall event , by infiltrating rain into soil unlike traditional way of rainwater management that involves the use of sewage pipes, while also, promote the use of green areas, local materials and native vegetation. Furthermore, rain gardens are low cost, low maintenance and low carbon emissions solutions.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
In terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people, beside the feelings for providing significant environmental contribution, rain gardens also added beauty and aesthetic values. Positive emotions trough rain gardens are reflected both for individuals (owners of private rain gardens) and for community from the perspective of connecting with nature. Rain gardens not only added visual beauty to the landscape, but they also, by turning conventional green areas into spaces that highlight the role of nature including processes like water retention and storage, water infiltration and evapotranspiration and adapting them to existing physical, social and climatic conditions, they create a feeling of engagement and responsibility. From the wider side, examples of rain gardens provide a more satisfactory spatial relationships between the green matrix and the city as well as the possibilities of harmonizing two systems - natural and urban. Besides that, the use of rain gardens is connected with creating spaces that are transforming urban, impervious areas into greener and healthier areas and contributes to better understanding this solutions and their multidisciplinary roles.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Nature based approach have the clear potential to support social inclusion, trough a community project at a school or park, public project, and neighborhoods, community rain gardens support, through learning and implementation. The installation of rain gardens encouraged involvement of variety of individuals and groups, volunteers, religious groups and others in the field of education and training, academic, professional etc. Installation also included different gender and ages. Nature-based solutions focus on the health and environment benefits, encouraging neighborhoods to mutually care about common green areas.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project
Implementation of rain gardens within suburban community and urban area introduced rain gardens trough presentations, web and printed media and the most important, they involved neighborhoods of different ages together in organizing and installing a rain garden project. Neighborhoods have participated in the procurement of materials and installation of urban rain garden. The impact of this involvement was learning how to construct and use Nature based solutions - rain garden to help preserve the environment. During implementation, local elementary school students were also involved in education about how to install and maintain rain gardens, how they work in practice etc.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the project. Please highlight what the added value of their engagement was.
The design and implementation of the project engaged local stakeholders in the procurement of materials and support in all stages of planning and implementation of rain garden in urban part of Novi Sad. Local government and representatives public utility services also supported the implementation of rain garden. This support helped in final construction of rain garden and recognition of this action as positive change for the city in further implementation.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your project. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was.
In the implementation of the project, different disciplines and knowledge fields were reflected like ecology, landscape architecture, political science, educational work, biology, history, computer science, arts etc. Interaction of representatives of these different fields was reflected trough coordination and support action collaboration in planning and further promoting rain garden project and urban regeneration of Novi Sad city, shared experience and knowledge.

Please give information on the results, outcomes and impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for. This includes also benefits from the project for direct and indirect beneficiaries
The results of project provide the opportunity to implement Nature-based solutions in the city of Novi Sad in the direction of overcoming problems such as pollution and floods caused by heavy rain and to create healthy natural environments. Direct results included the physical transformation and regeneration of urban and rural area, presentation of rain gardens in practice in order to encourage their integration and their popularization in Serbia. Direct and indirect beneficiars are people, that thanks to their re-connection with nature, are aware of benefits of involving solutions like rain gardens. Implemented rain gardens will serve as a model for analysis and education, i.e. determining the possibility and success of applying these solutions in Serbia, proposal of guidelines for design, selection of plant and building materials that are inspired with nature.

Please provide documents showing the results, outcomes and impacts of your project
Web link
Web link
Please highlight the innovative character of the project, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the project
Given that rain gardens as a primer of Nature based Solutions are a relatively new technology, there was a lack of practical examples of rain gardens in Serbia that can serve as guidelines for the design and application of these systems, adapting to conditions specific to urban areas, i.e. to a city like Novi Sad. The inovative character of the project is therefore, providing practical, inovative examples for multi-functional management and ecosystem restoration.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your project.
Project involved the multidisciplinary approach that is reflected in research about Nature-based solutions and innovation actions, experimentation and investigation of the effectiveness of nature-based solutions on the field. Analysis included the spatial, social and temporal context analyses and examination of the potential for the application of rain gardens in the city of Novi Sad, with the aim of reducing urban floods, water pollution and increasing biodiversity, particularly with regard to locations that are detected as vulnerable with high priority for implementation. Approach also included mapping the opportunities available for incorporating rain gardens and finally desicion making based on available space for construction, involving community - local stakeholders, citizens and finally implementation of rain gardens. Future research and interventions will be based on the effectiveness and feedback of current examples of rain gardens.

Please describe which elements of your project could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and context. This may involve for example aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings etc.
Actions and demonstration projects of rain gardens can be replicated on the different scale, and serve as a model for further implementation and education in other cities of Serbia, like larger-scale demonstration projects and projects incorporated into different locations (on a street level, park level etc). Projects can involve the multidisciplinary described approach but also, include innovation in experimentation and testing of good rain gardens practices like the use of different materials or vegetation, changes in policy, legislation and spatial planning.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addresses by providing local solutions
Serbia, as many European countries is exposed to different natural and technological hazards, like drought, extreme temperatures, floods etc. The implementation of rain gardens on a local scale can contribute in improving human health and well-being and the natural environment, improve resilience and adapting to global climate change and pollution.
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images (or other types of visual representations, if images are not possible) to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the project and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary.
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their projects, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted project, is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes