02/06/2021
Parc de l’Alba in a WHO publication on the redevelopment of contaminated sites
Parc de l’Alba in a WHO publication on the redevelopment of contaminated sites
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for Europe has recently issued a free downloadable titled “Urban redevelopment of contaminated sites: a review of scientific evidence and practical knowledge on environmental and health issues (2021)”.
The publication is the result of a project in which Parc de l’Alba (whose business area is known as Barcelona Synchrotron Park) was involved. This study is part of the Health and Environmental Impact Assessment Program of the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health.
The project focuses on the study of scientific evidence, the review of practical cases and the analysis of the impact assessment processes (SEA, EIA, HIA, HHRA, HBM*) in relation to the remediation and subsequent reuse of contaminated sites. The aim of the project is to provide tools and knowledge for local and regional administrations to improve the management of old polluted sites redevelopment, rehabilitating these soils, which are an opportunity for sustainable urban development by reducing the use of natural or unaltered spaces.
In this WHO project, the Parc de l’Alba has contributed its experience with the restoration of Àrids Catalunya, an old 4 ha clay quarry located within the Park's perimeter. Exploited until the 1970s and subsequently filled with various types of waste, basically construction debris, including asbestos, this quarry, transformed by the way into an uncontrolled landfill, represented a problem for the environment and health.
In 2010, this cuvette was restored and later redeveloped. The site is now fully restored and reforested with a viewpoint and new paths marked for public use, and since 2012 it has been officially part of the Parc de l'Alba green corridor.
* (SEA, Strategic Environmental Assessment; EIA, Environmental Impact Assessment; HIA, Health Impact Assessment; HHRA, Human Health Risk Assessment; HBM, Health Biomonitoring)
The publication is the result of a project in which Parc de l’Alba (whose business area is known as Barcelona Synchrotron Park) was involved. This study is part of the Health and Environmental Impact Assessment Program of the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health.
The project focuses on the study of scientific evidence, the review of practical cases and the analysis of the impact assessment processes (SEA, EIA, HIA, HHRA, HBM*) in relation to the remediation and subsequent reuse of contaminated sites. The aim of the project is to provide tools and knowledge for local and regional administrations to improve the management of old polluted sites redevelopment, rehabilitating these soils, which are an opportunity for sustainable urban development by reducing the use of natural or unaltered spaces.
In this WHO project, the Parc de l’Alba has contributed its experience with the restoration of Àrids Catalunya, an old 4 ha clay quarry located within the Park's perimeter. Exploited until the 1970s and subsequently filled with various types of waste, basically construction debris, including asbestos, this quarry, transformed by the way into an uncontrolled landfill, represented a problem for the environment and health.
In 2010, this cuvette was restored and later redeveloped. The site is now fully restored and reforested with a viewpoint and new paths marked for public use, and since 2012 it has been officially part of the Parc de l'Alba green corridor.
* (SEA, Strategic Environmental Assessment; EIA, Environmental Impact Assessment; HIA, Health Impact Assessment; HHRA, Human Health Risk Assessment; HBM, Health Biomonitoring)
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