Stakeholders' Involvement in Shaping Lorca’s Future: The NatUR-W participatory and co-design process for Urban Park and the Old Prison

Implementing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) will focus on three key areas. First, several public buildings in the area will be renovated with green walls, incorporating an innovative insulation system known as the Green Thermo Wall. Second, the nearby public green space currently abandoned and not accessible, will be renovated and transformed into an urban forest, serving as a climate adaptation and social hub. The space will integrate sustainable water management practices to tackle challenges such as flooding, efficient water management and urban heat islands, enhancing its resilience to climate change. In addition, it will provide a community hub for social interaction, promoting well-being and fostering social cohesion. And third, the historic 20th-century prison building will be restored and repurposed to host cultural and educational activities, further strengthening the area's sense of community. The proposed NbS and CbS will enhance living conditions, contribute to the cultural regeneration of the Barrios Altos area, create new green areas that serve as bioclimatic shelters, and provide various ecosystem services (ES). In developing these solutions, including stakeholders and Barrios Altos’ residents is essential to ensure that the regeneration of public spaces aligns with the needs, desires, and culture of the local community of Lorca. Moreover, this project involves complex NbS interventions in critical neighbourhoods, requiring careful consideration of diverse perspectives and interests. Effective stakeholder engagement is crucial to building trust, addressing concerns, raising awareness and garnering support for these solutions.
In this context, the City of Lorca, together with project partners active in this activity (e.g., NBSCLIMATE and SingularGreen), established a Stakeholders Board to facilitate collaborative decision-making, maximize project impact, and mitigate potential conflict. This process also involved the definition and implementation of two community co-design workshops with the residents of Barrio Alto.

The NatUR-W project began with an important step: engaging local stakeholders to form a formal Stakeholders’ Board for ongoing consultation throughout the project’s duration. The city of Lorca already had an established participatory body known as the “Social Council.”

This council plays a crucial role in local governance by ensuring that public decisions, particularly related to social, economic, and cultural issues, reflect the community's needs. The Social Council includes various local stakeholders such as associations, NGOs, businesses, citizens and social groups, helping to promote inclusivity and transparency in decision-making. It works closely with the City Council to advise on policies, evaluate existing programs, and organize public forums to engage residents, ensuring that policies are better aligned with the community’s real needs.

The Stakeholders’ Board for the NatUR-W project was formed from the Historic District Working Group of the Lorca Social Council. In the project’s first introductory meeting, participants were invited to join the board and were informed about the role of the board, the scope of the project, and the expected contributions over the coming years. After securing their participation agreement, NatUR-W organized two sessions with the Stakeholders’ Board. The first one focuses on the renovation of the old prison building, including the design process, challenges faced, and proposed solutions, and the second one explains the features and the characteristics of the urban forest. Stakeholders presented their views, needs and ideas that will be integrated into the prison and urban forest's design and re-functionalization.

Together with the creation of a formal Stakeholders’ Board, the team of NatUR-W wanted to involve local community and residents of Barrios Altos, the neighbourhood where the urban forest is going to be shaped next to the prison that is going to be refurbished. Barrios Altos, as mentioned in the previous article here, is a district squeezed between the city centre and the castle, sometimes felt as a border separates this district from the rest of Lorca.

To engage the local community in the design of the new urban forest and in the idea generation for some uses of the old prison, the municipality managed to engage with a formal city council mediator that facilitated the introduction of the project partners to the local community and contributed to build trust in the process. Also thanks to his involvement and engagement, two participated activities took place in the Asociacion de vecinos “Santa Maria”. 

During the first workshop called ‘Introduction and Needs Assessment’, the primary goal was to introduce the concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and collect initial input on community priorities. Several themes emerged from the discussions mostly around accessibility and safety, urban forest features, family and child-oriented needs, and recreational activities for the old prison. More specifically, participants raised a significant concern about the steep slopes, particularly along San Pedro Street, which made mobility difficult and led to accidents. Attendees highlighted the need for railings and other safety features to make the area more accessible, especially for older residents and people with disabilities. There was also a strong emphasis on ensuring that the urban forest design was wheelchair accessible.
Regarding the urban forest, participants raised concerns about potential plant allergies and requested that the selection of plant species take this into consideration. They also asked for the amount of vegetation to be carefully balanced to avoid overwhelming the area while still creating an inviting, green space. Although the community was satisfied with the existing neighbourhood lighting, there was a strong desire for additional facilities that could encourage physical activity, such as sports areas for both children and adults, to promote overall well-being and active use of green spaces.
A primary concern, especially among women, was the lack of safe spaces for children to play. The community stressed the importance of creating shaded, safe play areas where mothers could easily supervise their children. This is aligned with the project’s goal of designing multifunctional urban spaces. Additionally, when asked about their desire regarding the use of the old prison spaces, women expressed interest in craft and educational courses, such as leatherwork, thread drawing, and guitar lessons, which would provide skill-building opportunities and foster community engagement. There was also strong interest in dance classes, with a request for childcare services to allow mothers to participate while their children were cared for. This pointed to a broader need for cultural and recreational activities that cater to both adults and children, supporting social cohesion and community well-being. 

During the second workshop, which focused more on the urban forest the local community was asked to refine ideas and prioritize solutions based on the initial feedback from the first gathering moment. There was a general consensus on the need for robust, permanent fixtures to ensure the durability and safety of the design and a clear priority emerged to include shaded areas and dedicated play spaces specifically designed for children and families. Interestingly, there was a strong desire for the development of community programmes focused on cleanliness, maintenance, and overall green stewardship of the space, together with a request of including in the new urban forest a community identify landmark, such as a fountain or a mural. Participants raised concerns regarding the need for civic education to preserve the new green space and the need for a new parking lot close to the intervention area.

At last, community members preferred plant species that are visually appealing, aromatic, and well-suited to the local climate, raising concerns about including species like esparto grass and fruit trees. This sparked a discussion on urban biodiversity, and the project team plans to work closely with the community to highlight the benefits of a biodiverse environment throughout the design process.

Through the Stakeholders’ Board and community design workshops, NatUR-W successfully engaged a diverse range of actors in the idea generation and co-design of the project's key initiatives: the urban forest and the renovation of the old prison. NatUR-W project partners are now focused on refining the project design and public procedures in preparation for the implementation phase, carefully incorporating insights from the participatory process. Integrating these elements into the design will be essential for fostering and maintaining trust with the local community, whose involvement and recognition are vital to ensuring the project's long-term sustainability.