The Girona City Council has completed the redesign work on the courtyards of six educational centers in the city as part of the GiroNat urban renaturalization project. The actions have already been carried out in Santa Eugènia, Eiximenis, Migdia, Taialà, Pericot, and Vila-roja.
The intervention brings vegetation, shade, and new play spaces to school grounds that until now had a design less adapted to heat and the effects of climate change. The council maintains that the reform seeks to turn these courtyards into environments for daily use with a greater presence of biodiversity.
Girona finished the works in six schools within the GiroNat project
The works have included rest and play areas with gravel flooring and wooden borders, as well as the planting of trees and shrubs. Drip irrigation and new furniture have also been installed in the six centers.
In terms of shade, the city council has built three wooden pergolas in two educational centers. Two of them are at the Vila-roja school and the third at the Pericot center.
Before carrying out the works, the council opened a participatory process with the centers involved to adapt the final design to the social and biodiversity needs of each courtyard. This prior work allowed the intervention to be adjusted to the reality of each school.
Salellas defends that the courtyards incorporate greenery and adapt to the climate
Lluc Salellas, mayor of Girona, framed the action within the adaptation of educational facilities to the new climatic conditions of the city.
"The works allow us to incorporate greenery and biodiversity into educational centers and make them more modern and adapted to climate change" - Lluc Salellas, mayor of Girona, Girona City Council
Queralt Vila, councilor for Education, pointed out that renaturalization transforms schools into greener, healthier, and more pedagogical spaces. In her assessment, the reform favors experiential learning, free play, and the emotional development of students.
Sergi Font, councilor for Ecological Transition and Urban Area, added that the interventions will be accompanied by a didactic guide with nature discovery activities for different educational levels. The project is financed by European Next Generation funds through the Biodiversity Foundation.
The initiative also receives support from the University of Girona and several environmental organizations, within the municipal deployment of GiroNat in the city.