REPLACE – Greenery instead of concrete

Ostrava has received almost 21 million CZK as an EEA/Norway grant for a project that will help alleviate the impacts of climate change in the Ostrava-Jih municipal district. The city has successfully applied for a “Bergen” grant to support the development of green-blue infrastructure and the implementation of measures facilitating adaptation to climate change. Thanks to the project, Ostrava will be better prepared to cope with extreme weather conditions, retain moisture in the urban landscape, and improve citizens’ overall quality of life.

What is the REPLACE project?

The REPLACE project (motto “Greenery instead of concrete”) will remove non-functional surfaced areas of ground (primarily concrete) in the Ostrava-Jih municipal district and replace these surfaces with greenery. The project will cover an area of almost 22 000 m², and it will target not only concrete surfaces, but also other fixtures in urban public spaces, such as sandboxes, carpet-beating racks, clothes-drying racks, benches and low walls. As part of the project, greenery will also be planted at the Dubina public transport terminal. The plantings will create 1 686 m² of beds for perennials and grasses, 524 shrubs and 4 329 m² of meadow-type areas with flowers.

Why Ostrava-Jih?

Ostrava-Jih, on the southern edge of the city, is one of Ostrava’s largest and most populous municipal districts (102 358 inhabitants/2021). It is also the most densely built-up of the districts, with the worst access to public green areas and the largest area of non-permeable surfaces. All these factors mean that Ostrava-Jih is particularly vulnerable to extreme high temperatures during the summer months, and the high proportion of non-permeable surfaces prevents the retention of water in the soil during periods of rainfall. By removing these surfaces and increasing the proportion of green spaces in Ostrava-Jih, the REPLACE project will help more rainwater to be retained, as well as reducing ambient temperatures and volumes of dust, boosting biodiversity, and improving the quality of public spaces as a whole. The project will help Ostrava-Jih to move closer to nature and to become a better place to live – making this high-density residential area (and its public transport terminal) more pleasant, more functional, and safer for its inhabitants.

How much will it cost?

The project is being implemented as part of Ostrava’s Strategic Development Plan – specifically the priority area “A Healthy City”. The main implementing partners are the City of Ostrava and its Ostrava-Jih municipal district. The project will also involve Ostrava-Jih’s municipal services provider, which will contribute many years’ experience of maintaining greenery (and will also be accountable for the follow-up maintenance).

The project budget is worth almost 21 million CZK, with 19 million CZK coming from a EEA/Norway grant. Implementation begin in May 2022 and is set to last until the end of the year 2023.