The Case of the Basque Country Capital City´s Green Belt: An Effective Resilient Border

Abstract

In this article, we analyze not only the evolution but the different effects Vitoria-Gasteiz´s green belt has showed on retaining urban sprawl and the simultaneous natural native environment enhancement. Assets that granted the city the European Green Capital award in 2012, and still render important environmental benefits. Applying the beneficial effects of green borders as a soft transition between the urban and the rural realm, amid the never properly solved problem of the city limits. It means a remarkable case study to learn from, that deals with the way of giving form to the already built city limits. Starting from the very first steps with a set of small peripheral parks that meant the beginning of a whole green infrastructure strategy, this text is a succinct critical view that depicts the origins, processes and challenges of this case study. It mainly focus its scope on the North and East part of the belt (some of the earliest and biggest), where water is the main character based on the recovery of existing wetlands, giving form to a kind of green and blue belt, performing multiple functions according to the quoted key concepts. And in the end, being a repeatable example of a resilient border for medium size cities.