COLAND Intensive Study Programme Mangalia 2018

All COLAND workshop participants in Mangalia, Romania, September 2018

Black Sea spa landscape in Mangalia, Romania

Team work during the Mangalia workshop in September 2018

Field studies on the Mangalia case

Participatory landscape assessment with a local school class

The CO-LAND Project has been (partially) funded by the ERASMUS+ grant program of the European Union under grant no. 2017-1-RO01-KA203-037161. Neither the European Commission nor the project's national funding agency are responsible for the content or liable for any losses or damage resulting of the use of these resources.

Key dates of the Mangalia Intensive Study Programme

• Implementation: September 16 - 25, 2018
• Host: Ovidius University Constanta
• Cooperation partners: Municipality of Mangalia and NGO Proactiv Pentru Communitate
• Participants: 30 staff members and local experts and 28 students
• Documentation: Download the Mangalia Project Documentation

The Mangalia Context

Mangalia is a small town of 40.000 inhabitants situated on the Romanian Black Sea Shore close to the Bulgarian border. The town has seen very dynamic developments in the 1960’s and 1970’s during which huge public investments into coastal tourism were made by the central government. The town therefore exists today of a multifunctional urban centre plus the northern ‘satellites’ of Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, Neptun and Olymp. All of these are spas dating from the 1970’s, built during the socialist period as a public investment according to modernist design principles.

The city itself is not solely based on tourism since it also hosts some industry, commerce and a major shipyard. Being founded as a Greek port in 600 AD the cultural heritage of Mangalia is multifaceted, but poorly visible in the urban landscape of today. The same applies to the rich and unique natural zones which are not sufficiently integrated into the urban tissue. Mangalia is facing many challenges, of which the constant outmigration of the younger generation is probably the most threatening.

In order to approach this situation in a holistic way the city has published a local development strategy in 2016 which envisions Mangalia as a ‘Green City’ by 2023. The community is certainly very well aware of the need to redevelop a green and blue infrastructure for the benefit of its local economy and quality of life. Our study group will link to this goal and support the community by translating the strategy into concrete proposals.

The COLAND conceptual framework: Green and Blue Infrastructure in Coastal Landscapes

Green infrastructure is a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services such as water purification, air quality, space for recreation and climate mitigation and adaptation. This network of green (land) and blue (water) spaces can improve environmental conditions and therefore citizens' health and quality of life. It also supports a green economy, creates job opportunities and enhances biodiversity. The Natura 2000 network constitutes the backbone of the EU green infrastructure.” (European Commission, DG Environment).

Ensuring the connectivity, validation, protection and multifunctionality of Mangalia’s green network bears enormous potential for the city. This topic can be combined with the conception of a hiking and cycling network for sustainable transport. The GI network could further support the connectivity and accessibility of Mangalia’s heritage areas. Combining ecological, social and economic benefits by an overarching Green Infrastructure strategy can build a powerful framework for joining the forces of different actors and interest groups towards a common goal. Green and Blue Infrastructure serves as the guiding principle for the working groups.

Working Groups

The COLAND workshop in Mangalia approached this landscape from five complementary perspectives:

1. Green and Blue Infrastructure: Ecosystem Services and Sustainable Mobility
2. Heritage and Identities
3. Living on the coast: Housing, working, community life and identities
4. Productive Landscapes, Circular Economy and Landscape Protection
5. Nature-based rural tourism

Publication and Results

• Download the Mangalia Project Documentation

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