At the oPEN Living Lab Pamplona, residents continue to co-create their ideal community through a variety of initiatives. Here’s a glimpse into some of the latest activities, including the TXIO TXIO project and the creation of new murals.
Getting to know Rochapea, residents and birds alike!
As part of the TXIO TXIO project, which originated as a reflection during the painting of the first mural, local schools are actively working to learn more about the area’s bird population. To this end, several outings have been organised around the neighbourhood to observe the birds, identify their habitats, and learn about their behaviours. These outings, guided by local ornithology expert Daniel Garcia Mina, have been both highly engaging and educational. A wide variety of species have been spotted, including the kingfisher, mallard, cormorant, wood pigeon, Eurasian collared dove, magpie, blackbird, robin, goldfinch, blackcap, greenfinch, serin, chiffchaff, wren, Cetti’s warbler, grey heron, night heron, black kite, common kestrel, blue tit, long-tailed tit, and many others.
If you are not familiar with all these birds, as was the case for many of us at the start of the project, La Compasión Escolapios School is developing an app called ‘Rotxapia’. This app aims to help users identify the neighbourhood’s bird species by their songs and photographs. We look forward to sharing it with you soon so that you can use it to discover, enjoy, and be amazed by the rich variety of birdlife in our neighbourhood.
Neighbourhood schools, supported by local stakeholders, bird experts, and school staff, are also working on a conservation guide. This guide will outline various measures that can be implemented to help preserve and/or restore the native bird species of the area, such as installing nesting boxes, or cleaning up of the banks of the River Arga. In addition, some of the proposed solutions will be implemented in the neighbourhood by pupils local schools from local schools. These actions will be monitored to study and evaluate their effectiveness and potential for replication in other districts of Pamplona.
stay updated on upcoming student-led actions by following the school’s social media platforms (Instagram @escolapioscompa and Facebook) and by visiting the neighbourhood’s website. Special thanks go to the local stakeholders who are supporting the initiative with their time and effort, as well as to the NGO yoslocuento for its financial support.
Bringing colours to Rochapea: community murals
Another initiative of the oPEN Living Lab Pamplona is the neighbourhood’s collaborative mural project (Energy and Women Mural or EEM). Painting of the mural on the main entrance wall of Rochapea Public School (P.º de los Enamorados, 16) began on 5 May, followed by the mural on the main entrance wall of Cardenal Ilundain School (Av. de D. Marcelo Celayeta, 117), which started on 20 May. These new murals are being developed as a direct effect of the reflection and inspiration sparked by the first mural.
Throughout the storytelling and design phases, as well as during the painting of the murals, the four neighbourhood schools (La Compasión Escolapios, Rochapea, Cardenal Ilundain, and Patxi Larrainzar) have been actively involved. Local stakeholders, including the neighbourhood’s business association, the local artist (Berenice Studio), and members of the community, are also taking part.
The murals reflect the goals that the neighbourhood’s residents have for their community. They depict themes of interest to the citizens, all connected to the transformation of the neighbourhood into a Positive Energy District (sustainable and energetically self-sufficient). The mural at Rochapea Public School focuses on multiculturalism, promoting coexistence between cultures where everyone works together to make the neighbourhood more sustainable and better adapted to the needs of its residents: urban gardens, sustainable mobility, green roofs, the recovery of local fauna and flora, and local renewable energy production. This movement is driven by women who, on their bicycles, become the engines of the transition towards building a neighbourhood where respect prevails.
At Cardenal Ilundain School, the diverse species inhabiting Mount Ezkaba, guided by various birds alongside the women on bicycles, move towards the neighbourhood and, soaring above it, transform it by reducing the dominance of cars to make way for more sustainable and nature-friendly modes of transport. In this way, the mountain habitat is brought into the urban space, where it can now coexist harmoniously with human beings.
More about the oPEN Living Lab Pamplona
In the oPEN Living Lab Pamplona, the City of Pamplona, CENER, UPV/EHU, ah Asociados, and Obras Especiale, join forces to implement one of the first operational Positive Energy Neighbourhood concepts in Spain, demonstrating an advanced, scalable, and replicable urban energy model. Learn more here.
