Park-dike on La Pineda beach

In recent years, the Port Authority of Tarragona has been working in collaboration with various public administrations and entities in the search for an emblematic solution for the adaptation of the La Pineda coastline to climate change.

That solution is desired to be sustainable, integrate the development plans of the City and the Port planned for the coming years, and try to meet all the needs of the environment from the physical, economic, environmental, and social points of view through debate and joint decision-making by the various stakeholders.

In this regard, since April 2021, various organizations and institutions have been collaborating with the Port Authority, IHCantabria, and LANDLAB in conceptualizing a solution to the stabilization and restoration problem of La Pineda in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). That conceptualization was presented in October 2021, and various compensation measures were proposed for the development of the Infrastructure Master Plan and adaptation to climate change, considering the planned development projects.

The adopted solution proposes the introduction of new habitats and landscapes, thereby generating a rich environmental and scenic diversity for social use. Thus, in the area closest to the city, an access space/plaza is proposed that serves as a junction with the parking lot and as an articulation with the promenade. To achieve this, it is proposed to condition the existing park at the intersection of Calle Amadeu Vives and the promenade, creating a space prior to the restored natural area of Els Prats d’Albinyana and a new route along the beach, surrounding the large and small lagoon, until it meets the park-dike on the breakwater of the counter-dike.

As a continuation of the area that includes the restoration of Els Prats d’Albinyana, a transitional landscape is proposed between the lagoon, the wetlands, and the sea. This landscape is characterized by a set of lagoons that complement the proposal in the restoration project, as well as a dune cordon, which can be traversed via the wooden walkways previously described. This diverse and naturalized landscape of beach, lagoons, and dunes adds a new attraction to the La Pineda beach area and provides the coastal front with continuity and coherence. Its creation will undoubtedly reduce pressure and usage intensity in the restored area, which will become, thanks to this project, the true heart of a much larger environmental and landscape system.

The starting point of the counter-dike, which is also the endpoint of the boundary path of Els Prats d’Albinyana, transforms into the access to the park-dike with the aim of recovering the lost habitats of this coastal area. In this case, a gradient is proposed from a coastal thicket area to the dune and beach environment.
This park-dike aesthetically addresses the elevation difference between the upper promenade of the dike and the beach through a vegetated slope that houses walking areas, resting spots, and shaded viewpoints. In this way, the visual impact that the revetment of the counter-dike would produce is avoided, while at the same time a transitional landscape is created between the city, Els Prats d’Albinyana, and the new counter-dike. A recreational area with various shrub and tree species (such as tamarix, tipuana tipu, pinus pinea, among others) that provide shade to users and create places to stay.

Starting from the Plaza del Mar, the true social hub of the complex, the promenade and the bike lane extend to the end of the breakwater, making it practically unfeasible to have vegetation. Therefore, in this part, the design of a riprap and living walls capable of hosting underwater habitats is pursued. With the same intention and to protect the social use of the breakwater, part of the existing breakwater is maintained in the sea (now converted into a reef thanks to the use of eco-friendly concrete pieces). Thus, with this operation, the current structure is transformed into an element with underwater life, giving the action a more sustainable character and increasing the resilience of the entire coastal front.