Budapest, Hungary
City population: 1728868
Duration: 2012 – 2012
Implementation status: Completed and archived or cancelled
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: 960 m2
Type of area: Previous derelict area
Last updated: October 2021

The Leonardo Garden was a community garden in an empty building site of 8th district of Budapest, that implementation was initiated by KÉK, the Contemporary Architectural Centre. (Reference 3) The recultivation of two neglected, empty plots of land created one of the earliest community gardens in Hungary. Plants for consumption, spices, herbs and ornamental plants were planted. The 95 plots in the Garden were cultivated by young people, families and pensioners, but the Garden also served educational purposes, as it frequently received school groups. The Garden has hosted a number of public community and cultural, gastronomic and musical events, which were well attended by both the neighbourhood and the general public. The community garden was closed in March 2018 because the company that owns the land wanted to start construction on it. (Reference 5)

Leonardo Garden
Leonardo Garden
Photographer: Marton Kallai, retrieved 08/10/2018 from Monika Kertész (http://kozossegikertek.hu/garden/leonardo/)

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Community gardens

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
  • Inclusive governance
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Social cohesion
  • Social interaction
  • Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Sustainable production

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Project objectives

The goals of the project included: - introducing and promoting urban gardening in Hungary; - creating a legal frame for urban gardening; - creating pilot projects for developing a self-organizing movement of urban gardening; - supporting the creation of a more liveable city; - helping the urban dwellers to adapt to climate change and educating them about self-sufficiency; - creating and strengthening communities (Reference 1).

Implementation activities

Before the Leonardo Garden was implemented, the organization Kortárs Építészeti Központ had assessed the demands and opportunities in Hungary for urban gardening and created the garden based on their findings. (Reference 3) In the Leonardo Garden, 960 square meter large plot has become cultivated that is divided to 95 parcels. They planted plants for consumption, spices, herbs and ornamental plants. Areas for composting were also created. Initiators organized programs for the locals, giving lectures and sharing their experiences with other organizations (Reference 2, 3). They also created a social area which could host smaller community programmes.

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups
  • Marginalized groups: Elderly people
  • Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)

Governance

Management set-up

  • Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Non-government organisation/civil society

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
  • Co-management/Joint management

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The Leonardo Garden was a pilot project of the Contemporary Architecture Centre [Kortárs Építészeti Központ - KÉK] with which they aimed to introduce and promote urban gardening. Based on their prior assessment of the area, they implemented the Leonardo Garden with the help of funds and the involvement of local people. While the KÉK is still responsible for the governance of the garden, in the management the local gardeners have an important role. (Reference 3).

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? No
... a national policy or strategy? No
... a local policy or strategy? No

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Crowdfunding
  • Other

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
  • Provision of labour
  • Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
  • Private sector (businesses, financial institution)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved air quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Enhanced support of pollination
  • Restoration of derelict areas

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Safety
  • Increased perception of safety
  • Decreased crime rates
  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Increased access to healthy/affordable food
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. KÉK. (2017). The Official Website of KÉK. [online] Available at: Source link. [Accessed: 29.06.2020].
2. Leonardo Kert. (2017). The Official Website of Leonardo Garden. [online] Available at: Source link. [Accessed: 19.06.2020].
3. Megyeri, N. (2014). Kert a városban: közösségi élmény és saját zöldség. Recity. [online] Available at: Source link. [Accessed: 19.06.2020].
4. Bartha, A. (2014). Leonardo Garden. [image] Available at: Source link. [Accessed: 19.06.2020].
5. Source link. (year unknown). Leonardo Kert. [online]. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 15.07.2020]
6. Bende, Cs. (2016). A közösségi kertek, mint a nagyvárosi dzsentrifikációs folyamatok produktumai? - A budapesti Leonardo kert esete. Településföldrajzi tanulmányok (ISSN: 2063-4315), 2016 (2). pp. 38-52. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 15.07.2020]