Last updated: October 2021
The NBS was inspired by the first social garden created by citizens on Chrobrego Street. Later, the municipality provided funds for 4 additional projects. Social gardens were created in the housing estates of Wyżyny, Okole, Jary and Wilczak. Residents planted new bushes, flowers, trees, grass, and perennials, and arranged the existing nature in their pocket gardens. In some cases, they also established 'hotels' for insects and pollinators or created thematic paths. Common efforts are to grow healthy plants, herb and vegetable, and to create a friendly atmosphere in the gardens. The gardens are small, 100 square meters on average [1,4].
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Green space creation and/or management
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Effective management
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Maintenance and management of urban nature
Project objectives
1) Providing green recreational area for the citizens of Bydgoszcz;
2) Strengthening social bonds in communities;
3) Educating about the benefits of the NBS [1,4].
Implementation activities
Creating social garden at Chrobrego Street with low-lying circular tents beneath the windows, the ivy shoots on the walls, bushes and flowers [1].
In the other 4 social gardens in the city: greenery planting (bushes, flowers, trees, grasses, perennials), assembly of 'hotels' for insects and pollinators, thematic paths, creating herb and vegetable gardens [4].
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Non-government organisation/civil society
- Citizens or community group
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The first social garden on Chrobrego Street was created by the citizens in 2016. It inspired the City Council to fund additional 4 social gardens across the city [4]. The local Sociopolis City Transformation Workshop ('Pracownia Miejskich Transformacji Sociopolis') contributed to the creation of the garden on Chrobrego Street, and students from the Landscape Architecture Science Club at the University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz helped with the creation of the other gardens. The funds come from Green Cross Poland in the first case and from the municipal-regional co-funding in the remaining cases [1,4].
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(Bydgoszcz City Council established a project: "The social garden - a way of ecological education".(4))
Financing
Total cost
€10,000 - €50,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public regional budget
- Public local authority budget
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
- Private Foundation/Trust
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
- Increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
- Enhanced support of pollination
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Increased appreciation for natural spaces
- Education
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Expected 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
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Błażejewski, K., (2016), 'The first social garden in Bydgoszcz is just blooming' ('Właśnie „dojrzewa” pierwszy w Bydgoszczy ogród społeczny. Co to takiego?'), Source link (Accessed: 16 September 2020).
2. Czachorowski, T., 'Bydgoszcz has a first social garden. See yourselves!' ('Bydgoszcz ma pierwszy społeczny ogród. Zobaczcie sami!'), Source link (Accessed: 16 September 2020).
3. Leszczyńska, M., (2016), 'Gardens will blossom in Bydgoszcz. The City Council is waiting for ideas' ('Ogrody rozkwitną w Bydgoszczy. Ratusz czeka na pomysły'), Source link (Accessed: 16 September 2020).
4. Source link, (2016), 'Green area for education and relax' ('Zielona przestrzeń do edukacji i odpoczynku'), Source link (Accessed: 16 September 2020).
2. Czachorowski, T., 'Bydgoszcz has a first social garden. See yourselves!' ('Bydgoszcz ma pierwszy społeczny ogród. Zobaczcie sami!'), Source link (Accessed: 16 September 2020).
3. Leszczyńska, M., (2016), 'Gardens will blossom in Bydgoszcz. The City Council is waiting for ideas' ('Ogrody rozkwitną w Bydgoszczy. Ratusz czeka na pomysły'), Source link (Accessed: 16 September 2020).
4. Source link, (2016), 'Green area for education and relax' ('Zielona przestrzeń do edukacji i odpoczynku'), Source link (Accessed: 16 September 2020).
Community Gardens in Bydgoszcz
Source: http://www.bydgoszcz.pl/aktualnosci/tresc/zielona-przestrzen-do-edukacji-i-odpoczynku/