Last updated: September 2024
The Grangegorman Community Garden is a collaborative project involving several stakeholders in restoring a neglected space within the TU Dublin campus and transforming it into a community garden. The project emerged from a partnership between academic and service departments of the university, a primary school, a land development agency, a multinational organization, and a property estate agent. The project's ultimate goal is to establish a permanent community garden with strong investment, ensuring ongoing support for current users and welcoming a new, diverse group of participants. (1,6) Launched at the start of 2024, the project focuses on rejuvenating the space, with restoration efforts continuing until December 2024. The garden features four allotment-style beds separated by gravel paths and is surrounded by 12 foliage beds (Ref 1). The initiative aims to provide educational opportunities centered on sustainability and horticulture, while also developing a sustainable, collaborative governance framework for the garden (Ref 6). It aligns with various national, local, and inter-organizational frameworks, strategies, and plans related to community engagement, biodiversity, and climate action (Ref 1).
The outlook of the Grangegorman Community Garden
Ref.6
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Inclusive governance
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social interaction
- Environmental education
- Sense of community and community engagement
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable production
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Agriculture/ crop production
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Disconnection from nature
- Loss of sense of place and identity
- Poor community engagement
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments), Transformation of previously derelict areas, Transformation of vacant land into green spaces, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Educational and awareness raising programs, Improved governance of green or blue areas, Creation of new, innovative governance and management approaches, Establishment of inclusive governance mechanisms involving local communities
Project objectives
To create a dedicated community garden area (sourced from a previous neglected space) with substantial funding that provides ongoing support for gardeners and invites a diverse range of new participants by providing capacity building from growing sustainably, using organic, and applying farm-to-fork learning and practice (1);
To provide educational experiences and opportunities to engage with the natural environment (1);
To develop a sustainable collaborative governance model by providing formal meetings with involved stakeholders to understand individual needs, motivations (1);
To foster connections within the wider Grangegorman community to engage in growing, learning, and enjoying this space together (3)
To create partnerships with other stakeholders and networks (other Grangegorman stakeholders, Community Gardens Ireland, GLAS GAP, Healthy Dublin City, Grangegorman Histories, Cabra Men’s Shed, TU Dublin Tallaght Library Sensory Garden, TU Dublin and Airfield Estate's Botanical Cuisine programme) (1);
To establish a committee to discuss national, local, and inter-organisational frameworks, strategies, and plans for community, biodiversity, and climate action (1)
Implementation activities
On January 16, 2024, the Committee held its first formal meeting to introduce members and discuss the project's potential. The group shared their experiences and interests, using Miro to capture sentiments and document each member's needs, motivations, and capacities (1). Concurrently, the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology at TU Dublin organized field trips for primary and secondary school children to illustrate the connection between soil, food growing, and cooking (7).
Additionally, the Student Volunteering Program at TU Dublin engages students from various university departments to volunteer in the garden, assist with maintenance, and participate in educational activities (8). These student volunteers play a crucial role, taking on both planned and spontaneous tasks, working independently or with other volunteers to develop this new community space (3).
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Public sector institution
- Researchers/university
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)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The project was initiated by three key organizations: Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Dublin 7 Educate Together National School (D7 ETNS), and the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA).
In January, a Committee was established to experiment with and develop a sustainable, collaborative governance model for the community garden, involving several stakeholders, including local community (1).
The School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology at TU Dublin plays an active role by using the garden as an outdoor classroom where students learn about soil and the origins of food. Meanwhile, TU Dublin's Student Volunteering program offers volunteering opportunities within the garden (7, 8) Private financial support was provided by Hooke and MacDonald (real estate private company) through the TU Dublin Foundation (1, 5).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
( Grangegorman Masterplan (1))
Type of enablers
Capacity-building projects, Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Corporate investment
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)
- Other
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Expected increased green space area
Economic impacts
- Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
- Expected generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Expected increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Expected increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Expected increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Improved mental health
- Expected improved mental health
Type of reported 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
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Technological University Dublin (2024). Grangegorman Community Garden - Living Lab initiation. Technological University Dublin, Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Joyce-Ahearne, D. (2016). How inner-city community gardening projects are making a difference. Dublin: Trinity News, Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Technological University Dublin (n.d.). TU Dublin Grangegorman Community Garden Volunteers. StudentVolunteer.ie, Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Technological University Dublin (2024). Grangegorman Community Garden - Meet the Committee members - GDA. Technological University Dublin, Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Technological University Dublin (n.d.). Grangegorman Community Garden. Technological University Dublin, Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Allevents (2024). Community Gardens for Wellbeing. Allevents, Accessed on August 5, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Technological University Dublin (2024). Grangegorman Community Garden - Meet the Committee members - School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology. Technological University Dublin, Accessed on August 5, 2024, [Source link];
8.
Technological University Dublin (2024). Grangegorman Community Garden - Meet the Committee members - Student Volunteering. Technological University Dublin, [Source link];
9.
Grangegorman Development Agency (2012). Grangegorman Planning Scheme. Chapter 2 – The Site and its Context. Grangegorman Development Agency, p. 12 Accessed on August 5, 2024, [Source link];
10.
The Grangegorman Development Agency (2012). Grangegorman Planning Scheme. Chapter 3 - Project Vision. The Grangegorman Development Agency, p. 8 Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
11.
Dave Dodd (2024). DECC trip to TUD Grangegorman. LinkedIn, Accessed on August 6, 2024, [Source link];
Growing vegetables at the Grangegorman Community Garden
Ref. 11
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.