Urban Center of Good Initiatives (CUIB)

Iași, Iaşi (FUA), Romania

City population: 342738

Duration: 2021 – 2021

Implementation status: Completed

Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level

Project area: unknown

Type of area: Mixed-use development (combination of residential, commercial, and/or industrial)

Last updated: October 2024

The Urban Center of Good Initiatives (CUIB), a social enterprise launched by the NGO Mai Bine in 2013, is designed to drive social economies and support sustainable development in Iasi. The enterprise operates a bistro that promotes social consumption by supporting local producers, adhering to slow food principles through the use of local and seasonal ingredients, minimizing food waste, and encouraging sustainable transportation, among other eco-friendly activities (2 & 4). In 2020, CUIB and Mai Bine joined the FoodE program, a European research and social project focused on local agri-food systems. Funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020), the initiative empowered grassroots organizations through co-creation and collaboration among diverse stakeholders (5). The FoodE project strengthened CUIB’s mission to provide low-carbon-impact food, promote ecological, ethical, and artisanal products, offer solidarity services such as free meals for the most vulnerable, engage in low-waste operations, provide education on mental and human ecology, and foster community through social and cultural events (1, p. 98). To further these goals, CUIB organized co-design workshops with 100 community members, focusing on achieving zero food miles, zero waste, and eliminating food waste (1, p. 99). The program also led to improvements at the bistro, including the creation of a courtyard garden, a small terrace garden, along with a community garden (1, p. 100). These gardens supplied food to the bistro, and bio-waste was composted to fertilize the plots (1, p. 102). CUIB also hosted 17 outreach events as part of the initiative, including ecological workshops and the creation of a vegetable garden at a local kindergarten (3, p. 114 & 6). Beyond its environmental work, CUIB provides free meals for 100 beneficiaries and organizes food donations for 400 vulnerable children and individuals (1, p. 103).

Terrace garden with raised beds

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Overview

Nature-based solution

Community gardens and allotments
Allotments
Community gardens
Horticulture

Key challenges

Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change mitigation
Environmental quality
Waste management
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Improving physical health
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Inclusive governance
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Social justice and equity
Social interaction
Environmental education
Sense of community and community engagement
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Tourism support
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Sustainable consumption
Sustainable production

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

Land use and Socio-economic change
Agriculture/ crop production
Limited economic opportunities and local livelihoods
Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
Social fragmentation and isolation
Poor community engagement

Key priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Social Justice and community

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments), Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Educational and awareness raising programs, Improved governance of green or blue areas, Establishment of inclusive governance mechanisms involving local communities

Project objectives

To decrease environmental impact by offering low-carbon-impact food and implementing low-waste operations through the creation of a community garden, a terrace and courtyard garden (1 to 4). To provide education on mental ecology through outreach activities, workshops, and the promotion of ethical consumption, sustainable food, and urban gardening, including the creation of a vegetable garden in the perimeter of a kindergarten (1 & 3). To consolidate a sense of community through social and cultural events focused on healthy lifestyles and involving participants in co-design processes (1 & 3). To cultivate and grow food with a focus on environmental protection, including the recovery of heirloom plant varieties (1, p. 97). To foster sustainable tourism by making CUIB a key reference point for visitors in Iasi (1, p. 105). To achieve a circular economy by utilizing food waste for biocompost and improving waste management practices (1, p. 102). To apply permaculture principles that avoid synthetic pesticides, enhancing pest management and disease control (1, p. 104). To engage in solidarity services by providing free meals to disadvantaged groups (1).

Implementation activities

In spring 2021, a pilot community garden was launched, along with improvements to an existing terrace green space (with raised beds) and a small courtyard plot. Home-grown produce, such as mint, basil, chard, green beans, and zucchini are cultivated there. A composting system for bio-waste has also been implemented, and the compost is used to enrich the garden. Several volunteers, mostly youth under 30, participate in these activities, and numerous pupils benefit by attending educational workshops in the community garden. (1, p. 102). At the same time, in a nearby local kindergarten the NGO created a garden with a live wicker dome, raised beds of wooden boxes, fruit trees and shrubs from local nurseries, sensory garden with flowers, herbs and perennials on earthen mounds. (6) CUIB also organized 17 outreach events, reaching 7,412 people. These activities included promoting healthy lifestyles, sustainable consumption, and urban gardening, with a strong focus on community building (3, p. 114-132). Additionally, the organization provides free meals to 100 beneficiaries, including homeless individuals, and coordinates a food donation network for 400 vulnerable children and people (1, p. 103). CUIB has also created eight job opportunities for disadvantaged individuals, economically benefiting 85 people through product sales, and has recruited 50 volunteers to support the garden and its activities (1, p. 109 & 4).

Climate-focused activities

Climate change mitigation:

Improve agricultural practices (e.g. cover cropping, no-till farming, improved manure management) to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and increase carbon storage in soils.
Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential

Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts

Yes

Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities

Low-income neighborhoods

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

Restore valued species

Main beneficiaries

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Non-government organisation/Civil Society
Citizens or community groups
Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Young people and children
Marginalized groups: Children, young people or youth groups , Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed), Homeless people & people living in informal settlements

Governance

Management set-up

Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

Non-government organisation/civil society
Social enterprise

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

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

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The intervention was initiated by the CUIB social enterprise, coordinated by the NGO "Mai Bine" (1 to 3 & 8). The implementation was carried out by a pilot team with assistance from several partners, including the Romanian Association for Permaculture (NGO), Food Forest (NGO), Fundația Emmaus (NGO), and the Rural Development Research Platform, along with citizen volunteers (1, p. 106). The initiative also collaborated with nine schools, establishing a permaculture garden in one of them, as well as with the Romanian Literature Museum, a garden product initiative, and another Mai Bine social enterprise, "Redu" (1, p. 110). The Food Forest urban garden provided land for the pilot project (3, p. 116). A total of 100 community members were involved in co-design processes (1, p. 99), and citizens received education on urban gardening. They also provided feedback and actively promoted the initiative’s activities (1 & 3). The intervention was funded by the EU program FoodE (1)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Yes (Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020) (also known as Horizon 2020), part of Europe 2020 a 10-year strategy proposed by the European Commission (5). )

... a national policy or strategy? Unknown

... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Type of enablers

Capacity-building projects, NBS research project (e.g., H2020, Urban Living Labs, national research projects), Collaboration with other projects that implemented NBS, Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)

Financing

Total cost

€100,000 - €500,000

Source(s) of funding

EU funds

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?

Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

Climate change
Reduced emissions
Achieved reduced emissions
Environmental quality
Improved waste management
Achieved improved waste management
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Achieved increased green space area
Increased number of species present
Achieved increased number of species present
Enhanced support of pollination
Achieved enhanced support of pollination
Increased spread of native/heirloom/open-pollinated seed
Achieved increased spread of native/heirloom/open-pollinated seed

Economic impacts

Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Achieved increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
More sustainable tourism
Achieved more sustainable tourism
Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Generation of income from NBS
Achieved generation of income from NBS

Socio-cultural impacts

Social justice and cohesion
Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Achieved increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Increased opportunities for social interaction
Achieved increased opportunities for social interaction
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Increased access to healthy/affordable food
Achieved increased access to healthy/affordable food
Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Achieved increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Achieved gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Improved physical health
Achieved improved physical health
Supporting ill-health communities facing loneliness, anxitey or depression
Achieved supporting ill-health communities facing loneliness, anxitey or depression
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Improvement in people’s connection to nature
Achieved improvement in people’s connection to nature
Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
Achieved increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
Education
Increased support for education and scientific research
Achieved increased support for education and scientific research

Type of reported impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

Righini, I. & Muñoz Odina, P. (2022). Deliverable 4.4 – Joint report on implementation of the pilots. FoodE, Accessed on September 25, 2024, [Source link];

Mai Bine (2015 ). CUIB - Centrul Urban de Inițiative Bune Mai Bine . Accessed on September 25, 2024, [Source link];

Reynaud-Desmet, L. et al. (2023). Deliverable 3.6 Report on MyLocalFoodE initiatives. p. 114 to 132. Accessed on September 25, 2024, [Source link];

CUIB (n.d.). Despre noi – CUIB. Accessed on September 25, 2024, [Source link];

European Comission (2024). Food Systems in European Cities _ FoodE _ Project _ News & Multimedia . Accessed on January 26, 2024, [Source link];

Mai Bine (2021). Gradina din Gradinita . Facebook , Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link];

European Comission (2023). Food Systems in European Cities _ FoodE _ Project _ Fact sheet . Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link];

FoodE (n.d.). Homepage FoodE. Accessed on September 26, 2024, [Source link];

Primaria Municiupului Iasi (2021). STRATEGIA INTEGRATĂ DE DEZVOLTARE URBANĂ A MUNICIPIULUI IAȘI ȘI A ZONEI METROPOLITANE 2021-2030. p. 72 & 142. Accessed on September 27, 2024, [Source link];

10.

STORIA (n.d.). Trai Storia Centru. Accessed on September 27, 2024, [Source link];