Münster, Germany
City population: 289521
Duration: 2013 – 2013
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: 1200 m2
Type of area: Building
Last updated: October 2021

Urban gardening or gardening in the city is a form of agriculture that is about more than just producing food: community gardens involves also social, cultural and political components. It's about actively participating in urban development, creating new living spaces or making a contribution to biological diversity (ref. 3). The campus garden on a surface area of 1,200 sqm provided by the university was created by a group of students in 2013. It is open every day to everyone interested in gardening and serves as a place for recreation and exchange for students of different disciplines and citizens. Apart from herbs, vegetables and fruits, also flowers are planted. Seeds and materials used as plant beds, such as tires or rice bags are often donated from the city or local businesses (ref. 3 and 4).

Community Garden on Campus
Community Garden on Campus
Nicole Rogge, retrieved 08/29/2018

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Community gardens

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity conservation
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
  • Effective management
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education
  • Social cohesion
  • Social interaction
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Economic development: agriculture
  • Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
  • Sustainable consumption
  • Sustainable production

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Project objectives

-Fostering independent decentralized food production as a means for strengthening local resilience (Ref. 3) -Actively contributing to the construction of urban space (Ref. 3) -Creating a space for learning, knowledge dissemination and exchange that inspires the development of creative projects (Ref. 3) -Introducing urban agriculture in order to produce fresh organic food in urban environments (Ref. 1) -Creating new habitats and contributing to biological diversity (Ref. 1)

Implementation activities

The campus garden "GrüneBeete" is a community garden used by students and citizens likewise. Vegetables, fruits, plants and also flowers to attract bees and insects were seeded in donated, recycled materials, such as tetra packs, bakery boxes, rice bags, palettes or self-constructed raised beds (closing the cycle). Allotments to not have particular owners but are shared along with the agricultural produce which is mostly used for joint cooking and consumed mostly in the garden (Ref. 1, 2, and 3). Several joint projects and initiatives arose from its location at the intersection between different universities collaborations. For instance, the architecture department built a greenhouse and a „field kitchen“ or a raised-bed garden was implemented during course work of design students (Ref. 4).

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
  • Create new habitats
  • Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
  • Protect species
  • Undertake specific measures to protect species
  • Means for conservation governance
  • Raise public awareness
  • Public engagement
  • Create and use scientific knowledge for conservation

Main beneficiaries

  • Researchers/University
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Non-government organisation/civil society
  • Researchers/university

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • 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 garden was initiated and erected by a group of students in communal work, they have also founded an underlying association on which they base their activities. Students and citizens work in the garden, organize events there and harvest the produce together. Furthermore, local companies, the city of Münster and associations are involved via donations, funding and network support (Ref. 3).

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget
  • Corporate investment
  • Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)

Type of funding

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

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
  • Provision of goods
  • Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
  • Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved air quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Increased green space area
  • Enhanced support of pollination

Economic impacts

  • Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Increased access to healthy/affordable food
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Improved physical health
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Education
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature

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. GrüneBeete e.V. (n.d.) Über uns. Was ist der Campusgarten GrüneBeete? Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
2. GrüneBeete e.V. (2014). ‘GrüneBeete Campusgarten. Gemeinschaftlich gärtnern in Münster’. Münster: GrüneBeete e.V. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
3. Stadt Münster (n.d.) Gutes Morgen Münster. Campusgarten GrüneBeete e.V. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
4. die Urbanisten e.V. (2017). Campusgarten GrüneBeete, Münster. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
5. Kulturquartier Münster GmbH. (2017). transition Münster. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
6. Stiftungsgemeinschaft anstiftung & ertomis. (2017). anstiftung. Offene Werkstätten, Reparatur-Initiativen, Interkulturelle und Urbane Gemeinschaftsgärten. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
7. Mitmache. (n.d). Intervention Flyer. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
Community Garden on Campus
Community Garden on Campus
Nicole Rogge, retrieved 08/29/2018