Münster, Germany
City population: 289521
Duration: 2009 – unknown
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 11500 m2
Type of area: Previous derelict area
Last updated: October 2021

The city department for green space, environment and sustainability and the foundation citizens for Münster initiated a citizen-based intervention which aims at turning the park area at the "Spickmannplatz“ called "Grünschleife“ into a meeting point for residents and neighbours. The concept for its regeneration is based on workshops and ideation processes of citizens whose involvement goes beyond urban gardening activities but involves an active co-creation of the area by co-planning and development. Apart from several communal restorations works, vegetables, fruits and herbs plantations, a pavilion, a dog station and chessboards with benches were set up (ref. 1).

resident's park Grünschleife in Münster
resident's park Grünschleife in Münster
Photographer: Anke Schelhasse (2017), retrieved 08/10/2018 from Ingeborg Sessler

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Parks and urban forests
  • Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Community gardens
  • Blue infrastructure
  • Lakes/ponds

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Regulation of built environment
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education
  • 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

Project objectives

Reviving green space in a densely built-up area as a recreational space for the residents of all ages of a socially deprived area (Ref. 1) Increasing citizen- and residents-initiated events and projects aiming at the regeneration and gentrification of the district area (Ref. 8)

Implementation activities

In 2009, the residents of the district Kinderhaus organized themselves in a civil society group and association called "Begegnungszentrum Kinderdorf" in order to turn 11,500 sqm of brownfield land into a thriving, near-naturally park and recreation area for all residents in the middle of a skyscraper-dominated, socially deprived residential area (Ref. 6). In the beginning, 20 residents inspected the territory with photographers to collect ideas for its redevelopment, presented in a public exhibition, followed by a workshop with 40 interested residents were the measures were determined (Ref. 1). Today, around 100 volunteers regularly work on the maintenance and development of the park (Ref. 6). In communal work with residents of all ages vegetables, fruits and herbs gardens raised beds were erected, flowers seeded, a former pavilion renovated, the pond dredged and the sunbathing lawn reinforced with 20 tons of soil to better absorb rainwater (Ref. 1).

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Non-government organisation/civil society
  • Citizens or community group

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Taskforce groups
  • 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 project was an initiative of the civil society organization "Begegnungszentrum Kinderhaus", active citizens in collaboration with the city department for urban green who also co-manages the project with an employee onsite, provides material donations and expertise (Ref. 2 and 5).

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 national budget
  • Public regional budget
  • Public local authority budget
  • Private Foundation/Trust

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • 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

  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Green space and habitat
  • Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conversion of degraded land or soil

Economic impacts

  • Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
  • Generation of income from NBS

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
  • 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. Stadt Münster. (2016). Aktionen in Münster. Grünschleife Kinderhaus. Kinderhaus Bürger gestalten ihre Parkanlage. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
2. Begegnungszentrum Kinderhaus e.V. (n.d.) Bewohnerpark Grünschleife. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
3. Stadt Münster and Umweltforum Münster e.V. (2016). Umweltpreis Münster 2016. Preisträger und Bewerber. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
4. Stiftung Bürger für Münster. (2016). Wir für unsere Stadt. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
5. Jünemann, K. (2012). ‘Kandidat für Umweltpreis. Projekt Grünschleife ist nominiert / Zahl der Leerstände ist gesunken’, Westfälische Nachrichten. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
6. Speckmann, L. (2012). ‘Die Grünschleife macht Schule. Umweltpreis 3000 Euro für das Kinderhauser Bürgerparkprojekt / Spezialpreis für Kita “der Kotten”’, Westfälische Nachrichten. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
7. Benning, G. (2012). ‘Grüne Heimat. Park in der Kinderhauser Schleife wird seit vier Jahren gemeinsam gepflegt’, Westfälische Nachrichten. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8 August 2020)
8. Goldbeck, W. (2017). ‘Berichtsraster zum Jahresbericht 2016: Durchgeführte Aktivitäten und Stand der Zielerreichung’. Münster. (Accessed 8 August 2020)
9. Berichtsraster zum Jahresbericht (2016): Durchgeführte Aktivitäten und Stand der Zielerreichung. Available at: Berichtsraster zum Jahresbericht 2016: Durchgeführte Aktivitäten und Stand der Zielerreichung (Accessed 8 August 2020)
resident's park Grünschleife in Münster
resident's park Grünschleife in Münster
Photographer: Anke Schelhasse (2017), retrieved 08/10/2018 from Ingeborg Sessler
resident's park Grünschleife in Münster
resident's park Grünschleife in Münster
Photographer: Anke Schelhasse (2017), retrieved 08/10/2018 from Ingeborg Sessler