Last updated: October 2021
The Kersentuin (Cherry Garden), an environmentally, socially and economically friendly community in Leidsche Rijn, an urbanization-from-scratch area in the west part of Utrecht, has been founded and developed by the residents themselves. The area is very popular and is seen as an interesting best practice in ideal green neighbourhood developments (ref. 4). It is a sustainable neighbourhood which integrates technical and social sustainability by building sustainable houses and creating public green spaces that promote biodiversity and social cohesion. The main characteristic of the Cherry Garden is the self-management of the green spaces which is achieved by gardening days. The project was innovative at the time of implementation and inspired many other projects (ref. 1).
Green oasis
Source: https://kersentuin.nl/index.php/wonen-in-de-kersentuin-new/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
- Green playgrounds and school grounds
- Green parking lots
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
- Green corridors and green belts
- 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
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Inclusive governance
- Effective management
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Focus
Creation of new green areas
Project objectives
The main goal of the intervention was to create an ecological and social neighbourhood, which is self-managed by citizens (ref. 4)
Social cohesion: promoting communication between neighbourhood inhabitants, collaboration in developing plans (ref. 4)
Improving environmental quality: by reducing the number of cars and provide sustainable transport facilities and building an underground parking lot which increases the amount of green space (ref. 2)
Supporting biodiversity: by selecting a wide range of vegetation with special attention to habitat for birds, bats and other small animals and attracting insects, butterflies and other insects (ref. 2)
The idea was to plan and develop a socially and environmentally sustainable place to live for diverse groups of people (families, elderly), with good contact between neighbours, lots of social activities, where everything is organized by the inhabitants (ref. 4)
Implementation activities
Building sustainable houses
Parking lot with roof garden including fruit trees, fruit bushes and 'herb spiral'
Organizing social events
Playground
Willow corridor (green corridor)
Open air theater that fits 130 people (ref. 2, 4)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Means for conservation governance
- Public engagement
- Capacity building
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Elderly people, People with functional diversities
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Citizens or community group
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Taskforce groups
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
- Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)
- Citizen monitoring and review
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The project was mainly initiated and developed by citizens as a response to the plan of municipality of Utrecht to build a sustainable neighborhood (ref. 4).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The project was initiated based on the plan of the municipality of Utrecht to create a sustainable neighbourhood in Leidsche Rijn, which is part of the 'Masterplan Leidsche Rijn in 1995' (ref. 4,5))
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public regional budget
- Public local authority budget
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
- Private Foundation/Trust
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
- Loan
- Donations
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- 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
Type of reported 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. De Kersentuin. (n.d.). Restaurant De Kersentuin. [online] Available at: Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
2. De Kersentuin. (n.d.). Wonen in de Kersentuin. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
3. De Kersentuin. (2006). Handreiking Particulier Opdrachtgeverschap. De Kersentuin. Utrecht: Vereniging De Kersentuin. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
4. Jansen-Janssen, L.B. (2009). De Kersentuin. Environmentally Friendly Living in Utrecht, the Netherlands. ResearchGate. Avaialable at: Source link /241889094_The_Kersentuin_environmentally_friendly_living_in_Utrecht_the_Netherlands/links /00Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
5. Kersentuin. (n.d.). De Kersentuin. Available at: Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
6. Tina, C. (2019). Life in De Kersentuin: Research in a Dutch cohousing community. Foundation for International Community. Available at: Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
2. De Kersentuin. (n.d.). Wonen in de Kersentuin. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
3. De Kersentuin. (2006). Handreiking Particulier Opdrachtgeverschap. De Kersentuin. Utrecht: Vereniging De Kersentuin. [pdf] Available at: Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
4. Jansen-Janssen, L.B. (2009). De Kersentuin. Environmentally Friendly Living in Utrecht, the Netherlands. ResearchGate. Avaialable at: Source link /241889094_The_Kersentuin_environmentally_friendly_living_in_Utrecht_the_Netherlands/links /00Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
5. Kersentuin. (n.d.). De Kersentuin. Available at: Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
6. Tina, C. (2019). Life in De Kersentuin: Research in a Dutch cohousing community. Foundation for International Community. Available at: Source link (Accessed 28 July 2020)
Green oasis
Source:https://kersentuin.nl/index.php/wonen-in-de-kersentuin-new/