Last updated: October 2021
Based on an urban regeneration project in the city district of Arrenberg, an association called “Awakening of the Arrenberg” formed in 2008, consisting of citizens, entrepreneurs and real estate owners seeking to transform their district. Under the umbrella of the project “climate quarter Arrenberg” initiated in 2014, whose goal is to make the district CO2 neutral by 2030, the development of a city farm covering 60,000 sqm on former railway premises - a Europe-wide unique project in urban farming – is one of their most important plans that make up their vision of becoming carbon neutral. (Ref. 1, 2 and 3). The goal of the farm is to produce healthy and locally produced food, while creating employment opportunities and remaining carbon-neutral, using power only from the sustainable power plant that will be installed for the project. (Ref. 2) In February 2020, the implementation has not yet started, but the “Awakening of the Arrenberg” association says the vision of the urban farm is stronger than ever before and that the project has received funding approval, with experts now working on feasibility studies. (Ref. 8).
Aerial view of the planned site
Reference 8: https://www.wz.de/nrw/wuppertal/neuer-schwung-fuer-die-arrenbergfarm_aid-49252837
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Railroad bank and track greens
- Community gardens and allotments
- Allotments
- Horticulture
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Conversion of former industrial areas
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: industry
- Employment/job creation
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Other
Project objectives
Producing healthy and locally produced food while creating employment opportunities and remaining carbon-neutral, using power only from the sustainable power plant that will be installed for the project. (Ref. 2)
Efficient cultivation of healthy vegetables and fish farming. Using hydroponic technology for vegetable farming where the plants are seeded in a special nutrient solution. This facilitates year-round sustainable food production according to biological standards. (Ref. 8)
Contributing to the long-term goal of the district to become carbon neutral. (Ref. 8)
By breaking up existing logistics chains and to be accessible to consumers, the urban farm attempts to bring the place of production as close as possible to the place of consumption. (Ref. 9)
Implementation activities
In 2020, the implementation has not yet started. (Ref. 8) The planned implementation activities are the creation of an urban farm "Arrenbergfarm" on 60,000 sqm on a former railway brownfield, the creation of an aquaponic farm on 3,500 sqm which represents a closed energy, nutrient and water cyle. Following a modern agricultural concept, it combines fish farming in large tanks with vegetable farming where the latter are seeded in a special nutrient solution. The harvest is planned to be used in the kitchen of the farm or further processed to other products such as the self-brewed beer to be sold in the farm shop / brewery and earthworms are to be bred in the organic waste (Ref. 1, 2, 3 and 5).
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Private sector/Corporate/Company
- Citizens or community groups
- Other
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
- Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget
- Dissemination of information and education
- 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
An association called “Awakening of the Arrenberg” formed in 2008 consisting of citizens, entrepreneurs and real estate owners seeking to transform their district (Ref. 4, 7). The association is funded through donations and project-specific funding (from foundations, companies, public funding). (Ref. 7) Under the guidance of the initiator of the project, Jörg Heynkes, a popular innovator, the vision for the urban farm was developed as a key element of the association’s goal to become a carbon-neutral district by 2030. According to this vision, alongside citizens, other local and regional collaborators such as the Wuppertal Institute, the Bergische University, the energy agency of North Rhine-Westphalia, the project KlimaWxpoNRW, the private sector (restaurant, distillery, farm shop, accommodation) will be involved (Ref. 1, 3, 4 and 5).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The city district Arrenberg is subject to an urban redevelopment programme called "urban redevelopment West" funded and led by the regional government of NRW, the national government and the EU with EUR 5.4 MIO which ran from 2006 to 2011 (Ref. 6). This already stimulated citizen engagement and independent civil society initiatives in the quarter, on which this project now builds. )
Financing
Total cost
€500,000 - €2,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public regional budget
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
- Crowdfunding
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
- Donations
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Reduced emissions
- Environmental quality
- Improved waste management
- Water management and blue areas
- Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Restoration of derelict areas
- Other
Economic impacts
- Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
- More sustainable tourism
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Increased market share for green economies
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Protection of natural heritage
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
Type of reported impacts
Expected 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. Statdtteilbüro „Aufbruch am Arrenberg“ (2016a) Die Arrenbergfarm – Idee und Konzept. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020]
2. Source link and Sparkasse Wuppertal (2017) Gut für Wuppertal. 1. Stadtfarm Europas - Unterstütze die ‘Arrenbergfarm’! Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020]
3. Stadtteilbüro „Aufbruch am Arrenberg“ (2016c) Essbarer Arrenberg. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020]
4. Stadtteilbüro „Aufbruch am Arrenberg“ (2016b) Die Stadtteilbroschüre »Was ihr wollt«. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020].
5. Degenkolb-Degerli, J. (2016) ‘Wuppertal-Arrenberg: Das Klimaquartier’, Coolibri, 29 January. [Weblink unavailable in 2020].
6. Stadt Wuppertal (nd.) Stadtumbau West Elberfelder Nordstadt/Arrenberg. [Weblink unavailable in 2020]
7. M. Hasselkuß, M. Schmitt, T. Heller, O. Reutter (2018): Kartierung bürgerschaftlicher Initiativen in Wuppertal. Projektbericht KoSI-Lab
(AP 4.1), Wuppertal. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020]
8. Westdeutsche Zeitung. (2020). Neuer Schwung für die Arrenbergfarm. [online]. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020].
9. Source link. (2019). Arrenberg Farm. [online]. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020].
2. Source link and Sparkasse Wuppertal (2017) Gut für Wuppertal. 1. Stadtfarm Europas - Unterstütze die ‘Arrenbergfarm’! Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020]
3. Stadtteilbüro „Aufbruch am Arrenberg“ (2016c) Essbarer Arrenberg. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020]
4. Stadtteilbüro „Aufbruch am Arrenberg“ (2016b) Die Stadtteilbroschüre »Was ihr wollt«. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020].
5. Degenkolb-Degerli, J. (2016) ‘Wuppertal-Arrenberg: Das Klimaquartier’, Coolibri, 29 January. [Weblink unavailable in 2020].
6. Stadt Wuppertal (nd.) Stadtumbau West Elberfelder Nordstadt/Arrenberg. [Weblink unavailable in 2020]
7. M. Hasselkuß, M. Schmitt, T. Heller, O. Reutter (2018): Kartierung bürgerschaftlicher Initiativen in Wuppertal. Projektbericht KoSI-Lab
(AP 4.1), Wuppertal. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020]
8. Westdeutsche Zeitung. (2020). Neuer Schwung für die Arrenbergfarm. [online]. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020].
9. Source link. (2019). Arrenberg Farm. [online]. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 21 Sept. 2020].