Wuppertal, Germany
City population: 340237
Duration: 2007 – ongoing
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level, Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Public Greenspace Area, Central Business District / City Centre
Last updated: October 2021

The urban gardening project is a strategic employment and qualification measure which accommodates 14 long-term unemployed people guided and advised by 4 part-time employees of the Wuppertal District Service, consisting of a professional gardener, an instructor, a social education worker and a project manager. Coordinated with the Forestry Department of Wuppertal and the City of Wuppertal and in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, the participants of the programme plant and harvest vegetables and herbs in 19 high-raised flower beds on decentralized public and private spaces across the Ostersbaum district. The harvest is distributed to and shared by all residents. (Ref. 3) A further goal of the intervention is to increase cultivated green spaces and streets in the city district of Ostersbaum and thus to enhance the quality of life in the district. In 2017, the project was extended with an opportunity for beekeeping. (Ref. 8) Apart from its main goal of providing employment and assistance to unemployed people, the leaders of the project also offer educational opportunities for children and students, through educating them about the cycle of food production and creating an understanding of the origin of food. (Ref. 1)

Urban gardening project in the city district of Ostersbaum
Urban gardening project in the city district of Ostersbaum
Photographer: Chris Strauß (2018), retrieved 08/10/2018 from Gabriele Kamp

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Parks and urban forests
  • Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Allotments
  • Community gardens

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity conservation
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Employment/job creation

Focus

Maintenance and management of urban nature, Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Project objectives

Goals that benefit unemployed people: Providing employment and qualification for long-term unemployed people and showcasing alternatives to unemployment (Ref. 3 and 4) Providing daily structure and an opportunity to experience success for unemployed people with the goal of stabilizing and strengthening their initiative, motivation and self-esteem. (Ref. 3) Build and strengthen key qualities such as punctuality, reliability, responsibility and communication skills (Ref. 3) General goals: Illustrating the cycle of food production and creating an understanding for the origin of food for children and students (Ref. 1) Increasing green spaces in the city district of Ostersbaum and enhancing quality of life in the district (Ref. 1)

Implementation activities

The Wuppertal District Service began its project for the long-term unemployed in 2007. (Ref. 7) In the gardens, participants take part in activities such as seeding, constructing flower beds, watering, planting, maintenance and harvesting, and develop key personal qualities such as responsibility, teamwork and creativity. (Ref. 1, 2 and 3). Vegetables are grown in boxes or small beds between herbs, lawn, wild flowers and clover. (Ref. 8) A honey garden was also set up in Ostersbaum. The beekeeper not only looks after the bees and makes honey but educates interested people (not only the participants of the urban gardening project) about the life and importance of bees. (Ref. 8)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Create new habitats
  • Protect species
  • Undertake specific measures to protect species
  • Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
  • Means for conservation governance
  • Raise public awareness

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups
  • Marginalized groups: Other
  • Young people and children

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Public sector institution

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The initiator of the project is the Wuppertal District Service, a public sector organization conceived by various social organizations, including the Wuppertal Job Center and the City of Wuppertal. The Ostersbaum branch of the Wuppertal District Service leads the urban gardening project along with the Forestry Department of Wuppertal and the City of Wuppertal. Other organizations are also collaborating in the project: The City Department for Green Spaces and non-governmental organizations such as the "Arche Bergisch Land" or the "Freie Urban Gärtner Wuppertal". The Forestry Department of Wuppertal provides the space for gardening. (Ref. 1, 3 and 4). The project also collaborates with educational institutions such as schools. (Ref. 3)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (The district of Ostersbaum forms part of a wider regeneration and gentrification project called "social town". Ostersbaum is a district that was developed in the years of rapid industrial expansion which is subject to several sociocultural and economic challenges. The programme social town which ran from 1989 until 2011 was used to gentrify the district, encourage citizen engagement and increase quality of life in the latter (Ref. 5).)

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget
  • Other

Type of funding

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

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

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved air quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
  • Increased number of species present
  • Enhanced support of pollination

Economic impacts

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

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction

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. Nachbarschaftsheim Wuppertal (2017) Projekt Urban Gardening. Available at: Source link 08 Sept. 2020].

2. Stadt Wuppertal Stabsstelle Bürgerbeteiligung (2017) Bürgerbudget Wuppertal - 150.000 Euro für deine Ideen! Available at: Source link [Accessed: 08 Sept. 2020].

3. Nachbarschaftsheim Wuppertal (2016) ‘Maßnahme Urban Gardening. Konzept’. Wuppertal.

4. Nachbarschaftsheims Wuppertal e.V. (no date) Stadtteilservice Ostersbaum. Berufsintegration und Qualifizierung. Available at: Source link 08 Sept. 2020].

5. Stadt Wuppertal (2017) Soziale Stadt Source link unavailable in 2020]

6. Jobcenter Wuppertal (no date) 10 Jahre Stadtteilservice Wuppertal. Available at: Source link 08 Sept. 2020]

7. Stadt Wuppertal (2011) Ein Berg voller Ideen. 14 Jahre Stadtteilprojekt Ostersbaum 1998 – 2011. Available at: Source link 08 Sept. 2020]

8. Nachbarschaftheim Wuppertal e.V. (nd.) Haben Sie Lust auf Gärtnern? [online]. Available at: Source link [Accessed: 08 Sept. 2020].