Public land for community gardening - Ljubljana

The intervention involves the transformation of a previously underdeveloped 650 sq meter construction site in Ljubljana, Slovenia which sat abandoned for an extended period of time into community gardens. The Ljubljana municipality, which owns the land, first agreed to support the cultural association KUD Obrat and their project idea with a lease for a month-long use, but later iprolonged its support based on the local community’s positive response to the intervention. The contract for the use of the land at no charge has been prolonged on a yearly basis. The converted site turned into a community space that enhances and promotes the possibilities for urban gardening as well as a more active inclusion of the inhabitants in decision-making regarding planning, development and management of the city. The city has subsequently boasted about the garden on the European Green Capital webpage and it often attracts media attention related to sustainability.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Public-community agreement

Challenges addressed

Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Social cohesion
Social equity
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

After the cleaning the site from waste and other obstacles, fresh soil was brought in. The site, which measures 650 sq meters, was then divided between the participating local residents, and the community gardens came into existence. In 2016, there were around 40 gardens on the area, which are managed by 100 residents.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

Derelict areas

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Innovative

Inclusivity

Governance

Non-governmental actor(s)

Initiating body:

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Details about how the instrument was designed:

As part of the cultural festival Mladi levi / Young lions in the summer of 2010, Bunker - an NGO for the organization of cultural events - joined forces with the Obrat Culture and Art Association to rearrange an abandoned construction site between apartment buildings next to the central train station in the centre of Ljubljana into what could (with time) become a community urban garden. After the festival, due to a great deal of interest among residents mostly from the nearby flats, the site indeed developed into a community garden that was managed by the cultural association until it was taken over by a self-organized coordinating committee in 2015.

Targeted actors:

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Details about the implementation:

The initial restoration of the construction site was done by the NGO “Bunker” with the acceptance of the municipality. The management of the community garden is now exclusively in the hands of local residents.

How did the government support the instrument?:

The owner of the land plot that houses the garden is the Municipality of Ljubljana. The contract for the use of the land at no charge has been prolonged on a yearly basis. The city has subsequently boasted about the garden on the European Green Capital webpage and it often attracts media attention related to sustainability.

Financing

Sources of funding:

Crowd-sourcing

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

The initial funding for the restoration of the site was provided by Bunker and Obrat. The voluntary work of the citizens and the provision of land by the municipality sustain the project.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The project enabled the conversion of an underdeveloped construction site into a 650 sq meter garden that includes 40 small gardens managed by local residents. The project has had a very positive social impact, as the garden created a diverse community where friendships evolve, environmental knowledge is exchanged and an urban space is co-designed. The community is furthermore active in local issues and is actively seeking to support similar projects in other places.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The success factors for the Beyond a Construction Site Garden are the residents that manage the gardens and build the community. It is thus that after the initial investment by Bunker, no further funding was needed for the maintenance of an important green area in the city. The support of the local government in terms of free land use for the betterment of the neighborhood as a whole is a positive example of formalising a bottom-up initiative.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Poljak Istenič Saša. (2016) Reviving Public Spaces through Cycling and Gardening. Etnološka Tribina 39, vol. 46., str., 157-175.

Photos

@Suzana Kajba