BOKU - Universität für Bodenkultur Wien - Forschungsinformationssystem
Gewählte Publikation:
Mayrhofer, R.
(2018):
Co-Creating community gardens on untapped terrain - lessons from a transdisciplinary planning and participation process in the context of municipal housing in Vienna
LOCAL ENVIRON. 2018; 23(12): 1207-1224.
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- Abstract:
- Urban gardening in Vienna, Austria, has gained a new significance over the last ten years. However, although demand is constantly rising and urban gardening is being marketed in many ways, a vast majority of the urban population still has no access to gardening and its various benefits. While community gardening projects in Europe are usually viewed as temporary, self-organised bottom-up initiatives on public or abandoned private land, this case study of the Roda-Roda pilot project shows that community gardening can develop and persist even when favourable conditions for grassroots community gardens are lacking. The vast green spaces separating residential blocks (Abstandsgrun) commonly found in Viennaxxxs municipal housing (Wiener Gemeindebau) have a huge spatial potential for gardening, along with a forgotten tradition of self-organisation. Using an action research approach, this paper describes two principles for a successful implementation strategy under difficult conditions. Starting with a top-down approach, an interdisciplinary project team implemented a spatial and socio-economic framework that offered a stable basis for participatory community-building. As they "climbed" the ladder of participation stepwise - from exclusion to decision-making and true self-organisation - gardeners gained knowledge, skills and the self-confidence required to run a garden and create a well-working local community. At a more general level, the paper brings a co-creative planning perspective to the scientific discussion on community gardening in Europe and offers a practical approach to making local gardening opportunities available to suitable target groups by tapping into unused spatial potential.
- Autor*innen der BOKU Wien:
- Mayrhofer Rita
- Find related publications in this database (Keywords)
- Urban gardening
- social housing
- pilot project
- ladder of participation
- open space planning
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