What used to be neglected badlands is a green island now. Residents started the Berlin Prinzessinengarten then years ago. But it is about far more than urban agriculture: here, creative “space pioneers” fight against gentrification. The Prinzessinnengarten has become a symbol of how urban community property has to be discussed anew.
Another hot summer day is heating up the concrete cityscape of Berlin. Exhaust fumes are fogging the air, the tarmac streets are steaming and the townsfolk is trudging through the hustle and bustle of the city. But the Prinzessinnengarten at Moritzplatz Square offers an entirely different reality: hobby gardeners are tending to their fruit and vegetable plants that turn the Prinzessinnengarten into a green intra-urban island. While a group of teenagers is browsing through a book exchange shelf, visitors of the garden café enjoy its diverse menu. A herbage school, an open bike workshop, regular screen printing days and numerous other activities account for the urban garden’s program. It is about sharing skills and knowledge and about developing new visions of cohabitation.
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It’s more than just urban agriculture!
The non-profit society “Nomadisch Grün” and the association “Common Grounds” project initiated Prinzessinnengarten. Robert Shaw and Marco Clausen who had the idea of a kitchen garden in Berlin ten years ago. Out of this idea was born their concept. They had in mind a sustainable and garden-oriented city that would actively contribute to a better climate.
But the current discussion about the Prinzessinnengarten focuses on more than ecological sustainability. Acute building pressure and the proceeding privatization of the city pose a risk for local initiatives and and their leeway. Like most other urban gardens in Berlin, the Prizessinnengarten is fighting for its existence. In 2012, the conflict between the search for investors and the preservation of the self-governing neighborhood reached its peak: more than 30.000 supporters could barely prevent the privatization of the Prinzessinnengarten’s area.
The 6.000 square meter plot remains temporal though: its buildings consist of cargo containers, the plants are growing in reused boxes or rice bags. The Prinzessinnengarten is always ready to go. But where to?
Is the end near?
The current user contract expires at the end of this year. Prinzessinnengarten’s users are expecting a one-year extension by the city council. But some of the users oppose the idea if temporary interim use and propose a creative counter concept. The so-called “Wunschproduktion” is based on the principles of long term lease. The Prinzessinnengarten is to become actual common property and a place that allows its users to participate. Looking forward, it is experimenting with community-oriented and non-commercial forms of urbanity. Its main goal is cultural, social and ecological diversity – witch seems to be hard to integrate into Berlin’s municipal politics.
An arbor as a “Symbol for Staying”
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The architects quest, FATkoehl and one of the initiators, Marco Clausen give an answer to the question who makes and retains urban space. As a “symbol for staying” they added a three-story wood frame construction to the garden. Trainees of the Knobelsdorff School, students of the Technical University and the gardening team constructed the structure. The arbor now serves as an experimental place for collective learning and exchange as well as a structural intervention to symbolize the conflict between the temporal interim use and the desire to finally take root.
We are in urgent need a new model of how we design city and society in the future. Temporal area uses need to get the possibility of developing longstanding visions and becoming part and parcel of urban planning as a whole. Only then will we be able to maintain the city as a diverse, sustainable and livable space in the long run.
Bees are humming and butterflies are flying between the green sea of leaves, vegetables and flowers. It is hard to believe we are in one of Europe’s densest cities – in Barcelona.
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Only 18 months ago this thriving community garden Hort de la Font Trobada was abandoned wasteland. Now 90 families and 11 entities cultivate their plots with an estimated 200 people sharing and enjoying the gardens. ‘Do you want some tomatoes? We have seedlings from Galicia!’ someone shouts while filling the watering can at the Font Trobada, one of the local fountains which gives the garden its name.
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Nestled between the suburb of Poble Sec and Montjuïc mountain, the area with its natural fountains was used as agricultural land since the 15th century, and later became a popular spot for weekend excursions. Much of the 20th century the mountain was covered by barracas – informal settlements – until major development set in for the Olympic games. The gardens and fountains disappeared until the city council granted a petition for a self-managed community garden and recovered the Font Trobada before handing the land to the community association.
The agricultural practices in the community garden are strictly ecologic and based on the Parades en Crestall method from Mallorca, an efficient method to cultivate small plots of land in hot climate areas in which constant moisture is achieved through a thin layer of humus topsoil and foliage density.
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Next to food production and ecology, the community garden has a strong social and pedagogical focus. Members of La Rimaieta and El Petit Molinet, two self-organised family childcare centers active in the garden, explain how important it is for children and adults to get their hands dirty, connect with the community through collaboration, share food and experiences, create knowledge and learn about the growing process. This is how through collective effort, a green oasis has emerged to escape the city life and be amongst butterflies and bees.
China’s agricultural sector is suffering from its vast growing cities. In the last 20 years, around 123,000 square kilometres of farmland were lost to urbanization. In addition to the sealing, soil pollution is a major problem in the surrounding countryside of metropolises. In Shanghai, China’s biggest city, the administration encourages the production of food within the city borders to deal with the problem. One of the future places for producing agricultural goods is the Sunquiao Urban Agricultural District, which was designed by the renown architects of Sasaki Associates.
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Vertical Farming System
The Idea behind the innovative approach is quite simple: Why not go vertical to encounter high land prices – even with the agricultural production? Beside greenhouses for multi-storey farming, the design also consists of a water treatment system, a centre for education and recreational facilities to improve the environmental awareness. The output of the greenhouses will mainly consist of kale, spinach and lettuce, which are the preferred local food. The plants grow along looped rails, which will rotate to provide an even distribution of sunlight from the glass roof.
Awarded Design
The American architects of Sasaki Associates recently won the top award in the urban planning category of the PLAN Awards for its innovative design. Not only could they convince the jury by their natural approach but also by the consideration of Chinese lifestyle and cuisine. With the centre of education and a museum, the concept encourages visitor participation. The construction of Sunquiao Urban Agricultural District will begin in late 2017. The site is located between Shanghai downtown and the Pudong International Airport.
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The idea was born in the neighborhood: A green park on top of a grey massive bunker from World War II. It didn’t take long to convince the owner, Professor Thomas J. C. Matzen. The historic site in St. Pauli, Hamburg, Germany, is now to be redeveloped with a lush roof garden, free to anyone. The neighbors continue to play a big part in the planning process and for the years to come.
The garden on top of the bunker will be connected to the ground via a ramp, 300 meters (360 yards ) long and more than six meters (20 feet) wide, that will also contain trees and bushes. An elevator will guarantee a barrier-free access to the roof-top garden, where young and old will have the opportunity to do gardening. Additional to the 8.000 square meters of greenery, there will be rooms for concerts, culture and media and guest apartments. The income generated from the rent ought to refinance a part of the private investment.
Neighbor-active process
The public is frequently informed on the project and its process by the Planungsteam Bunker, the executive planners under Robin Houcken. They are supported by the Hilldegarten Project, a group of volunteers, that organize workshops and meetings with neighbors and interested participants. The volunteers work in five groups: Garden and Landscape, Energy, Utilization, Museum and Public Interest.
The long-term building lease of the bunker was bought by Matzen in 1992. Since then he enforced a gentle development of the bunker, that is now a music- and media-realty, where bands practice and artists display their work.
St. Pauli City-Garden on the Bunker, Hamburg, Germany
Client: Prof. Thomas J. C. Matzen
Planners: Buero 51, WTM, Schlaich Bergermann und Partner, Argus, Lärmkontor, Sumbi Ingenieure, Metapol Studios, Landschaftsarchitektur L+
Area: 8.000 square meter park and garden, 9.500 square meter total floor area
Time Period: 2014-2017
Costs: 25 – 30 million Euro
