Transformation of a sealed square into a collective and biodiverse urban garden

By project NACAO

Published on 03 January 2025

Germany

Bremen

About this good practice

The Lucie Garden ("Ab geht die Lucie!") is a public urban garden that is collectively used, freely accessible, and contributes to climate adaptation and urban biodiversity. With the support of the municipality, the grassroots movement (later established as KulturPlanzen e.V.) transformed a sealed urban square near the city center into a public urban garden over ten years. By now, two-thirds of the square have been unsealed and greened. This contributes to carbon sequestration in soils and trees and to nature-based climate adaptation in the city (including shade, cooling, water retention). Still retaining the spirit of the grassroots movement, the Lucie Garden is a space 'for trying out new things and for learning' and for 'owning the city and designing it.' Even though it is a public space in the middle of the city, there is little vandalism. Principles of gardening at the urban garden include: favoring native species when planting, using non-hybrid seeds, composting on-site, building up humus, avoiding artificial fertilizers, mulching, leaving wild corners, maintaining a large variety of blooming flowers and shrubbery, and ensuring plants are edible for either humans or animals.

Expert opinion

Creating new green infrastructure in an urban area has many benefits including ecosystems and biodiversity protection, climate change mitigation, carbon sequestration, water retention, providing space for pollinators and protection against excessive heat. Moreover, green infrastructure positively impacts human health and wellbeing. Green infrastructure contributes to key policy targets of the EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030, part of the European Green Deal, and the EU Adaptation strategy. This good practice shows an excellent example of citizen involvement and volunteering, which led to an excellent green infrastructure initiative. Urban gardens are a great concept for any urban area, and municipalities across Europe should support such grassroot initiatives.

Magda Michaliková

Works at Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Resources needed

For grassroots initiatives the long-term engagement of volunteers is key. Additionally: (i) Binding usage agreement between municipality and NGO, (ii) Participation process with neighbors, planning, municipality and gardeners, (iii) Investments for unsealing and redesigning (ca.€100k for 2,000 m²).

Evidence of success

The grassroot inititiative (startet 02.06.2013) has establish itself and the Lucie garden is widely used. More than 2/3 of the square have been unsealed since 2015. Approximatly 2.300 m² is now used for the urban garden. The transformation includes remodelling, planing of trees, dry stone walls and large garden beds.

Potential for learning or transfer

The good practice Lucie garden shows the high potential of urban gardens for citizen engagement, recreation, climate adaptation and urban biodiversity. Even though the success of grass root initiatives such as this depends above all on the long-term commitment of volunteers, an enabling attitude on the part of the city in financial and non-financial matters is an important prerequisite.

The project has been running for over 10 years, has maintained a committed an voluntary structure and is being continuously developed. In order to establish and consolidate comparable projects in other cities or countries, a municipal administration that is willing to facilitate such a project and provide financial support for conversion measures at irregular intervals is needed in addition to the initiative from society