Forum for urban gardens in Berlin

Forum Stadtgärtnern (eng. forum for city gardens), is a meeting platform for urban gardens. It takes place several times a year and brings together urban gardeners, practitioners, researchers, activists, city administration workers and all interested in the green in the city. The forum was brought to life around 2010 by community gardeners. Later also the allotment gardeners joined. Throughout the time it took many different forms, depending on who organised certian meeting. The main goal is to bring together allotment and community gardeners – and this can be done using different common topics.

On Nov 15th we had a chance to visit this special gardening event under the title: “Zukunft für die Gärten, Gärten für die Zukunft” (Future for the gardens, gardens for the future).

It was held in one of the north Berlin’s allotment garden colonies, Bornholm II, and hosted urban gardeners from both allotment and community gardens, researchers, city administration and people interested in the topic. The meeting was organised by a group of volunteers dedicated to supporting urban gardening – academics, garden-lovers, activists. Delicious snacks and drinks were available on a donation basis. Really well organised. Around 50 participants were welcomed in a cozy, but spacious colony association house (Vereinshaus). The meeting started with presentations: the first one from the research done by a student, Luisa Gedon, who investigated the differences and similarities of both allotment and community gardeners with regards to their motivations and gardening habits. Then allotment garden colony Bornholm II (represented by Christiane Unger and Torsten Löhn) presented their special case: in the allotment garden colony there is a community garden organised and it seems to work pretty well together with the surrounding plots. The last part on community gardens was presented by Kerstin Stellmacher and Katharina Brechensbauer. They explained the idea of this typology, its origin, actual character. Some examples of community gardens in Berlin were shown.
Later there was a chance to work in groups and discuss several issues, important for the topic of urban gardening:
– urban gardens and neighbourhood
– differences and similarities between allotment and community gardens
– urban density and green spaces
– community gardens in allotment gardens – good practices
– why does the city need the gardens?

Some of the conclusions and thoughts from the forum:

• It is argued, that due to an “overcrowding” of the allotment garden collonies the integration between private and public spaces (allotment and community gardens) is welcome. The integration needs to be social, following the idea of the “community”.
• Community and allotment gardens have a lot in common, both being green spaces for meeting with nature, culture and recreation. Both play a significant role for the climate of the city, providing cooling effect and letting the wind corridors to refresh the city. The project “Grüne Klimaoasen” (Green climate oasis) led by Eva Foos at Humboldt Universtiy investigates this perspective.
• Another aspect was related to the increasing pressure on city land: can the environmental qualities of the allotment and community gardens be considered a resource for the future city’s development (in contrast to the edification)?
• Still the legal status of the two typologies remains as a main hindering factor for integration. Now community gardens in Berlin are trying to get a legal acknowledgment and are fighting for the Dauergartenvertrag – so a permament garden contract.
• The allotment garden colonies that are endangered are organizing community gardens inside their colonies. How to make this trend go beyond the endangered colonies?

The forum was a wonderful occasion to refresh existing and make new connections with people engaged in urban gardening as well as follow the current most burning discussions around the gardens in Berlin. Excellent organisation of the event made it even more enjoyable! We are looking for the next occasions to meet with gardeners and gardens’ friends on the forum.