GUIDE TO
URBAN GARDENING
GUIDE TO
URBAN GARDENING
VILNIUS 2019
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė, Ideas Garden in Pilaitė, Vilnius
INTRODUCTION Gardening has deep roots in Lithuania. Some of us still spend summer weekends in collective gardens, others plant tomato seedlings on their windowsills or in balconies of their homes, or definitely have at least one relative who knows what and when to plant by heart. So we have a lot of gardening specialists in our country, but only a few urban gardeners. And it is high time to change that! An urban garden is a shared garden of neighbors set up in your residential district, where you can not only grow organic vegetables, but also get to know people living nearby. Urban gardening is often introduced as a social innovation – a new model that allows meeting various social needs, helps solving social and economic problems, including reducing social exclusion, loneliness, promoting the sense of community, providing new skills and knowledge, increasing self-esteem, etc. How can weeding a garden help weed out not only weeds that grow in soil, but also social weeds? Where do I start if I want to have such a garden under my windows? How do I find like-minded people? You will find all the answers in this guide. You can read this guide through, or open the section which interests you now. The guide has been created and written to be as practical as possible and to save time and effort in implementing your community’s ideas. We wish you the best of luck and look forward to your invitation to visit your community garden!
CONTENT 01 IDEA
Urban gardening................................................................9 Context.............................................................................10 Benefit to community..................................................10-11 Benefit to economy..........................................................12 Benefit to ecology ......................................................12-13 Benefit to health..........................................................13-14
02 HOW TO START?
Gardening places and publication ............................16-17 Sample urban gardening project application.............18-20
03 IMPLEMENTATION Funding............................................................................22 Writing a successful application for funding..............23-24 Project planning guidelines........................................25-27 Budgeting...................................................................27-29
Possible garden designs.................................................30 List of tools ................................................................30-31 Example of elevated garden beds.............................32-39 Involving the community.............................................40-42 Art of Hosting techniques............ ..............................43-46 Communication................................................................46
04 INSPIRATIONS
Antakalnis garden, Vilnius..........................................48-50 Ideas garden in Pilaite, Vilnius....................................51-53 Ĺ ilainiai gardens, Kaunas...........................................54-56
05 QUICK GUIDE
Concept...........................................................................58 Ideas................................................................................59 Activities...........................................................................60 Resources........................................................................61
01 IDEA
Photo: Aurora Tallon, DOT TO DOT project, Glasgow
Urban gardening Urban gardening is a very important activity in ensuring the vitality and sustainability of cities and the strengthening of social ties. Objectives of promotion of gardening activities in Vilnius: - strengthening local communities and building social ties; - use and regeneration of natural resources (land, water, energy) in application of good practices; - implementation of environmentally friendly, e.g. organic, biodynamic, permaculture and similar farming methods
9
Community gardens in Vilnius
Established community garden
Emerging community garden
Context Urban gardening directly contributes to community, economic, ecological and health development. Benefit to community Urban gardening strengthens community development by providing a space for people to meet, interact, share ideas and experiences. Often it may become a place bringing together different people, who might normally not have the opportunity to meet. Urban gardening should be understood more broadly than just the fostering of gardening, as it is also as a space for community meeting and events. Such a space reinforces the identity of the community. Urban gardening sometimes achieves surprisingly good results in revitalizing districts and neighborhoods: confidence in neighborhoods 10
increases, also leading to decreased crime rates. Stronger community ties create conditions for community development and identity.1 An urban gardening space can act as a catalyst for positive change in communities, helping people feel a part of a community, bringing themselves together to address sensitive issues, engage in discussion, allowing people, who would normally have limited opportunity to do so, to speak up. 2 Often, urban gardens are established in places that have long been abandoned, unused, or misused. Therefore, by creating a positive change in a certain area, they also change practices typically used in that area. Often, urban gardening contributes to reducing crime rates and vandalism, creating a sense of security in the community. Benefits of urban gardening
1
4
1. Community 2. Economy 3. Ecology 4. Health
2
URBAN GARDENING 3
1 Wakefield, S., Yeudall, F., et al. 2007. Growing urban health: Community gardening in South-East Toronto. Health Promotion International, Volume 22, Issue 2, June 2007 https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/22/2/92/558785 2 Ernwein, M. 2014. Framing urban gardening and agriculture: On space, scale and the public. Geoforum, Volume 56, September 2014. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001671851400150X
Benefit to economy Urban gardening promotes economic development in communities by creating a space for citizens to volunteer and acquire new skills. Growing own food in communities creates jobs within a community, also combating food waste and encouraging creative ways to reduce and reuse waste. Sometimes urban gardeners can also sell their yield while maintaining local economy and giving people the opportunity to buy food from local gardens. Community strength and low crime rates are also economically important, forming a positive attitude towards investing in such a district. Benefit to ecology Urban gardening promotes sustainability in the city as it localizes the food system. Growing food locally reduces food transportation, uses less water, and cares for the entire food cycle more responsibly Photo: Brendan Crowther, DOT TO DOT project, Glasgow
12
Photo: Aurora Tallon, DOT TO DOT project, Glasgow
(e.g., composting waste). Gardeners often collect rainwater in their gardens, which encourages more sustainable human behavior and sensible consumption. Principles of sustainable land use, including permaculture, biodynamic gardening, and the like, are often followed in these gardens. This ensures biodiversity and fights against monoculture farming. Urban gardens also attract animals and insects, and become their habitats. Green gardens reduce heat islands in the city, cool the environment and reduce air pollution. Often urban gardening helps to transform abandoned hard-surfaced areas into green urban islands. Gardening should not endanger healthy ecosystems that already existed there. Benefit to health Urban gardening creates better access to healthy food, which plays an important role in reducing malnutrition and health-related diseases. Better access to food improves nutrition and allows spending more time in the green space. Relationship with nature in the urban landscape has been proven to relieve stress, and the acquisition of 13
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė, DOT TO DOT project, Glasgow
skills – to increase self-esteem .3 Urban gardening often also provides a quiet urban space away from noise. In this space, people can stay physically active, and this type of activity improves the psychological state of people practicing this activity. Urban gardening is a great opportunity to educate people about the importance of nutrition and activity. Sometimes this is probably the only way for children to understand where food comes from, how this process is arranged, and to engage in such activities since childhood.
3 Wakefield, S., Yeudall, F., et al. 2007. Growing urban health: Community gardening in South-East Toronto. Health Promotion International, Volume 22, Issue 2, June 2007 https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/22/2/92/558785
14
02 HOW TO START?
15
Gardening places and publication: 1. The municipality selects possible spaces that can be used for urban gardening in green areas of Vilnius; 2. It then informs local communities and elderships about these areas; 3. Elderships and communities express their interest in possible areas; 4. The municipality checks the infrastructure possibilities of those land plots; 5. The municipality publishes a call for urban gardening activities in the pre-selected spaces approved by elderships and local communities. 6. Non-profit organizations (at least 3 gardeners) submit applications for urban gardening activities;
Photo: Antakalnis garden archieves, Vilnius
7. The municipality evaluates the applications and signs contracts with selected non-profit organizations; 8. Selected non-profit organizations provide annual reports on their activities (the contract is signed for 5 years); 9. If necessary, Public Institution Vilniaus Miesto Parkai (Vilnius City Parks) advises promoters of gardening activities on gardening-related matters; 10. After 5 years, promoters of gardening activities may extend the contract for another 5 years, if the municipality agrees thereto. 16
Diagram of the process for obtaining a space for gardening
Responds in 30 days
Expresses interest
30 days
Informs
Expresses interest
Submits applications
Call for urban gardening activities
30 days
Municipality chooses potential spaces for urban gardening
A 5-year contract is signed
Elderships and communities
17
Sample application for urban gardening projects (application form)
18
Completing an application for gardening activities First, you need to have a non-profit organization which you will be able to use to apply for a tender for gardening activities. Think about your friends who may have an organization which would be happy to engage in gardening activities. You can also quickly establish an association. You will need at least three people for that. You can establish an organization electronically: https://www.registrucentras.lt/p/671 You will also need a team of at least three gardeners whom you will enter in the application. You must describe your purpose in the application, indicating why you want to conduct gardening activities in one of the areas. Remember to mention the benefits which your project will bring to the local community. Do you plan to involve it? If so, do you already know how? Specify your planned activities which would contribute to the 19
strengthening of social well-being (such as educating school children, lunch for neighbors, vegetables for nursing homes, etc.). Specify which of your activities will promote environmentally friendly solutions (e.g. rainfall collection, composting, biodynamic farming, application of permaculture principles, creation of a sustainable environment for healthy ecosystems, etc.). Specify the activities which you plan to implement, indicating where you will start and what you plan to do in the upcoming years. If you have experience with similar projects, be sure to mention them in Table 3 of the application. Indicate the data of the three key gardeners in Table 4. If you have been selected to carry out gardening activities, you will have to sign a 5-year contract with Vilnius City Municipality. You will need to submit a short report each year, outlining the activities you have implemented. You will be able to extend the contract after five years, if you so desire. The contract may also be terminated earlier unilaterally or by an agreement of the parties. Should you have any questions, you can always contact both the City Landscape Office of the Chief City Architect Division of the Vilnius City Administration and the Public Institution Vilniaus Miesto Parkai. The latter organization can advise you on gardening matters, while the City Landscape Office can help you with formal administrative issues, providing information on possible sources of funding from municipal programmes. However, please note that this tender is not a funding program. It has the only purpose: to obtain a permit for gardening activities. Funding programmes are discussed in the “Practice� section of this guide. Having obtained a gardening permit, you can immediately start looking for additional funding, mobilize the community and create a sustainable gardening space. 20
03 IMPLEMENTATION
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė, DOT TO DOT project, Glasgow
Funding Having obtained a gardening permit, you may immediately start looking for a source of funding. These can be personal investments of the community creating the garden itself or external funding instruments, such as tenders announced by the municipality, funds, ministerial programmes, EU projects, etc. There are a few national and EU funding instruments that can be used for urban gardens: Programme “Creative Community Initiatives” of the Council for Culture Tender for projects under the Vilnius city community support programme Tender for support of projects for environmental education of the society European Social Fund Agency.
22
Photo: Panos Georgiou
Writing a successful application for funding When applying for project funding, you will have to write an application or complete a form, indicating how much money you will need to implement the project and how it will be spent. Tips for a good application: - Attentively read the guidelines for the proposed funding programmes (of the City, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Environment, EU funds) and make a list of those that are most in line with your project. Do you have any questions? Before starting to complete an application, call the organization which offers funding. Feel free to ask any questions related to the application, guidelines or your project. - Check deadlines Do you have enough time from the date when the decision to fund the project was made till the offered start of your project? Also please 23
note when money will be transferred and when you will need to submit a report. - Collect all the key documents / information: articles of association of the organization, project plan, budget. Organizations that offer funding favor well-thought-out projects. - Briefly describe your organization What are your goals and mission? When was the organization founded? What is your legal status (Public Institution, Association, etc.)? What is your organization’s registration number? - Use “five W” to describe your project. - What [will be presented]? - Why [is the project needed]? - Where [will the project be implemented]? - When [will the project be completed, or is it being implemented]? - Who [will implement the project / benefit from the project and how]? - Be specific Funding organizations want to know what positive change their money will bring. If your project is big, it may be worth to break it down into smaller parts/ stages to be able to receive funding. - Always refer to the guidelines for completing applications drafted by the funder. What is the predominant topic, the issues raised? How does your project meet them?
24
Photo: Aurora Tallon, DOT TO DOT project, Glasgow
Project planning guidelines Preparing a perfect project plan Do not be scared of project planning – this is simply a description of what you expect and how you plan to achieve it. A project plan is a very important measure, which helps to ensure funding and to crystallize the whole project idea. The recommendation is to take into account the following when drawing up a plan: Why? - Clearly indicate why your project is needed (all sponsors want to know that); - Collect documentation to demonstrate the need for this project: this could include research, quotes, statistics, news stories, surveys, etc. Timeline - Create a calendar with all proposed project activities for a year. Typically, in small projects, a calendar should reflect activities for 1 to 25
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė, DOT TO DOT project, Glasgow
3 years; - Will you have time to implement all the activities? Can several activities be done at a time or one after another? Draw it on the calendar; - Activities may include: project planning and development, implementation, supervision, administration, funding and budget, information dissemination, marketing. Basic budget - Make a list of potential expenses; - Think about all the related project activities. What tools and equipment will you need? - Will you need to hire external organizations for implementing certain project activities? Team - Think about what support you need to implement the project activities; - Who has already committed (staff / volunteers) and what are their 26
skills? - Do you need more help? Will you need people who have some specific skills? Resources - Indicate the available resources; - What additional resources will you need (funding, storage space, equipment and materials: seeds, compost for the community garden, etc.)? - Where will equipment and / or resources be stored? Community network - List any external agencies, communities or individuals who you will need to keep in contact with. For example, funding bodies, your local government or council, health or education institutions, charities, etc.; - What will you need to negotiate with them for? Impact - Describe the difference (-s) which the funding received will make. How many people would be influenced by this? What benefit will this funding bring for your community and what results will it allow achieving? What will change? - Think about how you will measure the success of the project during and after it. What indicators are important to you? End of project - Think about what the end of your project will look like; - Describe the project end strategy. Will the project really end, or do you expect other people to take over the project? - Do you expect to receive additional funds to extend or improve the project? How will all this happen? Project budgeting - Good finance management is necessary for successful implementation of the project. Even if it is just a small project or initiative, budgeting should be one of your team’s priorities. 27
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė, Ideas Garden in Pilaitė, Vilnius
Budgeting will help you to: - understand the essence and monetary expression of the project; - estimate how much your project will cost; - identify the need for funding for the implementation of the project; - avoid unexpected costs; - keep track of when you will receive funding and how it will affect the project plan. Where to start? Your project budget is the key part of the planning process and should therefore be established as early as possible. To make it easier, follow this procedure: a project plan is your “to-do list”, and your budget will indicate how much implementing each item on the list will cost. There are two key steps to budgeting: 1. Write down all the items you will have to pay for (costs). The following are your overheads: equipment, salaries to employees, travel expenses, communication expenses (phone, mail, meetings), insurance, rent and publicity expenses. You will know the amount of some expenses in advance, while others will have to be estimated. 28
2.mWrite down all possible income – membership fees, donations, funding which you have already received or plan to receive in the near future. Key budgeting tips - The simpler the budget, the easier it is for others to understand. Excel spreadsheet or a simple table with columns and rows will perfectly serve the purpose; - Be precise. Try to present price inquiries and get real prices. Funders may ask what you based your budget on; - Be realistic; - Divide your costs into capital (investments) and current expenses. Capital items will have some resale value, such as expensive equipment. Current expenses are costs which you will incur continuously. This includes rent, administration, postage, volunteering and other costs; - Keep your budget up to date with any changes in spending or revenue sources. Once per quarter, the treasurer (the person in charge of finances) should provide the group with a financial report showing actual income and costs as well as their comparison against the budget plan. You will then be able to make any changes to the project budget plan in a timely manner as needed and with the Steering Committee’s consent; - Include a small contingency fund in your budget under other costs, which usually accounts for 10% of the total budget amount.
29
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė, Ideas Garden in Pilaitė, Vilnius
Possible garden designs beds in bags, and so on. When choosing beds for your garden, think about what needs they need to respond to. If you have a permit to develop a garden for a few years only, it is worth choosing to grow vegetables in large bags; if there are seniors in the community, and you would like to involve them in gardening, install a few beds higher up than usual, so that they can be weeded and maintained easier. List of tools Having chosen a garden design and planned activities, creating a list of the necessary tools would be worthwhile. Which tools do you have and which ones will you have to buy? Having listed the necessary tools, you will be able to quickly add them to your budget table, and to use the entire list as a summary of garden inventory to help you check that all the items are in the right place every time.
30
Sample list of tools: 1. Polyethylene film; 2. Set of cordless tools (a drill and a jigsaw); 3. Wood screws; 4. Jigsaw blades; 5. Gloves for working with wood; 6. Garden gloves; 7. Duty staple gun; 8. Staples; 9. Single-wheel cart; 10. Rake; 11. Fan rake; 12. Watering can; 13. Hammer; 14. Meter roulette; 15. Sanding sheet; 16. Garden fork; 17. Shovel;
31
Garden bed modules. How to install them? (Below are examples of garden beds set up in Pilaitė) 1.A bulletin board with garden beds
Diagram: bulletin boards with garden beds, Laura Petruškevičiūtė, Ideas Garden in Pilaitė, Vilnius
ĮĖJIMAS
Module elements :
[A] x 1 32
[B] x 2
[C] x 1
(DURŲ STAKTA) DOOR FRAME
viso ‘ĮĖJIMUI’ reikės:
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė, Ideas Garden in Pilaitė, Vilnius
You will need:
Lenght Ilgis
Quantity Kiekis
Total (m) Iš viso
1m
54
61.2
1.8m
4
(150x25mm)
Lenght Ilgis (50x50mm) 0.45m
12
5.4
33
x12 x4 [A]
[B] 34
[B] x2 x21 x4 [B] 35
2. A garden bed for friends
viso ‘Lysvei draugams’reikės: Lenght Ilgis (150x25mm)
LYSVĖ IšDRAUGAMS Quantity Total (m) Kiekis viso
2.5m
7
2.45m
1
0.5m
4
0.95m
6
1.35m
5
0.6m
6
0.425m
6
40.61
Lenght Ilgis
(50x50mm)
36
0.45m
6
0.75m
8
8.7
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė, Ideas Garden in Pilaitė, Vilnius
A B C D
x6 x4 x6 x6 x5
E
F
G
H
I
x6 x8
x1 x7 37
I B I
G
F
I
G
I
E
E E
G
I
B
A A
H
D D D
C
C C
A
F
D
I
I
G G
I
B
B
A
D
H
A
D
C C C
H
I
G G G G G
B B
I
I
I
D D
D
I
I
I B B
E E
I
D D D
A A A H
A A A
H H
H C
H
E G G F
C C E E
C C C
38
H
39
Photo: from the archive of Antakalnis garden, Vilnius
Involving the community Gardening is a community action, thus in order to keep it sustainable and long-lasting, integral involvement of community is necessary. This way, both the work done will be more efficient and the identity of the city and the neighborhood will be built, creating high-quality places that leave a strong and unique impression. These spaces and their effect are not the result of random work, but rather purposeful and systematic activities. The related projects that have already been implemented allows stating that creative placemaking is the most reliable and useful method for doing so. Using it as the basis for involving the community, the community becomes an active, open group of people working to encourage a constructive dialogue and working towards a specific goal. Community involvement must first begin by answering the following questions: - Is the proposal and the idea authentic to the chosen location? - Will the involvement of the widest possible range of social groups be ensured? How? - What publicity measures will be used to ensure maximum involvement? - Have you identified which individuals in the community are the core and can act as local ambassadors for your project? - Have the needs and expectations of all groups in the community 40
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė Ideas Garden in Pilaitė, Vilnius
been taken into account equally? - Has the potential of the community been identified: who does what, what interesting is there to offer? - How will the sense of shared ownership be communicated to the community? When doing this is most appropriate? - What physical barriers could prevent community members from attending meetings and how to best respond to them? - What soft and hard infrastructure can be used for consulting? Answers to these questions or a search for them will help to: - identify community goals and expectations; - get acquainted with a vision and a potential; - involve key project sponsors; - connect a group of people through psychographics; - create a medium for the spread of creativity which will develop the space; - enhance the impact on more members of the local community and other stakeholders. When thinking about assistance which you may get, take help, which you can get from certain stakeholders, into consideration: The municipality and the eldership can provide information about local infrastructure and human resources, to mediate between businesses 41
Photo: Panos Georgiou
and communities, to assist in finding financial resources and obtaining various permits, recommendations and other letters. Budgetary institutions (schools, libraries, museums, etc.) can provide information about the local context and people, publicize the project, disseminate it, and help involve various community groups. Business can provide financial support and help to publicize the project. Nongovernmental organizations can share project writing experiences and ideas. Similar creative initiatives can help exchange good practice and share specific project implementation experiences. Local creators can be a source of creative ideas, help with leadership and ensure project continuity. Art of Hosting techniques Respective Art of Hosting techniques can be employed to promote involvement and build a dialogue-based culture: The Circle Way is a technique to start and end a meeting. In the 42
circle, people “join” the process and become active participants. Process: 1. People sit down in a circle; 2. The facilitator takes a speaking totem (only a participant, who hold it is allowed to speak) and briefly introduces himself/ herself, explaining the purpose of the meeting and his/ her expectations of the meeting; 3. Then he/ she passes the speaking totem to the person sitting next to him/ her with the same questions (except for the “purpose of the meeting”), and the action goes in a circle; 4. When the speaking totem comes back to the facilitator, he/ she thanks everyone, moving on to the presentation of further activities and the purpose of the meeting. Appreciative inquiry is a technique designated for delving into the situation by reducing the impact of prejudice. During the process, participants change the perspective of the situation from “what is going on” to “how it could be”. 43
Photo: Ričardas Rickevičius, Šilainiai Gardens, Kaunas
Process: 1. People are divided into pairs; 2. The first person chooses a topic related to the purpose of the meeting; 3. The second person starts asking questions and writes down the answers in the following sequence: What are you grateful for in this situation? -> What would you change/ improve? -> What should be done for the situation to improve? -> What steps are necessary to implement this?; 4. The second person tells the first person what he/ she has heard (using information from his/ her notes); 5. Then they switch roles; 6. Everyone gets back to the circle and shares their impressions and insights, while the facilitator of the meeting records them; 7. The facilitator summarizes the information and presents it to everyone. World café is a technique designated for understanding the approach of the community and their ideas on specific subjects more effectively 44
and deeper. During the process, participants hear out the opinions of others and share their opinions. This is how all the participants engage in an inclusive dialogue. Process: 1. Participants are divided into more than 2 groups of more than 2 people; 2. People sitting in groups have one common place (a large sheet of paper) to mark their thoughts and ideas; 3. The facilitator presents the first question; 4. People discuss in groups for a set period of time (which is recommended to take no more than 15 minutes); 5. One person remains in his place and is the host of that space; 6. He briefly presents participants having newly joined the discussion what they talked about in the previous group; 7. The facilitator presents a new question (related to the previous one); 8. New groups continue the discussion for the same set period of time; 9. When there are no more relevant issues to discuss, the host of 45
each space presents the collected information and insights on all the matters; 10. Participants add their comments and insights to the information presented by hosts; 11. The facilitator summarizes and presents the results and the related insights. Communication In the context of urban gardening, it is very important to understand that communication is first of all designated for promoting local inclusive activities of the community rather than for the outside. Therefore, the selected method of communication should respond to the nature of local behavior and possibilities. The bottom line is that community members need to get information effectively and understand it easily. External communication designated for informing about the project and inviting stakeholders to participate may be presented in a more creative form, thus spreading the message about the idea of urban gardening itself. Check list -> Do we have? • Local resource map • Stakeholders’ understanding of project objectives and processes • Community support • Approval of municipal representatives (winning project) • Necessary financial resources • Necessary human resources • Enough time to prepare for implementation Photo: Aurora Tallon, DOT TO DOT project, Glasgow
46
04 INSPIRATIONS
Photo: from archives of Antakalnis garden, Vilnius
ANTAKALNIS GARDEN (VILNIUS) The garden was established in 2013 by the Antakalnis community, the association Žali.lt and volunteer assistants in agreement with the Antakalnis eldership and the nursing hospital. The purpose of the garden was to promote the sense of community and involvement of Antakalnis residents in joint activities. The idea started with two field beds. In 2014, we started using a greenhouse, which had been abandoned for 10 years at the least. People were constantly invited to lend a helping hand in (collective) assistance to involve the community, to show how social innovations work, to become an example for other communities in Vilnius and in Lithuania of how active residents can use abandoned green urban areas for joint activities. Each year lessons about gardening were held in Antakalnis progymnasium, distributing seeds, which students germinated and later brought their seedlings and planted them in the garden beds. In 2015-2016, the first events, such as the Neighborhood Day, the Restaurant Day, the Harvest Festival and others, were held in the garden for the entire community, and people started changing their approach to community life and new opportunities for communication 48
Photo: from archives of Antakalnis garden, Vilnius
in the territory at the center of the Antakalnis eldership (Sapiegos Park), which had been barely used before. In 2016, some gardeners (Agnė, Goda, Daiva and Gintarė) established the City Laboratory, later opening a community café and a cultural center in Sapiegos Park having signed a building rental agreement with Vilnius Tech Park. After the municipality leased nursing hospital buildings to Vilnius Tech Park on the loan-for-use basis in 2017, Antakalnis community consented to a greenhouse rental agreement being concluded between Vilnius Tech Park and the Public Institution Social Investment Fund (SIF) of the then garden coordinator and member of Antakalnis Community Council Mindaugas Danys. The public institution had to pay a greenhouse rental fee (of EUR 88) and cover the costs of used water and electricity each month. SIF constantly searched for sponsors to cover costs of gardening activities. Agrofirma Seeds (Žalia Stotelė) and Kazickai Family 49
Photo: from archives of Antakalnis garden, Vilnius
Foundation sponsored the activities of the garden a few times. SIF also filed several applications and received support (of EUR 250-800) from the municipality and the Ministry of Social Security and Labour for communities. Every year, SIF gets free seeds from Žalia Stotelė stores as a participant in their Green Foot programme. In 2018, M. Danys contributed to the preparation of an application of Vilnius City Municipality for a project to promote European gardening - RU: RBAN. The project received support for 2019-2020, allowing to implement “soft” activities: exchange urban gardening experience with 6 other European cities by taking part in cognitive visits, using auxiliary project material in the preparation of the procedure of gardening in Vilnius and creating the programme for promoting gardening in the city. The project activities have been supervised by a working group of 15 people composed of representatives of the public and the municipality. In 2019, it was decided that residents of Antakalnis community having paid a fixed membership fee only could engage in gardening. In 2019, the greenhouse area was divided, separating personal land plots and the community part, thus encouraging all gardeners to look after the garden together. 50
Photo: from archives of the Ideas Garden in Pilaitė, Vilnius
IDEAS GARDEN IN PILAITĖ, VILNIUS The Vilnius City Municipality allocated about EUR 3 million for arranging public spaces in residential areas. Pilaitė also received some of these funds, installing new squares, children’s playgrounds, benches and lighting in the neighborhood. These infrastructural upgrades are very important for the local residents, but have little to do with fostering a sense of community in itself. The famous Danish architect Jan Gehl, who visited Lithuania in 2018, talked about the strategy “Metropolis for People” for public spaces in Copenhagen, which he also contributed to himself, saying that “An important part of this strategy was a focus on quality public spaces that would invite people to spend more time outdoors, because this is important for the security of the city, social inclusion and democracy. Another important element was encouraging people to leave their private spaces and spend more time communicating with other residents”. Today public spaces are arranged in Pilaitė, adapting them for different needs of residents, but there is a lack of “soft” initiatives which would turn these spaces into the foci of a sense of community, encouraging people to spend more time outdoors, getting to know each other, sharing knowledge and experiences, learning and creating their own environment together. Without “soft” initiatives, people have no 51
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė, Ideas Garden in Pilaitė, Vilnius
connection with the environment or each other. Social exclusion also leads to other problems, such as mistrust, vandalism or a feeling of insecurity.Such events as “Beepositive” light festival, film screening evenings “Non-sleeping districts”, a meeting of local pets and their owners “Pilaitė’s fauna goes out” and others could be good examples of “soft” initiatives, but all these initiatives are one-day events that have no continuity and do not guarantee long-term community building, because continuity is a necessary element in building a healthy, independent and active community. The community garden “ Ideas Garden” is a project that seeks to bring local residents together, involving students, families, seniors and other groups into an active, friendly and creative community sharing a common focus on their environment and love of nature, through “soft” and continuous activities. The project aims to: - create opportunities for the community to engage in creating placemaking and the building of an organic and sustainable neighborhood; - promote environmental reactivation, social inclusion and local knowledge sharing; - involve young people, families, children and the most vulnerable 52
Photo: Laura Petruškevičiūtė, Ideas Garden in Pilaitė, Vilnius
groups of the community through social activation and gardening; - promote professional, educational and scientific cooperation locally and outside Pilaitė. The first works of establishment of the garden started in September (2019) next to the community and cultural center BEEpart. The project has rationally made use of the available local resources - the BEEpart building has functioned as a place of storage of garden tools, we also have an outdoor toilet and electricity. Cooperation with the community centre, which was already known to locals, also helps to attract local participants easier. 53
Photo: from archives of Šilainiai Gardens,
ŠILAINIAI GARDENS (KAUNAS) It is a place of sustainable gardening in the valley of the 8th Fort of Kaunas Fortress Park. People feel good here coming together to grow food, share knowledge and foster health. Šilainiai gardening community cooperates with the Public Institution “Kaunas Fortress Park” by adapting the territory of the 8th Fort for public needs by promoting healthy lifestyle, physical activity and community employment, fostering harmony between people, nature and heritage. The history of these gardens dates back to the interwar period, when the locals raised food for their families in this place. There also was an experimental farm and a collective apiary here. An 89-year-old lady, who still comes to plant in these gardens, recalls how a neighbor would plow soil in this place. She reminisces how there was no free room whatsoever, because potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beets and other vegetables were planted everywhere. 54
Nuotrauka: iš Šilainių sodų archyvo Kaunas
After the establishment of Šilainiai neighborhood, gardening activities became even more intensive, because many residents moved to Šilainiai from smaller towns where gardening was an integral part of life, which was missing having move to multi-apartment buildings. The settlers noticed the area of the 8th Fort, which was located next to multi-apartment buildings in Baltijos Street. The Fort was abandoned at the time, overgrown with bushes and Sosnowsky’s hogweed. The settlers started cleaning up this area, planting it with oaks and fruit trees. In 1999, the back of the fort was full of gardeners growing vegetables, fruit and berries for their families. A close community was formed, celebrating traditional holidays together. Currently, Šilainiai gardens are entering a new stage, when help of the community, volunteers and partners will be used to preserve the unique community of Šilainiai gardens and to adapt the area of the 8th Fort for the needs of the local residents, creating conditions for growing food, participating in joint activities and educational events, spending quality time and enjoying the nature. 55
Photo: Ričardas Rickevičius, Šilainiai Gardens, Kaunas
“I like gardening, because it is healthy and a good exercise. It is a great pleasure to grow own vegetables and to enjoy them” Teresa, 67 years old. “I love soil. When the weather is good, I spend about four hours a day here, in fresh air. I rest here, I recover. I prolong my life in the gardens”, the senior resident Ona – Zita says. “I can be in the nature, listening to the birds chirping, seeing apples and plums bloom, sitting down and resting on the grass, talking to fellow gardeners.” Ona, 71
56
05 QUICK GUIDE
CONCEPT Openness
Exchanges
Practicality
// Invitation and neighborhood //
// Urban land use and harvest //
//Administration and continuity//
Urban gardening is a rather forgotten phenomenon in Lithuania, so education and telling what it is, what good it does, and what it brings to the neighborhood is necessary in order to find the greatest possible number of allies for this activity. Communication must take many forms and encourage as many people as possible to get involved in these activities.
Communication, exchange of information and learning is an inevitable part of the community garden, so everyone joining in these activities must understand that being a part of this community requires an open approach to other participants and the fact that this area adds value not only to those working there, but also those living around. Community gardens often hold harvest festivals inviting locals to celebrate together.
A proactive team, which will help to plant the selected area, is needed to maintain the garden and build its identity. These key people will meet to discuss the development of the garden, the steps to be taken to attract external funding, to decide if the garden is accessible to all or if its accessibility is limited. It is an ongoing and changing process where decisions can change.
58
IDEAS Conversion
Transformation
Public space
//Process and context//
// Positive change and local users//
//A place for people and positive ideas//
Bringing nature to the city is much needed today. It is about mitigating climate change, creating green islands that purify the air, absorb water and bring sources of food closer to our homes (reducing the need for distant suppliers). The changing of spaces is a long-term and often a very organic, process, thus involving the existing or planned users of the space is crucial. Taking the already existing environment into account is important for transformation to be sustainable. Gardening should never forget the current context and that it is also changing, so communication with the garden’s “neighbors” is necessary.
The use of and access to city gardens may be restricted, closed or free. Regardless of the selected model, it must become a public space accessible to a smaller or larger number of people. Public spaces encourage communication and people’s creativity, therefore, the contextuality of the space and its benefit to the environment must be kept in mind when shaping urban gardens.
Gardens can be established in different places: on a windowsill or in a balcony, in an abandoned land plot or industrial territory. This may also be an area actively used for some other purpose, but urban gardens can be established there, thus fostering other activities in those areas. Understanding the process of establishment of gardens and the planned context of the area (people living around, conducted activities, current practices in the area) is important.
59
ACTIVITIES Introductory actions
Physical space
Diversity
//Base needs and initiative//
//Creation of space and its appeal //
//Cooperation and growth //
Activities begin even before creating a garden itself, usually with an idea and likeminded people. The initiative must have its own implementation plan and know how it will provide the resources necessary for gardening and space.
If a physical space planned for a garden is not owned by people who would like to establish a garden, it is first necessary to find out who is the owner of the space. This process can take long enough, so this time could be used to generate the idea of a garden, which will sometimes come in handy in presenting the idea to the landowner. Also it is important to think of how the garden will be maintained and how the budget needed for arranging the area and the garden will be collected.
Activities in the garden may be different and not necessarily related to gardening. A garden may become a place for community gathering, for discussing current issues, learning or teaching. Activities can be divided into indoor and outdoor, also the following main categories of activities can be distinguished by nature: educational, gastronomic, cultural and leisure. This list is not exhaustive, and each space and its context may offer other activities that would best suit the area and its target audience.
60
RESOURCES Community
Competencies
// Community identity // // Different disciplines and learning// The community surrounding the area is the first and often the strongest resource to start gardening. Often communities are local and have their own characteristics; in order to create a sustainable and long-lasting garden, taking the community into account and following its values is necessary
There are many different competencies in the community that will be used when cooperation begins. Gardening involves people of various professions who will be able to use their competencies to strengthen the existing area, attract resources and funding, or even communicate with various institutions that may, one way or another, contribute to or hinder garden creation. Of course, gardening also needs direct competencies that will help to develop a thriving garden, thus bringing the greatest possible yield.
Integration // Dialogue and empowerment // Internal resources include the already existing “administering” team and its resources, but they are surrounded by large external resources, such as potential partners, sponsors, organizations or communities implementing similar projects, that need to be found and used. Achieving best results will inevitably require attracting financial resources from a variety of sources (not limited to the existing community only). The implementation of the programme and the development of identity, also maintenance of the area itself and the creation of wellbeing will require constant funding, which in turn will lead to cooperation outside the “administering” team.
61
THE PUBLICATION PREPARED BY: The City of Vilnius Xwhy / Agency of Understanding info@xwhy.lt Association Ideas Garden (Laura Petruškevičiūtė, Beatričė Umbrasaitė) idejulysve@gmail.com LAYOUT BY: Laura Petruškevičiūtė INFORMATION GRAPHICS BY: Laura Petruškevičiūtė COVER PHOTO BY: Laura Petruškevičiūtė
