Copyright © 2015 by Worldwatch Institute Europe Enghavevej 80C 2450 Copenhagen SV Denmark www.worldwatch-europe.org www.urbia.me info@worldwatch-europe.org Citation: Elena Bulmer, Bo Normander, Stephanie Loveless, Emilie Elten, Julia Vol, (2015). Urban Biodiversity in Action - the URBIA Project and Award. Worldwatch Institute Europe, WWIE Report 4. Copenhagen, Denmark. Design/Layout: Stephanie Loveless Illustrations and photos: Front cover design by Alvaro Sedeño and photos throughout report are taken by Bo Normander, Daniel Yeow, Julia Vol and Stephanie Loveless ISBN 978-87-995431-3-7 The URBIA project is supported by: The Danish Environmental Protection Agency ("Puljen til Grønne Ildsjæle") The Clara Lachmanns Stiftelse, Sweden
In recent years there has been a flowering across Europe of a large number of urban grassroots and green citizen initiatives, such as community gardens, rooftop farms and pocket parks, which have done much to promote nature in the city and to bring important social and community benefits to the urban living environment. The objective of the URban Biodiversity in Action (URBIA) Project 2015 was to recognise and reward outstanding urban biodiversity initiatives in Denmark, to foster the idea of their replication by others and to contribute meaningfully and durably to a greater and more widespread public consciousness of the importance of halting biodiversity loss. We launched the URBIA Award competition in Denmark in May 2015 and 29 projects responded to the call. There was first a shortlisting process and the winners were subsequently selected by an Expert Panel and the prizes awarded at the successful and well-attended URBIA Award Ceremony, which was held at the Dome of Visions in Copenhagen on June 9th, 2015. From the URBIA team and WWIE, we would like to thank the Danish EPA and the Swedish Clara Lachmann’s Stiftelse for supporting this project and permitting us to develop the basis of a durable green grassroots platform in Denmark and abroad. With kind regards and we do hope that you enjoy the report, The URBIA Team – Elena Bulmer, Bo Normander, Stephanie Loveless, Emilie Elten, Julia Vol
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Biodiversity has been declining in most European countries for several decades due to a multitude of pressures, such as agricultural intensification, forestry, urban sprawl, and development of infrastructure. There is a pressing need to reverse this trend and therefore the EU and its member states have agreed to set a target to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2020. In the effort to protect nature and biodiversity, the urban biosphere has become an important domain, as urban and semi-urban areas are becoming ever more prominent features of the European landscape. As much as 75 per cent Europeans are now living in cities and the number is only projected to grow in the coming decades.
By protecting nature in urban and surrounding areas, these efforts work to make life in the urban setting more environmentally sustainable, raise awareness and understanding of biodiversity in general, and also answer to the urgency voiced in related initiatives for creating and protecting green spaces. Thus, as a way of protecting urban nature, green spaces and community-based urban greening initiatives, such as community gardens, city beekeeping associations, rooftop farmers, and vertical garden projects have gained ground in many European cities over the past few years.
These initiatives have achieved much in promoting the importance of urban biodiversity for ensuring resilient ecosystems and functioning ecosystem services, but they have also illuminated the fact that there is still a societal lack of appreciation of the threat posed by biodiversity loss, in addition to a lack of interest towards conservation of nature and the creation of a well-functioning green infrastructure. To address the strong need for communicating and educating the public and decision makers on the significance of urban nature and the urgent need to halt the loss of biodiversity, Worldwatch Institute Europe launched the Urban Biodiversity in Action (URBIA) project in 2015. As a first milestone, we hosted the Danish URBIA Award competition in 2015, aimed at showcasing best practice examples of urban biodiversity initiatives in Denmark. This report gives an overview of the URBIA project and presents the results and achievements of the URBIA Award contest in Denmark.
The objective of URBIA - the URban BIodiversity in Action project – is to create a widespread consciousness about the importance of halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity and to show how virtually everyone can participate. We want to achieve this by identifying success stories and best practices in urban biodiversity and green infrastructure initiatives and through the dissemination of these stories to a broad audience in cities across Europe. To begin spreading the word on the importance of urban biodiversity, in 2015, we hosted the first URBIA Award competition in Denmark in order to assess and catalogue best practice examples of urban biodiversity and green infrastructure endeavours in Danish cities, and awarded the best initiatives with a prize - the URBIA Award.
Our team specifically focuses on community-based urban and peri-urban initiatives that are practical, easily replicable and capable of producing significant results. Initiatives may range from highly innovative ideas to practical on-the- ground endeavours, such as rooftop gardening, reed beds, city beehives, urban wildlife corridors and other urban infrastructure projects, as well as successful learning experiences, that are helping to foster an ecological mind- set among local citizens and decision makers. With the URBIA Award, we are not only aiming to raise awareness, but also to stimulate a self- evaluation process for participants, encouraging them to expand upon their already positive contributions towards well-functioning ecosystems and biodiversity in the urban setting.
The URBIA Award competition in 2015 was open to the whole of Denmark. The main objective was to promote sustainable living practices by highlighting and raising public awareness about biodiversity and green city actions and initiatives in Denmark. Projects ranged from highly innovative ideas to practical-on-the-ground endeavours, such as rooftop gardening and urban wildlife corridors. Overall 29 projects were submitted from across Denmark. Projects were categorized and judged under one of the following three categories: • Biodiversity conservation • Community involvement • Urban green innovation The selection process was as follows: 1) Applications were evaluated by a preselection committee made up of experts from the URBIA team. During this first stage of the evaluation process, nine initiatives were initially shortlisted (i.e. three in each category). 2) The shortlisted projects were then evaluated by the URBIA Award Committee that comprised of biodiversity specialists and experts in urban planning. As a tool to help select the winners, we applied a scoreboard, where the committee members scored each project in 18 different criteria. 3) A winner and two runner ups were finally selected for each award category, and the winners were announced at the Award Ceremony in Copenhagen on June 9th 2015.
The URBIA Award Ceremony was held on June 9th, 2015 at the Dome of Visons in Copenhagen. The event began with a warm welcome from Lars Højholt, a journalist at the newspaper Information and Bo Normander, Executive Director at Worldwatch Institute Europe, followed by a number of key speeches given by Ivone Pereira Martins from the European Environment Agency (EEA), Marcus Hedblom from Sweden´s Agricultural University and Ann Berit from the Danish Society for Nature Conservation (DN). For the entertainment, the group Batida and Nørrebro Dance with Joy performed live. The full event program may be found at www.worldwatch- europe.org/node/321. At the end of the evening the winners were announced as listed in the following pages.
The winners were selected by the members of the URBIA Award Committee, which had voted for the best projects, based on the scoring of a set number of criteria. Each winner received a certificate and a prize of DKK 5000. We also developed a special prize, the People´s Choice Award, based on an online social media poll.
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Vild med Vilje (VMV;; or Wildfully Wild in English) is a communication concept enabling a larger group of people to make a concrete and local difference through helping in the maintenance and enhancement of a rich and wild nature by growing hay instead of lawns. Wildfully Wild may be used by anyone to transform lawns–big and small–into lively spaces with richer wildlife. Through simple means and small budgets it is possible to transform lawns into biodiverse grassland.
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Christiania is a 40-year-old societal experiment that challenges the way we live in the post-industrialised capitalist society. Christiania prioritises resident self- governance with equality and freedom for the residents, respect for the natural and cultural value of the area along with sustainable and organic development. This way of thinking affects the construction, decorating and running of the buildings, along with planning and conservation of the natural areas.
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Sydhavnstippen in Copenhagen has sprouted up from piles of construction waste and strong local citizen commitment. Today it is a popular green space for humans and animals. Dumping of construction waste in the area ended in 1973, and since then Sydhavnstippen has become a unique cultural and natural scene – an urban space close to the sea comprising of bricks and regenerated green space.
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The Byhaven 2200 is an open community garden in the middle of a public park in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, run by local volunteers. Through practical actions, garden users illustrate the values that they would like our society to be built on. The urban garden was started with the intent of becoming an oasis in the city where citizens could learn to cultivate together, and quickly became a biodiverse urban space that constantly changed, and brought people together, creating a space for play and conversation.
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Odense Urban Gardens is an association that runs two urban gardens in Odense. Both urban gardens focus on wild bees and plans ensure there will be flowers all season for bees to find food. Pesticides are prohibited. Odense Urban Garden members assist and consult in starting up new urban gardens and gardening projects, and they are currently helping a project on Østre Plads in Odense.They are also applying for funding for solar cells and aim to not just be an urban garden;; but a flagship for urban gardens.
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Flowering City (“Blomstrende By”) was initiated in Copenhagen in 2012 to get local residents, institutions and companies to claim a small piece of urban nature that can be a roadside patch just in front of their residence or in a neighbouring street. Families with kids, adults, students, social clients – a diversity of residents – participate, get their hands dirty and have the opportunity to influence their neighbourhood. Flowering City has launched a new website where you can log in and adopt a flower bed in your neighbourhood, easily and quickly.
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Urban Green is a cross- disciplinary project where gardeners, biologists and architects join forces to make the city greener, healthier and more beautiful using seven native biotopes. Urban Green has delivered biotopes for green roofs at Novo Nordisk in Bagsværd, Copenhagen Municipality (Blegdamsvej) and around the campus at University of Copenhagen. The goal is to to create green corridors, enhance urban aesthetics and to make food available to insects and birds.
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The ØsterGRO vision is to create, run and develop the first rooftop farm in Denmark as a financially sustainable project that creates jobs. It is anchored in a local community at Østerbro, Copenhagen and produces local food, and communicate knowledge about ecology and organic farming to the public. ØsterGRO produces vegetables, eggs and honey to the 40 members in collaboration with a newly launched farm in Dragør. The newest initiative is a restaurant in the middle of the urban rooftop farm that offers new gastronomic experiences.
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Bølgemarken (the Wave Field) is a small, urban sea farm with mussels, oysters and seaweed where city dwellers of Copenhagen can get up close and personal with their food and where it comes from through events and an educational program for kids. Kids are taught about the organisms and ecosystems in the harbour, where their food comes from and how it ends up on their plate. They are also developing a modular, scalable sea farm that is easy to operate in the form of DIY kits that make it possible for urban citizens to have their own sea farm under jetties, house boats etc.
"It has been an incredibly exciting competition in which we have looked at about 30 creative and innovative projects in support of urban nature. The winners of the URBIA Award 2015 are the very best examples of urban nature and can be a model for others who want to engage in doing something to create green cities," said Bo Normander, director of Worldwatch Institute Europe, following the award ceremony. “Urban Green is very proud to receive this award. We hope the price can help to encourage more wild nature in the city for the benefit of biodiversity and people,” said Dorte Nissen, founder of the firm Urban Green “We are just so happy for the price. In a small sunny spot in Nørrebro we have created a green and flourishing oasis with a committed community and created a growing city movement,” said Candela Vargas from Byhaven 2200.
“We are proud to receive the URBIA Award and for the great professional recognition it entails. URBIA celibrates urban biodiversity, and inspire more people to make a difference,” said Philip Hahn- Petersen from the company Habitats right after the presentation of the award. Habitats won in the category biodiversity with the project Wildfully Wild, which converts private gardens into wild nature
ØsterGro won the People's Choice Award
Rehabilitation of Utterslev Mose grasslands in Copenhagen
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The purpose of this project is to restore an old chalk grasslands in the Utterslev Bog, which houses a number of flora and fauna species that are under pressure from factors such as overgrowth. Besides the physical restoration of the grasslands, a number of lectures and meetings about the conservation work have been organized.
Cyanide Garden In Aarhus This urban garden is built on an abandoned coal and gas works property. By using simple solutions, the area has been revived and become a place where experiments with new sustainable transition solutions may be developed. Cyanide Garden collaborates with Frøsamlerne (the Seed Collectors) in the cultivation of different edible plant species. Seed Popup in Nørrebro, Copenhagen SEED POPUP (”FRØ POPUP”) is a seed-swapping market where everyone can come and get seeds or swap seeds with each other. The goal of SEED POPUP is to create awareness around the importance of biodiversity and to increase awareness and knowledge on the topic of seed legislation in Europe and globally. Another goal is to spur interest in old cultivated species, in gardening and in the collection of seeds.
City Bee in Copenhagen
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City Bee works with businesses and social projects to install beehives across the city. They train volunteers, homeless people, and asylum- seekers among others in beekeeping and honey production. City Bee focuses on improving conditions for urban pollinators through workshops, tours and events that mainly deal with the theme of the role and importance of insects in the.
Copenhagen Food Cooperative The Copenhagen Food Co-Operative (KBHFF) is run by its members through voluntary work. Via a storage facility on Enghavevej, members of the association are supplied with organic and locally produced foods in exchange for three hours of work each month.
Beehive City in Aarhus Beehive city (“Bistad”) is a non-profit association that runs a socio- economic business. The association combines social work with locally anchored food production through the creation of employment by teaching beekeeping to people with little or no connection to the labour market. Bistad enables people who keep bees but have no garden to set up their beehives in a communal courtyard in the city, and offer advice and guidance from experienced beekeepers.
The association Øbro Gadehaver in Copenhagen
3rd The vision of this project is to transform the city streets into gardens. Through engagement with local residents and the creation of small street unions, guerrilla gardening is used to green as many small areas of the city as possible to improve the city´s overall wellbeing.
The Oasis in Årre near Varde This project is an example of what you can do with an old parking lot. The park is the product of a vision and need for a greener city, where recreation and teaching about nature is the focus. Citizen involvement is key in this project as the area is run by volunteers from the local community in collaboration with the municipality of Varde.
The Agro Garden at University of Aarhus The aGRO Garden is a students’ initiative that allows the students to test and put in to practice the theories they learn about in class. A former grass lawn has been converted into a kitchen garden, and the focus of the project is the mutual interaction between plants and insects along with the gathering of rainwater and composting.
City Harvest at the University of Aarhus
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The aGRO Garden is a students’ initiative that allows the students to test and put in to practice the theories they learn about in class. A former grass lawn has been converted into a kitchen garden, and the focus of the project is the mutual interaction between plants and insects along with the gathering of rainwater and composting.
Surplus Food Surplus Food is an online platform that enables the distribution of surplus food from for example supermarkets and bakeries to local aid organisations for residents that are in a socially vulnerable situation. The goal is to decrease food waste and thereby have a direct, positive impact on the environment and at the same time help many people undergoing social hardship necessitating food.
Mobile Therapy Gardens in Copenhagen Area The aim of this project is to inspire the creation of urban therapy and sense gardens through the use of small, mobile green units that are easy to bring to events. These small units each appeal to one of our six senses;; examples of these units include one with edible plants that have a surprising taste and one with plants that attract insects. The idea of these sensing elements stems from the idea of combining the green city with well-being and anti-stress.
The Urban Greenhouse
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TThe Urban Greenhouse is a modular greenhouse, which is designed to optimally utilise the little amount of space that is available in the urban environment. The building can be adjusted to any backyard or public space where there is normally no room for greenhouses.
Herbal Salvation in Copenhagen Herbal Salvation uses handpicked, wild herbs to create toxin-free skin care products. Via its line of products and a number of workshops focusing on nature, beauty and health, Herbal Salvation attempts to create awareness about the link between nature, beauty and wellbeing.
The Tree Market in Copenhagen Area This project makes it possible to move old trees that are in the way, such as new construction sites, to new locations. It will soon be possible via a website that is currently under development, to find a tree if you are in need of one or to get rid of one, thereby prolonging the life of trees.
The URBIA team comprises of a multidisciplinary group of dedicated sustainability professionals that strive to promote and reward best-practice urban biodiversity initiatives in Europe.
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7. THE URBIA AWARD COMMITTEE The URBIA Award Committee is made up of biodiversity specialists and experts in urban planning and development. The Committee is providing scientific advice to the URBIA team and is will select the finalist projects for each of the Awards categories.
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