Sustainability

Temporary Community Garden: CONNECTING MEETING SPOT IN, AND WITH NATURE

Diederik Imfeld

Did you spot the dynamics at the vacant plot between EMA and Van der Valk on Domenico Scarlattilaan yet? The area is awaiting for development, which will start at the end of 2022. Instead of just leaving it be for two years, the opportunity was taken to create a temporary Community Garden. A lovely initiative from Amsterdam International Community School, the Municipality of Amsterdam and (other participants of) Green Business Club Zuidas.

Combined ambitions Who came up with the idea for a Community Garden on this spot? “Amsterdam International Community School is a participant of Green Business Club Zuidas. We were talking about sustainability, teaching about nature, social aspects in the Zuidas area. Even though we knew that the vacant plot will be developed, we saw the opportunity for a temporary green spot that would combine our ambitions on the themes above”, shares Diederik Imfeld (GBC Zuidas) with a smile. The (temporarily) Community Garden is a great spot to teach the students about nature and let them tend the garden with local elderly residents to help them stay connected to the area. People working in the area have a spot to experience nature and unwind for a bit.

Students started to learn by doing “After the preparations and the support of the Municipality of Amsterdam – Stadsdeel Zuid and the Municipality of Amsterdam – Zuidas, the community garden was ready to be ‘built’ at the beginning of 2021. Due to the lockdown and social distancing, it was not possible to unroll the whole project as planned. Unfortunate, as the end date of this garden was already set. Nevertheless, we are very happy that the students were fortunate that during spring and summer the students were able to actually create the garden and learn about nature in bloom. They did so in small groups under the guidance of Birgitte Jongens, professional gardener”, Jessica Morris (AICS) explains.

Now that the world is opening up again within the Covid 19 restrictions, schoolchildren, Zuidas employees and residents of Buitenveldert are able to work together in the Community Garden. At the official opening, the young gardeners planted bulbs and were showing off their gardening skills: “The bulbs shouldn’t be too close to each other, or they won’t grow!”. A blooming promise for next year!