BiodiverCities - Leiden

Leiden

BiodiverCities - Leiden

Contact
Jolanda de Schiffart
Main Organisation
Naturalis Biodiversity Centre
Other Organisations
Municipality Leiden

Description

Due to urbanization, the quality and quantity of green space within the city is under pressure. Finding a balance between function and quality for people and nature is challenging. Green spaces must not only meet the different needs of residents but also contribute to important tasks such as increasing biodiversity and climate resilience.

The city’s post-war districts have many public green spaces. However, because they are often laid out as lawns, they are of little significance for biodiversity. Besides, they are not used by the residents either.

By engaging citizens we aimed to find, apply and test a small scalable project to increase biodiversity and the enhancement of community among residents living in the neighbourhood located in Leiden Zuidwest.

This resulted in three small herb-gardens located in the public green areas. Six residents were engaged throughout the project and currently maintain these gardens together.

Participation Spectrum
Collaborate

When and Where

Start Year
2021
End Year
2022

Policy Context

Policy Stage
Implementation Phase
Context of activity
Other
Testing a small scalable project
Science or Policy Field
Research and Innovation
Society
Other
Specific Topic
By engaging citizens we aimed to find, apply and test a small scalable project to increase biodiversity and the enhancement of community among residents living in the neighbourhood.

Participants

Participants
6
Who was involved
Other
Other participants
Social housing providers and welfare organisations
Communities or representatives involved
Cultural anthropology students joined the project by conducting a research on how to best engage local inhabitants in the neighborhood; Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Municipality Leiden, social housing providers and social workers
How were the Participants selected?
Direct contact
Through what means citizens knew about the call for participation?
We have sent three flyers to all the neighbors (around 300) of the area and organized three meetings on the street

Methodologies

Events
4
Methodologies used
Co-Design
Other
Excursion
Methodology description
- Cycle tour with citizens to other small herb/vegetable gardens in the city maintained by citizens
- Co-design with a small group
- Realization of the herb-gardens and knowledge-sharing about gardening
Tools Used
None
Spaces Used
Street(s)

Impact

Output
Other
Small scale project and more information on how to engage
Main Outcomes and Lasting Achievement
In this post-war district, there is a lot of public green space, not used by the residents nor for biodiversity purposes. With this project, we started a top-down project to find motivated citizens to realize a small neighbourhood garden located in the grass field in front of the apartments.
Most of the small herb or vegetable gardens in public spaces in Leiden are bottom-up projects. Some local inhabitants contacted the municipality and asked for the possibility of a follow-up to BiodiverCities.
How were the outcome taken up within the process they were carried out?
We have learned from this process that it takes time for a top-down project to gain the citizen’s interest. The bottom-up projects are still possible in the entire city. In the future we will spend more time in neighbourhoods with a lower social cohesion to inform citizens about the possibilities and help them realise small gardens.
Besides, we organised together with Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Municipality Leiden, social housing providers and social workers information markets to inform and activate inhabitants about biodiversity and explain the possibilities they have to contribute.
Feedback provided
Other
Other Feedback
We have realized three small herb-gardens together with the inhabitants

Assessment

Main Challenges
Difficulties in recruiting participants
Time constraints
Other
Other challenges
Covid-19
Reason for such challenges and solutions
Due to Covid-19, for a long time, it hasn’t been possible to organize events in the neighbourhood. To the digital meetings we tried out, no one came. They preferred a low-threshold meeting in the street.
Lessons Learn
For a top down project it takes time to gain trust and residents’ interest: Call the participants personally one day in advance of a meeting, limit the time and the amount of meetings between the idea and realization of the project.
Recommendation
Make use of something like an information market to find motivated inhabitants, instead of choosing a suitable location in advance to carry-out your project. This way, it is more easy to find interested citizens;t.
In addition to bottom-up projects, top-down projects are also necessary to include further all residents of the city into the making of the city. In addition to the goals for biodiversity, the project can also contribute to strengthen social cohesion.
Resources
Groengroep Leiden Zuidwest - Facebook group
Municipality of Leiden
Gasthuiswijk Leiden