Visionscapes: combining heritage and urban gardening to enhance areas requiring regeneration

ABSTRACT

With the occurrence of urban densification, understanding the necessity of encouraging and promoting climate- and environment-friendly urban areas has gained ground with urban planners. Ensuring adequate and easily accessible green public spaces is essential for creating healthy environments. In this current study, we look closely at how heritage combined with urban gardening can function as a means to enhance areas that require regeneration. We ask how, in culturally mixed neighbourhoods, urban gardening can link visions of social and physical well-being with urban regeneration. This study is a comparative case study of two regeneration projects: 1) the Darwin Ecosystem Project, which promotes alternative eco-friendly lifestyles and innovative start-ups through the adaptive reuse of former military barracks in Bordeaux, France; and 2) Dr. Dedichen’s Greenhouse, situated in a heritage environment of a former psychiatric hospital in the eastern part of Oslo, Norway. Conflicting economic, political and cultural views are likely to affect the heritage discourse in marginalised urban areas. When describing heritage in the two neighbourhoods, we used the ‘ruinisation’ approach to ensure an inclusive understanding of heritage. We describe how old buildings, fragments of larger structures adjacent to the remains of recent history, can be integrated into urban planning initiatives as part of larger, active place-remaking processes. Residents, artists and various citizen’s groups, alongside planning authorities, are cooperating to transform neighbourhoods into healthy, climate- and environment-friendly places to live and work. Therefore, heritage combined with urban agriculture is a means to enhance areas that require regeneration.

KEYWORDS:

• Regeneration
• urban gardening
• community participation
• adaptive reuse
• mixed neighbourhoods

Acknowledgments

The article is part of an interdisciplinary research project, titled Sustainable Adaptation – Resilience in Urban Regeneration, ADAPT (2019-2022), funded by The Research Council of Norway. Original pen, ink, and watercolour illustrations by Véronique K. Simon Nielsen, at Vro-icon Designs (design and production commissioned for this article).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Notes

1. When referring to conservation, we use it to describe measures to save and protect historical objects or works of arts, including buildings. The term restore refers to actions to bring back, replace, or reconstruct, while safeguarding refers to measures that intend to prevent something from being harmed (Collins Dictionary).

2. In Table 1, the left column concerning Oslo, Trosterud (Dr. Dedichen) is compiled from information in (Hult 1999). The right column concerning Bordeaux, Bastide (Darwin) is compiled from information in (Communauté Urbaine de Bordeaux 2014; Moro and Lacombe 2005, 2002; Donis 1920).

3. In Table 2, the left column concerning Dr. Dedichen’s Greenhouse, Oslo, Trosterud is compiled from data from three sources: interviews with a board member of the association, the associations website and (Hult 1999. The right column concerning Darwin, Bordeaux, Bastide is compiled from data from the following sources: DARWIN [project homepage], (Vidotto 2019 [journal]; Muffon 2018 [Video], Atelier des Archives 2016 [Video]).

The regeneration projects: visions and activities

The regeneration projects: visions and activities.

Dr. Dedichen’s Greenhouse, Oslo, Trosterud

Darwin, Bordeaux, Bastide

Start

2015: The contemporary activities in the greenhouses started2017–2023: Områdeløft improve affiliation. Dynamic development

2007: creation of the concept for the Darwin project.

Co-operating parties

Municipality of Oslo: District of Alna; Omsorgsbygg; BYM; Trosterud Parsellhage Municipality of Oslo: District of Alna; Omsorgsbygg; BYM; Trosterud Parsellhage (interview)

DARWIN: Family group Evolution (founders Philippe Barre and Jean-Marc Gancille). Network of associations for the Caserne Niel.

Visions

Dr. Dedichen’s visions:

• Humans get well through physical labour (according to greenhouse association, Dr. Dedichens grønne Torg 2015b)

• Luctor et emergo (I struggle but will survive/will come through it/remain standing).

• Humanisation of the psychiatric treatment. About putting mentally ill on the same footing as other ill persons (Hult 1999, 44)

The Greenhouse Association’s visions (website):

• Revitalise and reactivate the old asylum area

• Create social meeting places in the spirit of Dr. Dedichen.

• The activities of the association should be across gender, culture, age, religion and politics.

• Strive for an organic and sustainable approach

• “ … visions of sustainable development, local food production, integration and a multi-cultural growing- community”. (Dr. Dedichens grønne Torg 2015a,

  • “ … visions of sustainable development, local food production, integration and a multi-cultural growing-community” (website, our translation).

Humans get well through physical labour (according to greenhouse association, Dr. Dedichens grønne Torg 2015b)

Luctor et emergo (I struggle but will survive/will come through it/remain standing).

Humanisation of the psychiatric treatment. About putting mentally ill on the same footing as other ill persons (Hult 1999, 44)

Revitalise and reactivate the old asylum area

Create social meeting places in the spirit of Dr. Dedichen.

The activities of the association should be across gender, culture, age, religion and politics.

Strive for an organic and sustainable approach

“ … visions of sustainable development, local food production, integration and a multi-cultural growing- community”. (Dr. Dedichens grønne Torg 2015a,

• “ … visions of sustainable development, local food production, integration and a multi-cultural growing-community” (website, our translation).

“ … visions of sustainable development, local food production, integration and a multi-cultural growing-community” (website, our translation).

DARWIN concept: The acceleration of global warming commits us to drastically and rapidly reduce the consumption of materials and energy resources in our cities, invent new economic models and radically change our lifestyle.DARWIN is an urban alternative and uses the cultural heritage facilities as a basis for the project (preservation of the old buildings, establishment of a diversity of organisations and associations; private initiatives and entrepreneurs – involvement can take many forms: volunteering, community service and donations).Darwin principles:

• Creative: do-it-yourself method.

• Wellness: pay attention to use.

• Enriching: through collaboration.

• Intelligent: gather interest groups.

• Ecology: low technology.

Creative: do-it-yourself method.

Wellness: pay attention to use.

Enriching: through collaboration.

Intelligent: gather interest groups.

Ecology: low technology.

Main activities

• Allotment style vegetable growing for members. Tables in the greenhouse distributed among them.

• Inclusion of schools and kindergartens in the area. Some schools and kindergartens have their own

• Community dinners/cafes

• Community events, plant market

• Cultural events (theatre etc.)

• All volunteer based.

• Reuse of building

• Indoor allotment garden

• Public allotment garden (in the plans)

Allotment style vegetable growing for members. Tables in the greenhouse distributed among them.

Inclusion of schools and kindergartens in the area. Some schools and kindergartens have their own

Community dinners/cafes

Community events, plant market

Cultural events (theatre etc.)

All volunteer based.

Reuse of building

Indoor allotment garden

Public allotment garden (in the plans)

• Jobs: coworking, offices, meeting rooms, enterprising businesses, etc.

  • Organic solutions: food and drink (shops and restaurant, bistro), technology (sun, wind and natural insulation), organic farm (see ‘garden’).

  • Sports and health: skate park, yoga, pilates, meditation, etc.

  • Recycling and sorting: bicycle shop, Skate Park, upcycling (creative reuse), reuse of food leftovers, recycling depot.

  • Street Art

  • Garden: ZAUÉ (Zone d’Agriculture Urbaine Expérimentale) «Living Lab» = new form of agriculture in dense urban area.

  • Also aims at education, ‘open source’ dissemination of knowledge and re-creation of good practice

  • Emmaüs: international solidarity movement founded in Paris in 1949 by Catholic priest and Capuchin friar Abbé Pierre to combat poverty and homelessness.

Jobs: coworking, offices, meeting rooms, enterprising businesses, etc.

• Organic solutions: food and drink (shops and restaurant, bistro), technology (sun, wind and natural insulation), organic farm (see ‘garden’).

• Sports and health: skate park, yoga, pilates, meditation, etc.

• Recycling and sorting: bicycle shop, Skate Park, upcycling (creative reuse), reuse of food leftovers, recycling depot.

• Street Art

• Garden: ZAUÉ (Zone d’Agriculture Urbaine Expérimentale) «Living Lab» = new form of agriculture in dense urban area.

• Also aims at education, ‘open source’ dissemination of knowledge and re-creation of good practice

• Emmaüs: international solidarity movement founded in Paris in 1949 by Catholic priest and Capuchin friar Abbé Pierre to combat poverty and homelessness.

Organic solutions: food and drink (shops and restaurant, bistro), technology (sun, wind and natural insulation), organic farm (see ‘garden’).

Sports and health: skate park, yoga, pilates, meditation, etc.

Recycling and sorting: bicycle shop, Skate Park, upcycling (creative reuse), reuse of food leftovers, recycling depot.

Street Art

Garden: ZAUÉ (Zone d’Agriculture Urbaine Expérimentale) «Living Lab» = new form of agriculture in dense urban area.

Also aims at education, ‘open source’ dissemination of knowledge and re-creation of good practice

Emmaüs: international solidarity movement founded in Paris in 1949 by Catholic priest and Capuchin friar Abbé Pierre to combat poverty and homelessness.

(Source information: see endnote 3)

4. In Table 3, the left column concerning Dr. Dedichen’s Greenhouse, Oslo, Trosterud, is based on an analysis of interviews with a board member of the association, participants in the greenhouse and (Byantikvaren i Oslo 2018). The right column concerning Darwin, Bordeaux, Bastide is compiled from data from the following sources: (Salem 2019 [Journal], Barthélémy 2018 [Journal], Muffon 2018 [Video]).

Reuse of the past and prospects for the future

Reuse of the past and prospects for the future.

Dr. Dedichen’s Greenhouse, Oslo, Trosterud

Darwin, Bordeaux, Bastide

Extent of reuse of history and remains in the regeneration process

• The residence and the surrounding park

• Three greenhouses (two smaller ones from asylum, one larger from work training)

• Two remaining hospital building (Centralbygget and Annekset)

• An allotment garden (close by)

The residence and the surrounding park

Three greenhouses (two smaller ones from asylum, one larger from work training)

Two remaining hospital building (Centralbygget and Annekset)

An allotment garden (close by)

• The warehouses from the 19th century have been preserved and have become an emblem of ‘the cultural heritage of the 21st century: economically innovative and ecologically responsible

The warehouses from the 19th century have been preserved and have become an emblem of ‘the cultural heritage of the 21st century: economically innovative and ecologically responsible

Types of benefits

• Social benefits for the participants in the project:

• A place to socialise

• A place to learn (about growing vegetables, food recipes, other cultures etc.)

• A place to feel safe and affiliated

Social benefits for the participants in the project:

A place to socialise

A place to learn (about growing vegetables, food recipes, other cultures etc.)

A place to feel safe and affiliated

• Ecological benefits with low technology, innovative approach to energy and climate challenges.

Ecological benefits with low technology, innovative approach to energy and climate challenges.

Challenges and vulnerability

• Dependence on volunteer work for regular management

• Dependence on funding through future municipal budget and political support

Dependence on volunteer work for regular management

Dependence on funding through future municipal budget and political support

• Real estate development poses a threat to the project.

• The city of Bordeaux started in 2010 to build a new ecological neighbourhood that threatens to replace Darwin’s temporary occupation permit.

• However, Darwin succeeded to consolidate and anchor its hybrid model with an additional hectare in 2014.

Real estate development poses a threat to the project.

The city of Bordeaux started in 2010 to build a new ecological neighbourhood that threatens to replace Darwin’s temporary occupation permit.

However, Darwin succeeded to consolidate and anchor its hybrid model with an additional hectare in 2014.

(Source information: see endnote 4)

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Norwegian Research Council

Notes on contributors

Grete Swensen

Grete Swensen, ethnologist, and research professor at Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, NIKU. Her field of interests comprise studies related to how cultural heritage and cultural environments can be incorporated in today’s physical planning, including integration of cultural heritage as a vital component in sustainable development.

Vebjørn Egner Stafseng

Vebjørn Egner Stafseng is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Biosciences, at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. He holds a master’s degree in Agroecology from the same university and has been working with the topic of urban agriculture and gardening, with a focus on social aspects, for the past years.

Véronique K. Simon Nielsen

Dr. Véronique Karine Simon, researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU), architect and landscape researcher. Her work includes topics related to heritage and landscape values in sensitive environments. She is involved in several national and EU-funded research and innovation projects.