Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display

Urban Gardening in Shaping a Creative City

Klimkiewicz, Anna (2024) Urban Gardening in Shaping a Creative City. Bachelor thesis.

[img]
Preview
Text
Urban-Gardening-in-Shaping-a-Creative-City.pdf

Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

Urban gardening in the context of the creative city sees spaces that are designed and maintained to be attractive, inviting, and memorable for the communities they serve. Creative city policies form an approach that stems from urban development theories that foreground the importance of cultural aspects in building and designing urban environments. In addition to reshaping spaces through placemaking, urban gardening may also encourage placekeeping as those who benefit from the spaces wish to maintain and sustain the elements that contribute to pleasant and enjoyable areas. The central question of this study asks what the motives, goals, and strategies of urban gardeners in Amsterdam’s Betondorp are in relation to placemaking and placekeeping of their neighbourhood through the activity of urban gardening. Through qualitative research in the form of walking interviews data was collected at two urban gardens in the neighbourhood of Betondorp, located on Amsterdam’s east side. The focus of the interviews lay on discovering the motives and strategies that each gardener employs to create a space in their neighbourhood that serves a different purpose for each gardener. The findings suggest that cohesion and connection among neighbours facilitated by participation in creating an attractive and inviting shared space is a central motivating factor for Betondorp’s urban gardeners. Furthermore, making a space multi-functional in producing food to harvest as wells as a public gathering space establishes a place considered worthy of stewardship. Urban agriculture is emerging as a practical and purposeful measure that combines necessary city greening efforts with opportunities for residents to design their own green spaces that can be used to grow food, support local ecosystems, and be used as an inviting place for community members to gather.

Item Type: Thesis (Bachelor)
Degree programme: Human Geography and Planning
Supervisor: Popken, B.F. and Haas, B. de
Date Deposited: 05 Jul 2024 10:55
Last Modified: 05 Jul 2024 10:55
URI: https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4554

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item