Synthesis
The Luoshan Community Service Centre is currently the only group house for elderly people in an open style, combining a service centre for youth with the service centre for elders. This creates an opportunity for the elders to communicate with people from outside.

Description
The centre consists of 4 parts: a Services Centre for the Elders, a Service Centre for Youth, a 999 Hotline and a Community Education Service Centre. It is run by the people of Luoshan community and supply service for themselves. Which restore the trust and responsibility of people to manage and use it.

Context
Society in China has been changing rapidly and the traditional administrative infrastructure has not been feasible to the new communities of city. Communities still play very little role in social solidity and public service for the people in them.
From the YMCA perspective, it is retained today as a largely secular (or else inter-religious) organisation. Its model of governance has created a diversity of YMCA programs and services, with YMCAs in different countries and communities offering vastly different programming in response to local community needs.

Development phase
The main innovation of this case is the change of one idea: people don’t have to be managed but could manage by themselves. The Centre supplies an opportunity to everybody to have trust and responsibility within community. Luoshan community service centre is an emerging type of community management.

Who is involved and how
The centre is promoted by YMCA shanghai (Shanghai Young Men’s Christian Association) with support from street government which provides hard condition and policies. But it is managed by people of community themselves.
Benefits
Social: The centre supplies many public services for the people and increases the communication and interaction between people of community. The life of people improves through community involvement.
Environmental: Some activities of centre could increase the ideas of environmental sustainability in the mind of people.
Economic: People can have many services in centre for free or for very low price instead of general price outside, which decrease of living cost of people there.

Perspectives
The centre has been established for 10 years and has had great success in guiding the social infrastructure development in a healthy and sustainable way. Self-management and community involvement are the direction of development of cities and communities.

Research
Miaosen Gong, Politecnico di Milano

Promoters
São Paulo´s Environment State Office, schools, colleges, companies and condominiums all over Brazil.

Solution
Around the metropolitan area of São Paulo, the occupation of the vehicles is on average 1.5 people for each car. Considering the fact that there are four places where people can comfortably sit in a car, this number can damage many aspects of a good living structure in the town. The number of the cars on the streets is extremely high, causing heavy traffic, polluted air high levels, a increasing of the travel period and stress for many people.
The São Paulo´s Environment State Office found a good way of joining the people who have the same schedule and are interested in sharing their cars with other people. The office created a software in its site to organize the driver’s groups, divided in three: common companies, common schools and common condominiums. They can download the version in which best interest them and fill a form with the address, time of the activities and other in formations about their profile, such as hobbies and if they are smokers or not. By this form other people can easily find a partner with the same profile to share a drive.
Still in the town of São Paulo, students and professors from the State University created a program called “CaronaUSP” on which consists in a website construction to cross information between the people who want to get a lift to the college. The interested people must create a login in the site and fill some information about their routines. They can also post an add telling about their lift needs or still offering a lift. The students most of the time, share the gas count.
In the city of Curitiba, Paraná state, some mothers organized themselves to pick up their kids in the school. They alternate the days of picking up the children and save time to do some other house activities. The school Alto São Francisco help the mothers to find other mothers who live in the same area of the town by letting them put adds in the weekly school paper. In the same city, at Santa Cruz University, posters are made to stimulate the students who have a car, to drive thru the buss station next to the university and offer a lift to others students.
This is an idea spread all around the country with a nice spirit of helping other people, bringing also self-benefits and an environment protection.

Benefits
- It reduces the level of polluted air, helping the environment
- It reduces the heavy traffic on the streets
- It makes people find others with the same interests
- It helps people pay the car’s expenses
- It reduces the stress caused by the traffic and the long time driving a car
- It gives company to people when they are driving
- It helps other people to get a transport

Active Welfare, why?
- The people who give a lift to others also get benefits by knowing a new person and reducing the expenses
- The drivers manage the lifts autonomously or can be helped by the university or school to find a lift partner
- The solidarity lift was created by the drivers who wanted to share the car with others and people who needed a transportation
- It generates sociality between people who did not know each other

Research
Welfare Observatory

Promoters
Communitarian Association of Boa Esperança, Cláudio Lúcio da Silva and Inhabitants of suburbs in Minas Gerais

Solution
Most of suburb areas in Brazil suffer with a disregard of the government in some social aspects. They are usually poor and the most needing areas in the cities.
This project was created as an answer to combat the hunger and to increase the citizenship of the lacking suburb districts in the state of Minas Gerais. With the support of Banco do Brasil Foundation, the idea of cultivating a communitarian vegetable garden appeared in the district of Boa Esperança, south of the state. At that time, Cláudio Lúcio da Silva was the local communitarian association president. He had the idea about asking to the fallow lands owners in the district, the authorization to cultivate vegetables in there. It was advantageous for the owners, because they didn’t need to spend with cleaning it and the lands would be all surrounded, what guarantees that there won’t be any invasion.
The Foundation financed the material that was used to begin the planting, such as fences to surround the land, soil and manure. The first five bills of water are also paid by the Foundation. The residents help to clean the land, to buy seeds and to maintain the plantation. They learn this way to, later, manage the project by themselves. Part of what is picked goes for donation to the suburb inhabitants; the other part will be sold with low prices for the rest of the population. The collected value will be invested in the own vegetable garden.
Besides supplying families, the planting accomplishes an important social paper by offering work to the unemployed and integrating residents of the district. Senior and children feel useful; neighbors that once weren’t friends, now are socializing better and unemployed that used to drink all the day came to work voluntarily.
The project had also thrilled and inspired other neighborhoods in Minas Gerais, such as Ribeirão Neves that copied the Boa Esperança´s successes experience. The data transfer is made through the distribution of explanatory books and videos prepared by the Communitarian Association of Boa Esperança.
As the result was positive, Cláudio Lúcio da Silva enrolled the project in the Banco do Brasil Foundation social technology contest. After president Lula’s election and the creation of Programa Fome Zero (a program against hunger developed by him), the government made a rising in the database and found the project Horta Comunitária, that today makes part of the Public Alimentary Safety’s Program. He was also candidate for alderman, but he wasn’t elected.

Benefits
- It gives food supply for low-income population in Minas Gerais
- It improves the quality of nutrition, with vegetables cultivated without the use of pesticides
- It reduces the expenses with feeding
- It eliminates the eventually fallow lands in the cities
- It reduces the rubbish and garbage in the urban areas
- It reduces the violence by the elimination of the fallow lands, where used to happened lots of crimes
- It gives kids, unemployed and old people an activity
- It increases the social integration between the populations in each district

Active welfare, why?_
- The periphery inhabitants in Boa Esperança and other districts are generating benefits for themselves
- The inhabitants of the districts manage autonomously the maintenance of the vegetable gardens
- The Communitarian Association of Boa Esperança being supported in the beginning by Banco do Brasil Foundation created the solution
- The project is social by reinforcing the neighbourhood socialization inside each participant district

Research
Welfare Observatory

Synthesis
“Ainonghui” (the work group of communities support agriculture) established a bridge between urban young people and the natural (organic) agriculture resources. It established connections and trust relationship between urban communities and organic farmers.

Description
Ainonghui found farmers working with “natural” agriculture produce (rice, vegetable and poultry), using traditional/local seeds and natural methods, and agree on the bargain of products and service. On the other side, they connected to urban people, activating their interest and making them involved in the network to booking and buying the agriculture products and service. They also open a showroom/ store to be a connection between suppliers and consumers.

Context
Today, people in cities have more interest in rural life and slow food (although Slow Food movement or philosophy is not known locally). With the industrialization of agriculture and environmental pollution, urban people are becoming more aware and eager to have more natural and healthy food. Since this is such a new trend, there are no information platforms for that and no related credit system.

Development phase
From a micro-scale, they tried to organize the natural agriculture recourses and keep the quality of products and process. And more and more people in urban communities would like to join net work to get the high quality food from the network.

Who is involved and how
Ainonghui connects farmers who prefer to do farm in original way and communities who would like to have their products.

Benefits
Social: It promotes sustainable agriculture and slow food, makes communities people have more healthy food and experiences, strengthens the social fabric, and increases the trust between people.
Environmental: Community supporting agriculture will promote the sustainable agriculture, keep the species diversity of agriculture and decrease the passive influence of environment from modern agriculture such as chemical fertilizer.
Economic: It promotes small-scale economy in the country, especially local agriculture trade and tourism to increase the income of farmers.

Perspectives
It’s a typical case of bottom-up system and self-management, where they recover or establish the trust between farmers and urban people as a main interesting point of this case. The difficulty relies on the expansion of the network, since it will not be easy to sustain the trust links (in a larger network).

Research
Miaoesen Gong, Politecnico di Milano

Synthesis
The initiative relies on the purchasing power of consumers seeking a healthier and safer lifestyle, with a direct participation into production. It opens up a direct conversation between producers and consumers.

Description
The co-op has started on January 1993. Products are mainly everyday food, such as vegetables, eggs, milk, rice and fruits. To cut down the costs, small well-organised purchase groups were formed and became responsible for collecting the orders, delivery and other logistic matters that are conducted regularly every week or/and every month. Co-op also organizes many related workshops and events to arouse the consumer awareness on food production and a sense of looking for a better living and healthier food.

Context
With the development of modern agriculture, although the volume of agro-products increases fast, the quality of products is falling and also suffers from the environmental pollution. Living consumption cooperation was created to face this challenge.

Development phase
The key innovation of co-op is to promote the green and sustainable agriculture production and consumption in such a way that all participants are directly benefited. In addition, a strong mutual help spirit has been developed and a solid friendship to counter the cold, alienated social atmosphere of the city.

Who is involved and how
The promoter of co-op is a women association of Taiwan. They organize women to establish co-ops together. Co-op has many farmers and producers as stakeholders of supplier and establishes steady purchase relationships. Co-op has also service points for the distribution of products.

Benefits
Social
- Products with more local flavours, using local farming methods or traditional lifestyles are encouraged, like some special vegetables in particular area or some dried food or tea in some particular villages.
- Concern the development of local agriculture under the influences of globalization.
- Concern human rights and the living of minority, like women, farmers, native people and handicapped in the rural area.
- Better food supply, which are more original, natural and nutrient without adding artificial substances.
Environmental
- Decrease in consumption and less use of package (e.g. paper), better use of resources, including recycle materials.
- Use of re-cycled material or containers for food package, e.g. re-cycle paper to hold eggs, use of re-cycle material to product glass bottle for milk.
- No use of chemicals for seed treatment and less use of pesticides.
Economic
- Better management on soil, organic fertilizers only, healthier crops, better harvest.
- A more stable and reasonable price for the produce
- Empowerment of the women, a self-development in the co-op.
Perspectives
Co-op is a good platform to decrease the consumption and production risk and restore the trust and credit system of agriculture production in an ecological and sustainable way. It’s also easy to replicate because every participants has strong common motivation.

Research
Hong Kong Polythenic

Education in enjoyable surroundings.

Solution
Café Zoïde is a combination of a neighbourhood workshop and a café, independent from the school system but providing educational yet liberating surroundings for children. The scheme offers a playground for families, art courses and exhibitions, help for foreign parents and children, a café based on exchange and participation, and a library of information. It is also a dynamic and convivial influence on the neighbourhood.

Background
A group of people decided to create a warm place to go in the winter, where young people could meet and play. They also formed an artists’ studio, where they exhibit and promote young people’s work, and a place where families can meet and interact. Building a café focusing on a specific target audience, in this case children, is an easy and positive thing to replicate elsewhere – all it needs is a well-functioning team of people that concentrate on the specific needs of the customers. And, of course, giving children of all ages a place where they can play, learn and grow as individuals is always positive and would benefit any community.

Current state of development
Started as a unique café in Paris in 1997, Café Zoide is now developing a concept that can replicate the idea in other neighbourhoods. The organisation is financed by subsidies and other small contributions, which could be boosted by selling the children’s artwork or promoting the organisation more efficiently.

The benefits

Society
Café Zoïde allows children to develop into individuals in a very open-minded and unconventional way. It treats children as people and helps them to find a way to communicate with adults and children of any age and cultural background in their own way. It is now an essential meeting point for families from the neighbourhood, deeply involved in the everyday life of the community.

Environment
Even though there are no obvious benefits to the environment, the people and children of Café Zoïde try to contribute to saving our planet. They try to use biodegradable materials for their various projects, consume fair-trade products, take care of the green area of Paris and their immediate surroundings and, in particular, try to instil the value of the environment in the children.

Economy
The town-hall of the 19th arrondissement supports the project financially and by donating space. Still, the Café Zoïde-team hopes to be independent soon to be free of conventional bureaucratic rules. Being independent without diminishing the positive image of the association is very important to all involved. They do not want to turn this project into a business for fear of losing the spirit of a community-project.

The quality of the experience
For the children, the pleasure of playing in a joyful place with the feeling of being independent

Future development possibilities
Conceiving multi-service centres to merge complementary functions
Designing furniture, communications items, tools and infrastructures to help children become independent and skilled.

Authors
ENSCI Les Ateliers, Paris, France
Patricia Zapfl

‘Creating a children’s café is a very interesting business idea and is a win-win situation which addresses important social aspects. Café Zoïde is different from normal nursery schools. It is most importantly a café for children to which they can come and go, join in the games they want to and learn to be independent individuals.’ (the authors of the case study).

A flexible, customised professional day nursery for small groups of infants, at a reasonable price, and with a socialising environment

Solution
The service is run for the municipality of San Donato Milanese by a cooperative of 80 members started in 1999 to organise services for infants, the disabled and the. It offers professional nursery care to small groups of two or three children under three years old. Children are assigned to a childminder, who looks after them in her own home. The carers look after and educate the children, and take them also to other activities for infants organised by the local authority to help in the baby’s social development. The service is focused on two main concepts: having a maximum of three children per house, making it easier for the childminder to take them out on her own, and that the childminders should be well-trained.The scheme offers new job opportunities, especially for immigrants, and a new, flexible and personalised kind of childcare. The parents have to drop off and pick up the baby at the carer’s house and provide the baby’s food.

Background
Developed as an industrial area back in the 1960s, San Donato Milanese is home to many young professional people and immigrants, all living away from their families and their help in raising their children. The number of children keeps increasing, and the existing nurseries cannot satisfy the community’s nursery needs. In 1999 more than 60 families were denied places at the nurseries. The local authority developed the service with the cooperative in 2000.

Current state of development
At first, the families only used the service because there were no spaces in the existing nurseries. But today, even if places are available, and even though this service is a little bit more expensive, some parents prefer it to the nurseries. What’s more, families that start using the service for one year usually stick to it until their babies are three. In 2002, the service started being open to foreign residents and using foreign childminders, which was considered an important step in the development of the service. Childminders are paid 3.30 euros an hour per child. The costs are shared between the local authority and the family: 20% is paid by the family, 20% is paid by the local authority and 60% is divided between the two according to the family’s income. The cooperative supplies nappies and changing equipment, mattresses, pushchairs, high-chairs and toys. The initiative brings a monthly income for the cooperative of around 35 000 euros, which is partly reinvested in the service.

The benefits

Society
This service both offers parents a flexible solution to the problem of nursery places and supports the children’s early socialisation. It provides jobs for otherwise unemployed childminders, which was especially important to immigrant residents who otherwise had had to have their children looked after by relatives living far away due to delays getting their visa. By working for the cooperative they can both take care of their own children and work for the community.

Environment
The solution optimises the use of existing private structures for semi-public and business activities, and reduces the number of journeys between homes and nurseries.

Economy
Using the childminders’ own homes is a less costly and quicker solution for the local authority than building and administrating new nurseries. The service provides an income to previously unemployed childminders.

The quality of the experience
For parents, being able to have a trusted, homely nursery so nearby. Being able to take part in the education of their own children and making a small home-based business using their own skills.

Future development possibilities
Creating dedicated spaces for common services (such as small private kindergartens) close to, or inside, residential buildings. Developing methods of allowing teachers and parents to communicate in real time.

Authors:
Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Begum Arseven, Chiara Zappalà

Mothers bring their children to the childminder’s house…
…where they meet and start playing games…
…and then go out together to join the other activities.
Later at home, the childminder finds out what food mom has put in the lunch bag…
She feeds the baby with the food prepared by his mother.

People interested in healthy lifestyle and preserving the environment obtain organic food from local farmers, and also support their production.

Solution
‘Les Jardins de Cérès’ is consumer group which wants local farmers to produce food organically. To do this, the group orders the produce in advance, before it is even planted, and guarantees to buy the crop. The association is inspired by the AMAP (Association pour le Maintien d’une Agriculture Paysanne) system, well known for some years in southern areas of France. An AMAP is basically a group of customers (organised by the farmer) who buy goods from one particular farm. In this system the customers adjust their demand to what the farmer can offer seasonally. Members of Les Jardins des Cérès have persuaded a cereal farmer, with about 250ha, to use one part of his farm to grow organic potatoes – the simplest crop. The members of the association helped the farmer during the process – they cleaned the 400-year-old cellar and created storage places, and helped plant, tend and harvest the potatoes – and in doing so developed a close relationship.

Background
Palaiseau is a small town in the suburbs of Paris, which has becoming more and more built up, with shopping malls and industrial areas eating into farmland over the past few years. Several groups formed to protest against these developments. Isabelle Morgan, living in Palaiseau, joined a demonstration organised by a group campaigning against the construction of a new shopping centre on a huge stud farm. She realised that just protesting was not offering any solution, so she contacted existing associations to increase the impact of their actions. During this process she heard about the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in the USA and saw the model as a solution to the problem. Looking for similar organisations in France the group found the AMAP. After contacting several farmers in the region, Isabelle Morgan and her friends met Emmanuel Vandame, a farmer willing to try such a venture.

Current state of development
Les Jardins des Cérès was founded in December 2003. For the first year of its existence its 150 members ordered a batch of three tons of potatoes, which were grown on the Plateau de Saclay close to Palaiseau. The process created a social network, where people share their environmental convictions, experiences and ways of life. The farmer was paid in three parts: first third in advance to pay for the plants and the tools; the second third half-way through production, and the third part when the potatoes were harvested. The price for one kilo was evaluated in advance by taking the average price of organic potatoes.The association doesn’t get any external financial support: the members pay a yearly fee of 10 euros for pay for renting a meeting room, telephone calls, internet connection, and publicity – leaflets and website.

The benefits

Society
Through creating a direct producer/consumer link farmers get to sell their products for a good price and work under better conditions, and customers can buy high-quality locally produced products for a good price. By improving the economic situation of the farmer these organisations may well slow down the industrialisation of the countryside.The members very much enjoy the social network, and are very aware that the project needs social connections in order to work. Knowing the producing farmer is also a benefit for both consumer and farmer.

Environment
The project offers an alternative to the industrialisation in the area of Palaiseau, while supporting and developing local organic agriculture. By offering the farmer a good price for his produce the association lets him earn a living, so he is not forced to sell his land for development. The project supports keeping green areas around the town. The farmer, who used to only grow cereals in a conventional way, is now interested in expanding organic cultivation step by step. Also, by promoting a direct producer-consumer-link the association reduces distance produce is transported.

Economy
Any economic benefit in the first year was mostly for the farmer, as the association paid the ‘shop-price’ for the potatoes to help the farmer buy the necessary tools, get to know the organic process, etc. Over the coming years they will steadily decrease the price so that consumers also benefit economically.

The quality of the experience
Supporting a local farmer in using natural methods of cultivation. Being in touch with the local area and getting the best from it. Taking part in the farming activities, and getting back to nature

Future development possibilities
Creating multi-channels and multi-media communication platforms between producers and consumers. Designing dedicated packaging and logistic solutions for a network of small producers

Authors
ENSCI Les Ateliers, Paris, France
Milamem Abderamane-Dillah, Andreas Deutsch, Luiz Henrique Sà

Not satisfied by his work through conventional farming methods, Emmanuel Vandame, the farmer was close to closing his business. With the project he saw a chance of making his living without subsidies from the state, working in a more human context and helping him try organic farming. ‘We are going to double the cultivation area … community-supported agriculture is on its way.’

Il servizio per una mobilità sostenibile

Stop alle spese di bollo, assicurazione e allo stress del parcheggio; nasce MilanoCarSharing, un servizio di auto in condivisione disponibile 24 ore su 24, che permette di sfruttare l’automobile solo quando serve, pagandone l’utilizzo effettivo.

Attore protagonista, nonché promoter del servizio, è Legambiente Lombardia, che organizza e coordina le attività, gli accordi economici, le convenzioni e gli abbonamenti personalizzati.
Gli altri partecipanti dell’iniziativa sono gli utenti, che una volta tesserati prenotano l’auto mediante sito internet o telefonando ad un call center, i garage convenzionati, che custodiscono le auto e le consegnano all’utente, VAI, società autorizzata al soccorso stradale e al servizio di call center, che da una centrale operativa riceve le prenotazioni.
I primi servizi di Car Sharing nascono in Svizzera, Germania ed Olanda circa 20 anni fa. Solo da qualche anno sono approdati in Italia, per la crescente esigenza di ridurre l’impatto ambientale della mobilità in città.
MilanoCarSharing è stato il primo operativo in italia; attualmente si parla di 620 abbonati con 2 nuovi iscritti al giorno. Le auto disponibili sono 25, distribuite in 13 parcheggi convenzionati dislocati in tutta la città e serviti da mezzi pubblici.
Le tariffe, pari a 1.80 € l’ora e 0.32 € al chilometro, sono comprensive di tutto: assicurazione, manutenzione ordinaria e straordinaria, soccorso stradale, carburante, più le agevolazioni su abbonamenti ATM, Europcar, FS.
Ovvi i benefici: riduzione dell’ingombro di strade e marciapiedi, diminuzione di polveri tossiche e dell’inquinamento acustico.
Gli investimenti per il futuro non devono essere, dunque, concentrati su studi di fattibilità, ma sullo sviluppo della mobilità combinata. Basterebbe rendere i parcheggi pubblici meno onerosi per i fruitori del servizio, creare apposite aree pubbliche e corsie privilegiate, permettere la circolazione in caso di blocco e stipulare convenzioni con le municipalizzate.
MilanoCarSharing: l’auto che ti libera dai problemi dell’auto.

People over 55 live in a resource-sharing community suited to their diverse needs and lifestyles

Solution
Aquarius is a social community of about 45 older people living together, helping each other when needed. They want to grow old together. They each have a private home and garden, but also use a communal space and large communal garden. The inhabitants help each other out as much as possible. A committee organises the community, and has the task of vetting potential new members, who can apply between ages 55 and 65 (to make sure there are is always a mix of younger and older residents). Aquarius is a community where elderly people spend their days in an active social active environment.

Background
In 1984 a group of elderly people who did not feel comfortable living alone, but even less comfortable living in an elderly home, took the initiative to establish an elderly living society in Eindhoven. These people wanted to have an environment that was better adjusted to the needs and wishes of their age category. Some of these people lived on their own and felt lonely, with little or no social connections to society. Other people felt insecure in their own houses and wanted to get a safer feeling. Others needed regular healthcare but were reluctant to go to an elderly home.

Current situation
The founders of the community initially spent a lot of time investiagting postive features of other elderly communities to implement in their own. Since it started in 1990, not much has changed, except for the arrival of a few newcomers, and small practical improvements to the community. The inhabitants rent their houses from an Eindhoven housing society, which owns the buildings, and rent the communal area between them. Committee work is voluntary, and the main garden is maintained by a gardener which they also pay between them.

The benefits

Society
Living in Aquarius encourages active social contact, and helps keep inhabitants’ lives as vital as possible, in a safe, friendly environment. Members remain active and independent for a longer period; society in general reduces the need for nursing of the senior citizens. Aquarius encourages the distribution of giving and receiving aid over the retirement years.

Environment
As most of the activities take place within Aquarius, transport intensity is minimised. Children of the inhabitants don’t often need to help them with problems, as most help is given by fellow inhabitants, which also reduces journeys.

Economy
The economics of Aquarius are almost the same as normal life. They rent a house and the activities are organised voluntary by fellow inhabitants. Mutual co-operation saves a lot of money.

The experience
A peaceful, well-run common garden acts as a transition zone and place to meet others. A communal area for activities is a perfect combination of public and private space. Helping neighbours when they are sick engenders a feeling of being cared for.

Future development possibilities
Creating communal spaces in the buildings would allow inhabitants to organise more kinds of activities together.

Authors:
TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Yanick Aarsen, Emiel Lagarde, Dick Rutten, Niko Vegt

“Aquarius is like a student house for elderly people. People there seem to be socially connected but also able easily to maintain their privacy. Many people told us the arrangement is the perfect compromise between living on your own and living in a nursing home.” (the authors of the case study)

Children get to school by themselves - enjoyably and safely

Solution
The walking bus encourages children to walk to and from school in the safety of a group under supervision of one or more adults. Safe routes are created and become a fun part of children’s daily routine. They meet their friends, talk and play, and share experiences outside the school. Gradually this builds up the children’s autonomy and personalities. It is also good exercise, and frees up time for the parents, who would otherwise have to take the children to school. What’s more, it improves children’s road safety awareness, improves pedestrian safety, and creates friendlier neighbourhoods as people get out and interact with one another. Finally, it reduces traffic pollution and accidents involving child pedestrians.

Background
Walking bus is an initiative by some teachers at an elementary school in Milan to improve the health and the well-being of children. In Milan, a large part of daily traffic congestion is caused by taking children to and from school by car. However, it’s difficult for children to walk on their own, because of unsafe roads and pavements often being blocked by parked cars. The walking bus protects and organises the groups of children.

Current state of development
The pilot project began in 2000 and finished in August 2004. Now, the programme continues with volunteers of grandparents, friends and teachers. The system is based on an idea first proposed in the USA and UK, which had the same or other kind of problems in implementation: little support from the public administration and bad infrastructure. In Milan the solution has been enriched with many activities inside and outside the school, such as cultural and art festivals, board games and art work which have increased the neighbourhood’s respect for children and the environment. Nowadays, there are very few costs.

The benefits

Society
Walking to school means that people don’t use their cars; this reduces traffic, accidents and pollution, and eases congestion on public transport. On a social level, the system recreates the sense of neighbourhood that existed a long time ago but has been lost in big cities. Developing this system could see schools as promoters of new ways of living, involving the whole community and increasing its responsibility towards children.

Environment
This system reduces traffic jams, air and noise pollution near schools and makes the streets more pleasant to live in. It also reduces fuel consumption, thus improving the environment.

Economy
This solution both gives parents time to do other activities, and saves money on fuel.

The quality of the experience
The children have the fun of going to school together on a daily urbanadventure. Elderly who help have the satisfaction of feeling useful in society.

Future development possibilities
To create communication tools and infrastructures to help children become independent and skilled.

Authors:
Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Emilia Douka, Luca Peluso

8:00am: the meeting point in square Constantino
8:05am: the grandparents and friends arrive
8:08am: the first children arrive and slowly the group increases
8:13am: the walking-bus is ready to move
8:15am: the ‘red’ group moves
8:23am: the group arrives to school

Children are the main users of this scheme, and like it because it gives them the chance to socialise with each other outside school. They would like to adopt the solution permanently, getting more and more autonomy over the five years of school.

Its success is due to the interest from the school’s director and teachers and to the curiosity of children about doing new activities with new people. But there are problems: parents are still scared to let children walk to school alone and public administration doesn’t support this project.

A puiblic green makes a neighbourhood more beautiful and welcoming.

Solution
Loan Gardens is a public green, which as been turned into a garden by the residents. There are a lot of public green spaces in Overvecht, and residents wanted to use this particular area to give the neighbourhood more identity. Residents who want to garden there first ask permission first of the ‘De Bram’ community centre, which also provides all the information they need, as does the municipal housing corporation, Overvecht. When permission is granted residents receive a management contract, and sometimes some funding, which makes then the owners of the public space they applied for and they can start gardening. The association provides advice, gardening courses and plants for the inhabitants, and the district office and students of nearby Wellant College help with planting.

Background
Overvecht is a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Utrecht. It consists mainly of blocks of flats; the area tends to be drab and grey, and lacks a positive identity. Another problem is that residents tend not to know each other, even in their own block of flats, and feel no responsibility for their neighbours. This problem is common to much of The Netherlands, particularly where the community is multicultural, as in Overvecht, and people are not used to each other.

Current state of development
Loan Gardens came to life in the 1980s. The general idea is not new, but was a new concept for this neighbourhood, giving it an identity and solving the problem of lack of social contact in the neighbourhood. From the Loan Gardens initiative, initially taken by an artist of the neighbourhood, new services have been developed The Loan Garden service itself has improved, and housing corporation Portaal has created a new division, focusing on social circumstances, which aims to improve the neighbourhood. Inhabitants mostly buy the plants and tools themselves, with the district office or the housing corporation providing a subsidy when necessary. The district office has a district budget which is also available for the gardens.

The benefits

Society
Since the residents started doing things together, communication barriers have diminished sharply. Gardening provides an opportunity for a Dutch woman to talk with a Moroccan man, which would otherwise be problematic. People have started feeling more accepted in society, which will improve their daily lives. The fear for the unknown has disappeared – for example, residents now know that one of the hang around youngsters, who previously they perceived as threatening, is in fact the son of Mr Chamli, their neighbour.

Environment
The environment gets an identity, because every gardener or resident’s committee adds a garden design. It also means a cleaner environment, with both gardeners and non-gardeners looking out for litter.

Economy
The local authority saves on public space maintenance, now the green spaces are better managed.

The experience
Pleasure in taking care of both individual and common environment, and feeling responsible for it. Pride in creating, and maintaining, a better neighbourhood. Expressing oneself in creating original garden designs.

Future development possibilities
Creating services and infrastructure to manage problems collectively. Generating platforms for sharing instruments and skills.

Authors
TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Lucas Bos, Jussuf Kopalit, Joel Rene, Bart Smit

How young people live independently, yet communally.

Solution
Oranssi renovates houses for young people looking for a more communal way of living. Inhabitants participate in the renovation from the beginning, and maintain the houses afterwards. Neighbours know each other and are active in taking care of communal maintenance, such as garden work, snow ploughing, etc. Oranssi flats are as cheap as the cheapest council flats (for which there are long queues), and residents are allowed to renovate their flat as they wish and to participate in their house community, with its socialising as well as repair and maintenance work. Members, who must be under 24, need to take responsibility for the work involved and to be prepared for a more communal way of living. Whenever a vacancy arises, people can apply to the board, and are chosen by interview. The original members have become valued experts in traditional wooden house repair techniques, which they pass on to new residents. Unemployed young people can also get temporary work placements, and young carpenters can do their practical training there.

Background
There is a shortage of houses for the young people of Finland. This has come a time when people are starting to look for more communal ways of living, for company and security.
Oranssi emerged in Helsinki during a deep recession about ten years ago. Rents (and deposits) in the city were, as now, very high, with very little ‘cheap’ housing available. Youth employment was, and still is, a problem. In 1990, a group of around 20 people, all under 20, began squatting in protest at this situation, taking over abandoned industrial residential buildings, only to be evicted a few days later by the authorities. Eventually, the city offered them two empty wooden houses that had been squatted and needed renovating. In exchange for cheap rents, the group took over the renovation. A system evolved whereby the city offered the group empty residences, and young residents moved in and renovated them. Oranssi became well-known, the flats were known to be cheap, and the lifestyle was attractive, so numbers grew quickly from 20 to 600.

Current situation
Oranssi was registered in 1990. At the moment it maintains about 80 apartments, with about 110 residents, in Helsinki. The Oranssi Youth house at Herttoniemi has evolved into an open-minded culture centre and a lively meeting point. Cases like this may be found in other countries, but Oranssi is unique in Finland, maybe because the Helsinki City authorities are more open-minded about this kind of development than others. The group does not want to grow too large or take on any new houses at the moment. There is, however, a new phase planned whereby Oranssi will design and build a new set of houses from the ground up. The Oranssi association is run by one paid staff member and volunteers, and is financed by RAY (a gaming association raising funds for social organisations). Oranssi Housing Ltd is a private registered firm that owns all the residential buildings and handles the rent contracts. Residents pay for their own renovations while Oranssi Housing pays for the larger collective renovations and maintenance.

The benefits

Society
Young people can afford Oranssi housing and are not therefore threatened with homelessness nor cold, isolated council living. Unemployed young people can get work placement experience on a renovation site and learn valuable skills. Helsinki residents are inspired by the members’ active participation in creating their own opportunities.

Environment
Residents, neighbours, and others learn the value of older buildings, especially wooden houses, and members learn important skills, such as construction techniques, alternative energy choices, etc. The material waste is reduced. One problem is that Oranssi is perceived as too marginal and ‘hippie’ by more conservative, older members of society.

Economy
The residents learn the direct relationship between cost and value: ‘The more you do yourself the cheaper your rent becomes’. Cheaper rents and employment opportunities mean fewer social security payments. The return on investment is very high, as the buildings gain in value when renovated and maintained to a high standard. The city authorities benefit as they do not have to cover the cost of renovation or demolition. Challenges in the future may be retaining the renovation skills needed, and attracting and retaining those with a good head for business.

The experience
Participants learn how to live independently from the family but be surrounded by people willing to create a community. People also learn how to restore and mend their own home.

Future development possibilities
To develop services to encourage more people to build or restore houses themselves

Authors
University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland.
Cindy Kohtala, Miro Holopainen

The Oranssi philosophy: ‘If it isn’t broken it shouldn’t be fixed, but if it is broken it’s most likely possible to repair it’. The success and failure of Oranssi will depend largely on the key people involved in the organisation.

Una spesa consapevole

Filo di Paglia nasce a Milano dieci anni fa da un gruppo di volontari decisi a modificare i propri consumi secondo criteri di maggior consapevolezza, giustizia e solidarietà.
Fare la spesa in modo diverso: ecco la motivazione principale di chi sceglie questo gruppo.
Aderire è rendersi disponibili, è partecipare alle attività, è l’impegno a prestare un servizio efficiente e di qualità, il tutto in un’atmosfera di grande entusiasmo e amicizia.

Dalla partecipazione al Filo di Paglia i volontari ci “guadagnano” la possibilità di poter acquistare e consumare prodotti di cui ne conoscono la provenienza attraverso visite ai luoghi di produzione e conoscenze dirette con i produttori, che ottengono un pieno guadagno dallo scambio.
A livello pratico, l’ordine della merce avviene tramite mail ai produttori che si impegnano settimanalmente nella consegna; all’ arrivo dei prodotti, i volontari si occupano della suddivisione e preparazione dei singoli ordini, pronti per il ritiro diretto.
A livello economico-gestionale, aderire al gruppo richiede un contributo monetario annuale da parte di tutti, non solo per coprire le spese di gestione, ma anche e spesso per sostenere e finanziare piccoli progetti di sviluppo in Italia e nel Sud del Mondo.
Ma il Filo di Paglia è ancora tante cose: seguire la stagionalità dei prodotti, riscoprire i sapori, è il gusto di “farsi” le cose attraverso simpatici momenti insieme scambiandosi abilità personali; è la sfida di cambiare e rimettersi in discussione, è fantasia, e riduzione degli sprechi…
Far parte di un Gruppo di Acquisto Solidale come il Filo di Paglia implica l’adesione a un progetto culturale d’interesse sociale.
E se, a questo punto, qualcuno si sta chiedendo perché “Filo di Paglia” ? Al n.2 di via Marco D’Oggiono chieda di poter leggere “La rivoluzione del Filo di Paglia” di Masanobu Fukuoka.

Inhabitants improve living conditionms in their village environment

Solution
Residents have taken over responsibility from the local authority for certain maintenance tasks for their neighbourhood. A residents’ association decides, with the local authority, what work needs doing, then organises it among local residents. Although the local authority pays for the work, responsibility is devolved to the residents’ association. The local authority and environmental organisations give the residents practical advice, and environmental awareness.

Background
The idea of resident involvement emerged from a discussion group called the Denktank (thinktank). This panel of resident and local authority representatives continue to have monthly meetings where they share ideas about how to improve the neighbourhood.

Current state of development
The system, neighbourhood shares, began planning at the beginning of 2004 started properly in autumn 2004. It was initiated by International Institute for the Urban Environment, NV Woningbeheer (a company organising communal maintenance projects of houses in private ownership) and the department of Nature an Environmental Education of the City of The Hague. It is one of the first examples in the Netherlands to take such an initiative on a local level.

The benefits

Society
The residents learn how to take care about their own environment by themselves, and become motivated to complete maintenance tasks. By completing its own maintenance, and learning how to value and take care of its own environment, The Hague could become a good example for other cities.

Environment
By tending gardens and tidying streets, the project has made this corner of The Hague a healthier place to live.

Economy
The system saves the community money. As well as the responsibility for neighbourhood maintenance, the local authority has also transferred the municipal budget reserved for these tasks to the residents’ association. A neighbourhood maintenance fund has been created which is managed by the residents; shareholder meetings decide how to invest the money in upgrading the neighbourhood.

The experience
Pride maintaining the beauty and cleanliness of the neighbourhood.

Future development possibilities
Creating a technological platform for sharing tasks and managing activities.

Authors
TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Szonja Kadar, Bart Nijssen, Marijn Peters, Ralph Zoontjens

Une association pilote pour la Belgique qui conscientise et agit vers un bien être social et environnemental.

Présentation

• Promotion de : l’agriculture, du jardinage bio, de la biodiversité
• Aliment comme lien entre producteur et consommateur
• Mise en place, promotion des circuits de distribution courts
• Renforcement de la ruralité
• Eco-bioconstruction et formation
• Promotion de tourisme rural et alternatif
• Visites et rencontres, partage des connaissances dans différents domaines.

Fonctionnement

(Nous nous sommes particulièrement intéressé aux groupes d’achats communs.)
• liste de produits définis en groupe.
• rencontre organisée en fonction de critères : éthiques, écologiques, géographiques et sociaux avec le(s) producteurs
• les partenariats établis, une commande est envoyée. (Commandes centralisées et transmises au(x) producteur(s) à fréquences variables)
• tâches réparties en fonction des disponibilités de chacun

Contexte/ solution

L’agro-industrielle même bio n’est pas :

écologique :
Surconsommation d’énergies (transport et emballage), excédant de production, culture intensive.

éthique :
Producteurs mis sous pression, production hors échelle humaine.

économique :
Stockage, intermédiaires

Niveau de la solution

18 salariés, 5000 adhérents «nature & progrès » Belgique (l’association est plus importante qu’en France),
15 groupes d’achat

À venir:
7 groupes d’achats supplémentaires sur l’année et de nouveaux locaux.

Environnement

Économie d’énergie : transport de proximité, emballage inexistant, production sans pesticides, meilleurs gestion de la terre, respect des cycles saisonniers, culture sans OGM, fertilité améliorée.
Augmentation de la capacité de la terre à résoudre ses problèmes.

Social

Rapports humains aux producteurs ainsi qu’entre consommateurs, confiance, partage de connaissances,
échanges entre des gens de cultures et de classes sociales différentes. Reconnaissance du travail du producteur.

Économie

Création d’un secteur économique et d’emploi

Bénéfice pour le groupe d’achat :
le volume « important » baisse le prix, pas d’intermédiaires, les produits peuvent être moins chères qu’en grande surface.

Bénéfice pour l’association :

Vente de livre.
Salons sur le thèmes de l’écologie.
Édition du magazine «Valériane»

Perspectives

La diffusion de l’information au plus grand nombre dans le but de généraliser le système de groupement d’achat commun
Publication, site Internet, formation, stage de sensibilisation, accessible au plus grand nombre.

Nature&progrès, 520 rue de Dave, 5100 Jambes Belgique Contact: Antonio Fernandes «antonio@natpro.be » tel 081.30.36.90

Groupe d’achat commun de produit bio

INNOVATION CLÉ
Il s’agit d’un endroit où l’on peut acheter des paniers bios provenant d’une agriculture locale.

FONCTIONNEMENT
L’idée est de se regrouper, de manière à faire une commande groupée à un agriculteur proche et ainsi accéder à des produits garantis bio tout en ne déboursant pas plus qu’au supermarché du coin.
Ainsi chaque semaine, le mercredi plus précisément, une vingtaine de “gaceurs” (prononcer “gaqueur”) se réunissent pour passer commande pour la semaine suivante et enlever la commande du jour. Ils se partagent les différentes tâches de logistique à tour de rôle. Les produits disponibles sont repartit en paniers légumes (poireaux, potirons, choux, épinards, carottes, cresson, …) ou fruit (pomme, poire et venant du commerce équitable). Chaque client recevant le même panier, mais changeant chaque semaine (il y a du pain aussi).

CONTEXTE
Des habitants du quartier F. Cocq à Ixelles suite à la dégradation du quartier on décidé de se regrouper en un comité, afin de se retrouver pour discuter, organiser des activités, essayer d’améliorer leur quotidien.
Suite à une montée en puissance de la malbouffe, le groupe était désireux de susciter une réflexion sur la consommation, les circuits de distribution des produits alimentaires de base, les multinationales agro-alimentaires, les OGM, etc. Et proposer une alternative concrète de distribution en “circuit court” et en autogestion de produits d’alimentation biologiques.
L’idée était de mettre l’alimentation biologique à la portée de toutes les bourses et de donner aux citadins un accès facile aux produits de la ferme tout en soutenant les petits producteurs biologiques artisanaux locaux.

DEVELOPPEMENT
Il s’agit de diminuer au maximum le nombre d’intermédiaires entre le légume et notre assiette. Le but est aussi de permettre aux producteurs et aux consomm’acteurs de se rencontrer, de connaître les contraintes et les attentes de chacun.
Le producteur prépare directement une vingtaine de paniers que deux bénévoles cosomm’acteur réceptionnent dans leur petit local (utilisé à d’autre fin habituellement), se succède alors la venue des différents consommateurs. Cette action reste une action locale, de proximité, qui nécessite peu de moyen (petit local, petite consommation, pas de stockage), juste un peu de temps de la part des bénévoles.
Cette action reste discrète peut-être par peur d’être submergée… mais mériterait d’être connue du tout public.

BÉNÉFICE ENVIRONNEMENTAL
Les produits étant locaux le transport de marchandise est fortement réduit. On favorise une agriculture écologique, sans pesticide. Revaloriser des légumes oubliés, ce sont les légumes de saison qui sont cultivés.

BÉNÉFICE SOCIAL
Il s’agit de créer un lieu de rencontre où débattre et s’informer sur la malbouffe, l’agriculture biologique ou classique, industrielle ou artisanale, les légumes oubliés, les légumes de saison, des recettes de cuisine et d’autres thèmes environnementaux ou sociaux.

BÉNÉFICE ÉCONOMIQUE
Le comité perçoit des bénéfices 0,20€ par panier ne payant que la consommation d’électricité, le local étant gracieusement prêté.
Le but étant avant tout de favoriser les petits producteurs bio locaux trop souvent menacés par les grandes multinationales.

PERSPECTIVES
A court terme, on pourrait voir se développer d’autre initiative locale dans Bruxelles et dans d’autre ville.
L’idéal serait que les pouvoirs publics se rendent compte de l’intérêt pour l’agriculture écologique et que le gouvernement prenne des mesures dans ce sens.

Déborah une artiste du coin, consomm’actrice du gac.

GAC du Comité cité, D’Ixelles rue de la Tulipe, 1050 Ixelles 02.511.01.21
Recherche par Anouk Mardaga et Beatriz Cantillana Architecture d’intérieure.

People are taught about trade without attending a conventional course.

Solution
The training shop gives professional courses about the sales industry allows students to put theory into practice in the on-site shop. The aim is to enable young people and adults who are either unemployed or of low education find fulfilment through work. The shop only sells fair trade products. The main motivation of the organisers is both reintegrate people into society and introduce ethical issues by selling fair trade products only. Students who wish to take part are first assessed by the ANPE then sent to the ‘mission locale’ which decides the best location for each individual. Training lasts four months with three weeks dedicated to internship. Every day the students come in the morning for their course, one opens the shop, and every two hours they take turns to run the shop. The students follow strict discipline, having to be present on time there and supervised at all times by the team.

Background
The project was founded and run by Marcel Finders and TEREM (‘territoire et emploi’), created in 1992 to give young people the opportunity to go on exchange in Europe but later evolving to provide (re)integration into professional life. In Paris the training shops are set up in areas where they are needed. The drivers of the scheme are both social and economic: social because the students regain social and professional confidence; economic because it improves the living standards of both students and the producers of the fair trade products.

Current state of development
The project was founded in 2001, and was supported by the European Social Fund for its three first years. As the training shops are recognised as training centres, the Conseil Regional de Paris contributes funds for each student under 26 and, while the DDTEFP funds for the older students. All money earned through sale of the products goes to the fair trade producers. TEREM runs four shops in Paris and its suburbs and wants to see how they work in a network. It has written a report to help other organisations start their own similar schemes. It has some other projects in the pipeline, including selling fair trade products online (at www.omnibus.org).

The benefits

Society
The training shops provide knowledge, experience and skills to empower unemployed people through sales training, with the added advantage of gaining experience in fair trade. At the same time, food producers get to sell their products at the right price and get their work recognised. Human contact is an important part in the reintegration process: by belonging to a group and meeting people the students become more socially confident. Also, being given responsibilities in the shop gives the students necessary self-confidence to succeed.

Environment
The fair trade system supports local agriculture, which allows small farmers to earn a living and to work in harmony with the earth.

Economy
The shop has no commercial aim and is not allowed to compete with the local trade. It gets about 10 customers a day, but this is constantly increasing, thanks to the media, development of customer loyalty and word of mouth. The association’s income increased by 60% its income in 2003, which it reinvested in the structure. It also benefits the producers, who are paid the right price for their work.

Future development possibilities
Developing multi-service centres where complementary functions can be merged

Authors:
ENSCI Les Ateliers, Paris, France
Milamem Abderamane-Dillah, Goliath Dyèvre

Fresh, organically grown, reasonably priced vegetables are delivered to the door, together with recipes, and opportunities to visit the farm.

Solution
The Apfelbacher Gemüsekiste delivers a box of local vegetables and fruits weekly, giving several options: a basic assortment with only vegetables, one with additional fruits, a single box and a family box. It is also possible to order special vegetables and fruits, bread, cheese and tinned meat. The basic vegetable box costs about 12 euros. The products are fresh and seasonal, and have to be grown locally. Customers are often surprised to find unknown vegetable or fruit in their box: products that they would have never bought otherwise, because they don’t know how to prepare them. For this reason, a list of recipes is included in the vegetable box.

Background
It is quite difficult to buy fresh, organic vegetables and fruit for a reasonable price in big cities. Moreover, the existing markets do not offer vegetables and fruits that don’t assure the shop a certain profit, or that are not easy to grow or handle. This reduces awareness about food varieties and leads to the loss of knowledge about traditional ‘grandmothers vegetables’.
The Gemüsekiste service was conceived to address these issues.

Current state of development
The project was started in 1995 by the Apfelbacher family, a couple of farmers adopting ecological methods of production because of a deep belief in sustainable growth.
Today the enterprise employs, in addition to the owner, between two and five for farming and managing the service, and has around 400 clients. In the Cologne area two organisations offering similar services, but the Apfelbacher Gemüsekiste is the most experienced and most organised. Without any marketing or advertising, Apfelbacher Gemüsekiste is still growing, showing that customers do want organic quality food.

The benefits

Society
The service fosters consciousness about tradition, taste and the coherence of food and season, and has made people realise that organic food can be affordable.The Apfelbacher family also helps to spread knowledge of organic farming and its importance for sustainable development by inviting primary school classes for visits to the farm.

Environment
The production of organic food, avoiding the use of genetically modified seeds and pesticides and following organic and seasonal cultivation techniques, reduces pollution, preserves the landscape and safeguards biodiversity. As all the food in the scheme is grown locally, the reduction of food transportation radically reduces the environmental impact of the food chain and reduces the need of energy for cooling and freezing (food is fresh and seasonable).

Economy
The case study demonstrates that ecological production can be economically sustainable: 20 years ago, when the Apfelbacher family started farming organically, there were about 30 other small farmers surrounding of the village. Today only the Apfelbacher family (and one extensive farmer) survives, thanks to the high quality of the product and the creation of a direct, innovative link to the consumers.

The quality of the experience
The luxury of receiving food to your home, and feeling confident about its provenance
Being in touch with the surrounding region getting the best from it

Future development possibilities
Creating multi-channel and multi-media communication platforms to connect producers and consumers directly to each other, and to network producers. Create a platform of technical services to support local small farmers and food producers. Design dedicated packaging and logistical solutions for small producers in the network.

Authors
School of Design, University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, Germany.

Camilla orders on the farm website, and the farmers prepare a box with the vegetables and fruits that she asks for. Weekly, one of the farmers travels with a little truck around the city to deliver the boxes for the clients. If she is not home, the box is left in front of her apartment.

Residents transform an abandoned plot into a shared neighbourhood garden.

Solution
This run-down eyesore was transformed into a dynamic, locally run community garden, meeting and events space. The 270 square metre shared garden is a platform for a multitude of activities; it inspires interaction between generations and involvement with local schools. The Jardin Nomade offers a free and open space where locals of all age groups can meet and have fun. A monthly meeting is held by the Association du Quartier Saint Bernard (AQSB) to exchange information, organise events and deal with any problems. Claudine Raillard, a professional gardener, performs the general management and supervision of the garden, draws up contracts, distributes individual garden plots, gives gardening advice and programmes activities, undertakes environmental research (such as water collection) and organised the brick architecture (hut) project. The AQSB organises monthly meetings, within and beyond the neighbourhood by holding social events, such as soup parties, making sure that something is always happening in and around the garden.

Background
The Jardin Nomade (JN) is in a quiet residential part of Paris, between two busy streets to the east of the Bastille. Despite the influx of young people and tourists attracted by the lively shopping, café and bar activities, there is still a strong a local spirit in the neighbourhood, and fiercely supported by local associations such as the AQSB. On the initiative of local residents, supported by the AQSB, JN was developed as a community garden, built on a site which had been abandoned for almost a decade. Local residents and families undertake the daily care and cultivation of the vegetable garden, and local schools provide environmental education activities for the children.

Current state of development
After several years of trying and a change of municipal leadership, in 2003 JN came to life. From an empty plot, the first flowers and vegetables were harvested in 2004. The garden was blooming! The JN is now authorised to remain on site until 2010. JN has inspired the design of the Main Verte system — an environmental charter created by the Ville de Paris parks and gardens department which underpins the protocol for use of the garden, and sets out rules for environmental behaviour. The charter has served to inspire other similar projects in Paris and periphery. The garden is matured and the success of the neighbourhood dynamic widely recognised. Originally designed to be moved on once the city-owned plot is reclaimed (a multimedia centre is scheduled to replace the garden in 2010), locals hope that the city will make the garden permanent. This seems more and more likely. City Hall loans the site, provides infrastructure (water and electricity), servicing (waste management) and equipment (fencing, soil, growing boxes). JN provides management, supervision and gardening advice, and distributes the 54 garden plots. Each cost 21 euro each, of which 50% goes to JN, and 50% to City Hall.

The benefits

Society
JN inspires inter-generational interaction, involvement with schools (which can extend activities outdoors to a safe, local city venue) and associations, and creates a healthier environment. Claudine Raillard (AQSB) is devoted to community action and increasing environmental awareness through city gardening. Teenagers are taking an interest in the garden since young graffiti artists painted the mural on the back wall, making the garden visible from far away. Even elderly and unemployed are finding roles and exchanging expertise.

Environment
The Main Verte (Green Hand) charter supports such initiatives as part of Paris city-wide policy for sustainable development; this encourages local consultation/participation, ‘greening’ the city, etc. The charter states that all sites must respect the environment, develop biodiversity, and encourage actions to develop environmental and civic responsibility, especially in the young.

Economy
The garden is maintained for very low cost, thanks to the enthusiasm of the plot hirers. The system is possibly over-reliant on goodwill, unpaid workers.

The experience
Pleasure in taking care of one’s own and common environment and feeling responsible for it.
Pride in making and maintaining a better neighbourhood. Expressing oneself in creating originals garden designs.

Future development possibilities
AQSB used growing boxes designed by students. City Hall may sponsor a series for use in other projects. Windmills/decorations were developed by a designer with local children from plastic waste. Association AKARAS constructed a hut on site with locals, to demonstrate brick architecture. Main Verte has inspired 18 working projects and 30 proposals for future sites

Authors:
ENSCI Les Ateliers, Paris, France.

Everyone, including passers-by, gains from greening the city, increased environmental awareness in children and teenagers, and the emergence inter-generational anmd intercultural encounter and exchange. Healthy, outdoor nature activities for all have evolved. The dilemma is that JN has become a victim of its success – there are now too many users for too few growing plots.