1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Bonn
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Gemeinschaftsgarten "Naturinsel Pennenfeld"
Short description of the intervention
The Nature Island Pennenfeld-Bonn ("Naturinsel Pennenfeld") is a community garden project of the Lebensqualität im Alter - LeA (Quality of Life in Old Age) Association, the District Management (QM) of Pennenfeld and the municipal housing company VEBOWAG (9). The project started in 2012 and its aim was the transformation of a 1,800 sqm large tree-lined lawn area (9). The lawn was to be transformed into a park-like natural community garden for recreation where elderly residents have more opportunity to experience nature, while at the same time it is a place of encounter that promotes social stability by encouraging all other residents to get engaged in the planning, implementation and maintenance processes (1,3,9). Besides enhancing the quality of life for residents and elderly people living with dementia, other project objectives were to foster and increase the local biodiversity as well as to strengthen community building and mutual support in the neighbourhood (2).
Address

Maidenheadstr. 2
53177 Bonn-Pennenfeld
Germany

Location
Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place
Total area
1800.00m²
NBS area
1800.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Previous derelict area
Residential
Public Greenspace Area
Website of the intervention
http://www.bonn.bund.net/themen_und_projekte/gemeinschaftsgarten_pennenfeld/
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2012
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2013
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Goals of the intervention
1. Create a barrier-free place for the encounter between elderly people with dementia and the neighbouring communities and thereby strengthen the local community (2,5).
2. Enhance the living conditions of residents and elderly people with dementia living in the adjacent supervised flat-sharing community by providing a space for light physical activity and a tool helping to bring back memories connected to garden and nature (2).
3. Contribute to the increase of the local biodiversity by renaturation and the use of indigenous plants that attract and give a home for various insects and other animals (2).
Quantitative targets
1,800 square meters of lawn area to be transformed into wilderness areas following the concept of the nature garden (2)
Monitoring indicators defined
Unknown
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Enabling opportunities for physical activity
Improving mental health
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Social cohesion
Social interaction
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Species-focused
Ecosystem-focused
Implementation activities
Implementation of the and the different garden elements is structured into 24 modules all of which are executed in communal work, supported by the neighbours, nature and youth associations and volunteers. Those elements consist of
1. Building of raised flower and herb beds surrounded by pathways accessible for walkers and wheelchairs alike. (1, 3)
2. Installation of a raspberry spiral, natural hedges and garden sculptures (3)
3. Planting of trees, wildflowers and other native plants. Major emphasis is on the accessibility of all trails and parts of the garden with wheelchairs (3).
4. Creation of a swamp bed with native marsh plants (1)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Creation of semi-natural blue areas
Transformation of previously derelict areas
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Blue infrastructure
In-land wetlands, peatlands, swamps, and moors
Community gardens and allotments
Community gardens
Parks and urban forests
Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
The number of raised flower and herb beds is unknown
Vegetation Type
Shrubs
Trees
Flower beds
Garden beds
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unknown
Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS
Fire brigade entrance (3)
Amenities offered by the NBS
Benches and drinking water stations
Other
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Pollination
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Recreation
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Social and community interactions
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Marginalized groups
Marginalized groups
Elderly people
Governance
Governance arrangements
Led by non-government actors
Non-government actors
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The project was initiated by the Lebensqualität im Alter - LeA (Quality of Life in Old Age) non-profit association whose overall goal is fostering communal residential projects for people with dementia in Bonn and surroundings. The project planning was supported by the communal-oriented municipal real estate company VEBOWAG who owns the surrounding residence buildings and the land of the natural garden. The company was represented by a manager to help with the project implementation and it also provided most part of the project costs (3,5). In addition, local environmental associations and NGOs, such as the "BUND Kreisgruppe Bonn" or the local fraction of the green party, joined efforts along with the residents of the neighbourhood to help implement the natural garden (1,3).
Key actors - initiating organization
Non-government organisation/civil society
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Land owners
Real estate developer
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Public sector institution
Non-government organisation/civil society
Citizens or community group
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Land owners
Real estate developer
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
Please specify the "Regional Directive/Strategy"
No information was found on that matter but the additional information gathered in the email correspondence suggests a no.
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan
No information was found on that matter but the additional information gathered in the email correspondence suggests a no.
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Please specify other type of voluntary intervention
Voluntary action serving the local community, focusing on elderly people living with dementia.
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Please specify
There is no indication to be found in the documents, that the presence of a city-wide GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan might have had an influence on the project and its existence. There is a city-level vision called the green masterplan for the Cologne/Bonn region issued in 2010 (original title: Masterplan Grün 3.0) which is understood as an overall guideline and qualitative planning instrument for projects regarding for water, nature, cultural heritage and climate issues (Ref. 8) but this is not mentioned in any connection to the project.
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
not at the time of the intervention, just recently issued in 2017, therefore no connection to the project.
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The Pennenfeld district of Bonn, where the Natural Garden is located become the pilot projects location of the North-Rhine Westphalia State-funded project titled “Intergenerational Living in the Neighborhood” researching how the 3700 residents of the divesrse district lives together and get along. The aim of the project is to detect the barriers standing in the way of social integration and community cohesion and identify good practices that foster the development of social cohesion and a sense of belonging to the district. The project was launched after the implementation of the Natural Garden project, thus it is not directly connected, however, its impacts on social network building might appear in the overall pilot project documentation (5).
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Please specify
The information I gathered from the email correspondence indicates a no.
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
No
Co-governance arrangement
An association
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
€10,000 - €50,000
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
35,000 - 40,000 EUR
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
The total costs were estimated to be between 35,000 and 40,000 Euros. The housing company provided the land and financed part of the project, the rest of the costs was financed by donations coming from the "Bonner Spendenparlament", the local fraction of the Green party and companies from the private sector (3). Community groups also contributed to the development with financial donations and with provision of labor and goods (2).
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Corporate investment
Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Donations
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of land
Provision of goods
Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Other
Business models
Green health model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Type of innovation
Social
Please specify social innovation
The element of innovation can be seen in the gentrification of socially deprived and multicultural residential areas mostly through civic society actions and in the creation of community-enhancing social spaces and interventions in collaboration with a wide set of stakeholders (Ref. 7).
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) without substantial adaptation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
The project is a pilot project of a wider regional programme of the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia whose objectives are improving social cohesion and integration in a district via strategic quarter management. The experience with organizational, strategic and operational processes during the implementation of previous pilots were translated into new pilot projects such as the one in the city district of Dransdorf, where the nature island is located (Ref. 5, 6 and 7).
Replicability/Transferability
Ambiguous (e.g. multiple interpretations)
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Another goal of the regional programme is developing a blueprint for likewise projects in other cities and communities (Ref. 7). It can therefore be assumed that there will be further pilot projects next to the one in Dransdorf, however no concrete evidence for that could be found in the material.
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
Increased green space area
Increased number of species present
Enhanced support of pollination
Restoration of derelict areas
Description of environmental benefits
- The creation of wilderness areas in the garden of the living quarter has resulted in the reintroduction of green space, thereby fostering new habitats for the local flora and fauna. By doing so, it also positively contributed to the enhancement of biodiversity, especially by making use of local, indigenous plants that are under threat or have already widely disappeared in the area (1,2,3).
- The natural, semi-managed green areas of the city of Bonn has increased with the 1800 square meters of the Natural Garden (2).
- With the plantation of wild roses, guelder-roses, wild currant and buckthorn, the number of native plant species in the natural garden has increased which also attracts specific insect and animal species as well. With the buckthorn, the unique brimstone butterfly appeared in the garden that needs buckthorns as a host plant for the first generation of butterflies. This special butterfly is the only Central European butterfly species that live a whole year and hibernate as butterflies. (1).
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved social cohesion
Improved liveability
Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Health and wellbeing
Improved mental health
Improved physical health
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
Description of social and cultural benefits
- Garden meetings and collective cooking were organised in the garden for the residents on a biweekly basis. (2)
- The natural garden was designed for and with the contribution of the residents living in the surrounding buildings. Residents preferences for the green area was taken into consideration when choosing the garden elements. Special focus was paid to the needs and wishes of elderly people living with dementia in the building thus providing barrier-free pathways and raised beds. With the participatory planning and implementation, the livability of the area was improved. (1)
- Wild plants such as mallow, poppy or cornflowers help people with dementia to remember the plants of their childhood and youth as they bring back fond memories and also trigger positive impressions (1,2)
- The garden is accessible for walkers and people with wheelchairs alike providing a place for recreation and relaxation for the whole community. In the raised beds, small flower, vegetable and herb gardens can be maintained by the residents offering another active recreation activity (1).
- Since the project fostered communal work from planning, implementation to its maintenance, the garden has helped build bridges between residents of different generations and cultures and thereby strengthened the community feel among residents, along with the use of the harvested products in a neighbourhood cooking workshop taking place every 2 weeks (4,5).
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Unknown
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Voluntary work opportunities
Work for rehabilitation (e.g. for mental health, prisoners, older people)
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Improved access to green and/or blue spaces
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of September 2020
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Please specify other modes of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
Please note that according to additional information gathered in the email correspondence, these questions would be all be answered with no.
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Major project website
Project folder
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
Project flyer (620.04 KB) 620.04 KB
List of references
1. Bonn Bund. (2016). Gemeinschaftsgarten ‘Naturinsel Pennenfeld’. Accessed on September 10, 2020 http://www.bonn.bund.net/themen_und_projekte/gemeinschaftsgarten_pennenfeld/
2. Lebensqualität im Alter e.V. (2014). Naturinsel Bonn-Pennenfeld, Naturinsel Bonn-Pennenfeld. Accessed on September 10, 2020 http://www.lea-bonn.de/pdf/gartentreff_flyer_2014_web.pdf
3. Jacob, A. (2013). ‘Eine Naturinsel für Pennenfeld’, Bonner General-Anzeiger, 10 April. Accessed on September 10, 2020 http://www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de/bonn/bad-godesberg/Eine-Naturinsel-für-Pennenfeld-article1023761.html
4. Roth, K. (2014). ‘BUND Kreisgruppe Bonn gestaltet Sumpfbeet im Gemeinschaftsgarten “Naturinsel Pennenfeld”’, Bonner Umweltzeitung (BUZ), p. 8. Accessed on September 10, 2020 http://www.lea-bonn.de/pdf/BUZ-4-14-Seite8.pdf
5. Dyck, A. (2016). ‘Auf der Suche nach dem Wir-Gefühl. NRW-Gesundheitsministerin BarbaraSteffensbesuchtdasGenerationenquartier inPennenfeld undhörtauchKritik’, Bonner General-Anzeiger, p. 1. Accessed on September 10, 2020 http://www.lea-bonn.de/pdf/GA-Artikel_160715.pdf
6. Verein familiengerechte Kommune (2017) Pilotprojekt in Nordrhein-Westfalen in Kooperation mit Projektpartnern: Audit „Generationengerechtes Wohnen im Quartier“ (AGWiQ). Accessed on September 10, 2020 http://www.familiengerechte-kommune.de/index.php/instrumente/audit-generationengerechtes-wohnen-im-quartier/
7. WohnBund Beratung NRW / Stadtteilverein Dransdorf. (2007). Soziale Stadt NRW. Bilanz nach 9 Jahren Programmlaufzeit (1996 – 2005). Accessed on September 10, 2020, http://www.soziale-stadt.nrw.de/stadtteile_projekte/profil_bonn.php
8. Schöberl-Floimayr, C., Stadler, M. and Schmoll, A. (2015) Herausforderungen der ‘Stadtlandschaft’ in der Metropologregion Köln/Bonn. Zukunft gemeinsam gestalten. Masterplan Grün, Version 3.0. Köln. Accessed on September 10, 2020 http://www.region-koeln-bonn.de/uploads/media/Masterplan_Gruen_3_0.pdf
9. Die UN-Dekade. (2019). Naturinsel Bonn-Pennenfeld - Garten der Begegning. Die UN-Dekade. Accessed on 10 September 2020, https://www.undekade-biologischevielfalt.de/projekte/aktuelle-projekte-beitraege/detail/projekt-details/show/Wettbewerb/1977/
Interview
Attachment Size
Email correspondence input to governance, financing and innovation (29 KB) 29 KB
Comments and notes
Comments
Policy drivers/local policies: The area of Dransdorf is a pilot project area as part of a wider regional programme of the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia including property companies, NGOs and civic society which aims at improving social cohesion and integration in a district via strategic quarter management and elaborating a blueprint for other cities and communities (Ref. 5 and 6). The additional information gathered in the email correspondence however suggests that the intervention itself however was not a result of this wider programme (see email correspondence in the references section).
Public Images
Naturinseln Pennenfeld
Source: http://www.bonn.bund.net/themen_und_projekte/gemeinschaftsgarten_pennenfeld/
Naturinseln Pennenfeld
Source: http://www.bonn.bund.net/themen_und_projekte/gemeinschaftsgarten_pennenfeld/
Naturinseln Pennenfeld
Source: http://www.bonn.bund.net/themen_und_projekte/gemeinschaftsgarten_pennenfeld/
Please specify other source of non-financial contribution
Public sector institutions such as schools and youth associations.