Project Overview

Shenzhen Co-building Gardens is a site that takes the public green space as the carrier, mobilizes professional forces, social organizations, community residents, and other positive factors, carries out horticultural activities and community environment improvement in the way of consultation, co-construction, co-governance, and sharing. It can provide the public with a "participatory" and "pro-nature" healthy urban life, with the purpose of realizing the construction of an ecological city, cultivating a green ecological citizen, making them jointly committed to the construction of an ecological city, so as to improve the residents' sense of belonging and cohesion in the city.
From 2020 to 2022, Longgang Co- Building Gardens has completed the construction of 45 Co- building gardens, including 35 Campus gardens, 5 Enterprise gardens, 4 Community gardens,and 1 park garden.

Project Commissioner

Longgang District Urban Management And Law Enforcement Bureau

Project Creator

Shenzhen Dream Ecoland Landscape Co., Ltd.

Team

Lan Qixia, Zhang Ning, Yu Cuiqi, Lin Pinting, Wang Qiuchun, Cai Min, Zou Ruifeng, Zhong Jian, Zhong Lihong, Wu Ruoying, Zhuang Haiyong, Zheng Chaoyan, Xiao Yi

Project Brief

In 2022, Dream Ecoland Landscape was commissioned by Longgang urban management to build 15 co-building gardens. Twelve of them are on campus, and the other three are located in Vanke Commercial Plaza Child-Friendly Community, Longgang Children's Library, and Longgang District Veteran Cadres Activity Center.
Through the construction of different types of gardens, we found that gardens present ecological value, environmental education value, and social value, especially the campus garden carried rich and diversified educational functions and sustainable operation and maintenance.
In March, the sites for these gardens were open to all and received strong support and active participation from local residents. A total of 300 application forms were received. After preliminary screening of application materials, 22 sites were selected and experts - design-construction tripartite parties were invited to inspect and score the sites. Finally, 15 garden sites were selected.

Project Innovation/Need

We co-design each garden with the Public. In the design workshop, we let community residents, school teachers, and students express their ideas about the garden by building models, sticking keywords on notes, etc., and even directly drawing the design
. In the building workshop, we involve people of all ages in planting flowers. A total of 46 events were held and nearly 1,200 people attended.
The participation of these participants in beautifying their communities and campuses has had a great impact on them. The promotional news tweets were read 46,980 times and influenced more people to get involved in gardening and beautifying the city.

Design Challenge

The Co-building gardens project is based on the principle of co-building by all parties. We insist on organizing design workshops, public forums, and creative solicitation activities to understand the needs of various users in limited time and funds and try to tap the resources available to various parties such as social welfare organizations to bring together various forces to jointly build the garden. In construction, we insist on building the garden according to local conditions and designing it with eco-friendly thinking. The materials used in the garden are mainly wood, and the use of cement and other materials is minimized. We use the pruned branches of the trees to make Treadstone, benches, planting edges, and even art installations. We also invite the public to bring plastic bottles, bottle caps, milk powder cans, and other materials from home to make wind chimes and fun pendants to decorate the garden.

Future Impact

Full exploitation and utilization of local resources, such as assessing existing soil conditions, making rainwater collection systems, retaining original plants, and recycling waste. In the construction, green wood materials are trimmed down, and ecologically recycled bricks, organic fertilizer, and other environmental protection materials are used. Through the design of food forest, We use pruned branches and an ecological environment has emerged, and realize the natural circulation of micro-ecology in the garden. Materials such as plastic bottles and milk powder cans brought by citizens from home are made into wind chimes and fun pendants. In the process of Co-building, the masses are fully mobilized, volunteer teams are formed, and volunteer leaders are selected to plan and coordinate volunteer activities as a whole; establish an online community of volunteers to exchange garden resources and share high-quality resources and projects of garden projects. Then, by organizing empowerment training, the volunteers can realize the recycling of local resources by composting fallen leaves, composting kitchen waste, and building earthworm towers.

Better Future - Environmental Sustainability

Projects that encourage a positive environmental impact through understanding and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
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