Research projects

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is undertaking a wide range of activities to adapt to climate change and improve the quality of urban life. These include the continuation of the state initiative “Rethinking urban allotment gardens - innovative concepts of today for the urban development of tomorrow” and the launch of a state initiative “Sustainable green spaces in the city”. Knowledge of the implementation and effectiveness of existing approaches is important for their design. In 2021, the BEG NRW developed a brochure on the state initiative “Rethinking urban allotment gardens” to guide the development of new allotment garden concepts and initiate activities.
The aim of the project is to evaluate the dissemination of the approaches for allotment gardens mentioned in the brochure as well as other approaches (e.g. to gardening or do-it-yourself initiatives), and to derive new recommendations including innovative new examples.
In order to achieve this goal, we first examine current transfer-oriented communication models for their usefulness and derive a practicable impact scheme from them. In a second step, we conduct semi-structured interviews with representatives of selected target groups (e.g. example municipalities, organizations and interest groups, professional associations) about their knowledge and use of the brochure as well as about other current innovative examples areas of urban gardens, attractive public open spaces, allotment garden types and public outdoor communal spaces. We then select innovative individual examples the newly identified examples and document them through on-site inspections/recordings. We will further conduct guided interviews with the project managers of these innovative examples in order to identify inhibiting and promoting factors in the implementation of the projects. The results of the study will be used to draw conclusions for the communication and further development of advisory products, particularly with regard to state initiatives. In addition, an overview of the compilation of newly identified current examples in the areas of urban gardens, attractive public open spaces, allotment garden types and public outdoor community spaces will be provided. It will be supplemented by documentation of the examples assessed as innovative and the associated obstacles and support factors.