Planting Design 2013 Working Group 12 - Case Study C

---> back to group page working group 12

Schrebergarten

Name	Kleingärten or(Allotment/Community Garden)
Location	Karlsruhe
Country	Deutschland
Authors	Razan Alsoud


Error in widget GoogleMaps: unable to write file /var/www/wikienfk5/extensions/Widgets/compiled_templates/wrt67e6348099d797_22718349

Rationale: Why is this case interesting?

I chose this case; " Kleingarten or (Allotment Garden)" because it's a unique example of "Urban gardening" within the immediate surroundings of cities, that it has a history behind it. Those gardens are spreading not only all over European cities, but also in cities in The United Kingdom, The United States, Russia and The Far east. Since It has many positive returns on communities. It's a new concept for me, as we don't have this kind of practicing urban gardening back home in Amman/ Jordan or any of middle eastern cities, so I would like to take this opportunity to know more about this form of urban gardening by searching more deep into it.

These gardens, relates to me since I moved to Karlsruhe, as a landmark I perceive everyday, that home is near after a long day at the office. How it's nearly empty in the early morning and busy at the end of the day and even more in weekends. So it acts like a breath for people in the city.

Author's perspective

I'm documenting Kleingärten from my perspective as an architect with an experience in landscape architecture, I'm interested in such cases because I see, it's a simple way of introducing a new natural layer of Kleingärten to the layer of urban dense cities. this addition preserves the city's natural native habitat, in different action areas in the city and make it more green.

first, I would analyse it's history and how it was functionally developed through the years. my location focus will be in Karlsruhe. Due to the numerous Kleingärten in this city (about 10 Kleingärten), I would take different examples and talk about their planning composition in relation to the city itself and the surroundings, what geometry they took, inner circulation form, existing structures and types of plants species used in and of course it's wide positive returns for a healthy community.

Landscape and/or urban context of your case

Bio-geography, cultural features, overall character, history and dynamics
Illustration: Map; sketches; short descriptive analyses

In 1919; an allotment holders organization was founded in karlsruhe. The "District Association of the garden friends Karlsruhe eV" is connecting now 78 allotment associations with over 9,000 garden plots. The district association is farmer-general of the city of Karlsruhe and Baden- Württemberg. He leased the land allotment to the clubs. These give the garden plots from with sub- leases to the individual garden tenants. The allotments on site of Deutsche Bahn AG have their own organizational structure. They are managed by the web - agriculture eV. According to the Federal Law Garden for a small garden is used for non-commercial cultivation of fruit and vegetables for their own consumption and for recreation. At the same time the allotment must be part of a common system. The garden enthusiasts share routes, play areas and club houses. Schrebergarten, Also called Kleingarten or a variety of other names, the name Schrebergarten comes from Dr. Daniel Gottlob Moritz Schreber, who advocated the development of garden parcels for workers living in cramped city conditions. In the mid-1800s, he helped to develop the first parcels in Leipzig.

(see History of Kleingarten Concept map below)

The German standard size for a plot is 300 - 400 m2, the areas are split up and run by different clubs, they have a reputation for being a bit 'spiessig' and have a strict rules stating things such as height of the hedges, how often the grass is cut (For tall shrubs must cut back to 1.60 meters), when gardeners can use machinery.

Generally, Allotment gardens in Karlsruhe are even situated at the edge of the city; along the train tracks and highways and where high pressure electricity poles are or near from the factories. others are situated near the forest. for the allotment gardens inside the city Karlsruhe, they would be in between the residential areas.

What you can find in the garden? Gazebo with doors, windows, seats, roof overhangs, benches, sundials, planters, garden paths and borders, trellises and wind barriers, play areas and play equipment; garden pond, compost heap, greenhouses, cold frame, fruit trees, soft fruit, lawn, flower beds and borders, bird baths, ornamental trees.

Minimum requirements for the small garden design:

- A third of the area is small horticultural use with fruits and vegetables

- Composting

- A garden gazebo in a simple design, it included the placement of garden tools and toilet facility

- The maximum covered area (porch and patio) is 24 square meters floor area, which is partially locally further restricted

Objectives of the Garden Organization:

-Receive allotments as natural habitats in the city

-People create and maintain direct contact with nature

-Guide and motivate people to environmentally friendly gardening

-Initiative step to deal responsibility in dealing with resource promote nature

Analytical drawings

Please add four analytical sketches/drawings (or montages/schemes) of your case and take the following aspects into account:

natural dynamic versus cultural framework - in how far do these two forces come together in your case?
dynamic through the year (you may imagine how the site looks in spring and summer, maybe you also remember it)
highlight potentials and problems

Analytical Drawings
analytical drawing 1
analytical drawing 2
analytical drawing 3
analytical drawing 4
analytical drawing 5
analytical drawing 6
analytical drawing 7

Projective drawings

Please add four projective sketches/drawings (or montages/schemes) for your case and take the following aspects into account:
- How would you like this case to change in the near future? (in 1-2 years)
- And how could it look like in 10-15 years?

Projective Drawings
projective drawing 1
projective drawing 2
projective drawing 3
projective drawing 4

Summary and conclusion

The essential function of the small garden is to address the lack of private open green spaces in the basement apartments. Allotments thus serve mainly the day and weekend recreation therefore, they should be close to housing. In 2003, there were approximately 100 000 storey dwellings into comparison to around 9000 small garden plots in Karlsruhe. The allotments take an area ratio of 30 percent of the green spaces in Karlsruhe. Their benefit is partly due to their ecological and urban climate compensation function; on the other hand they carry with their types, shapes and variety of colors to enrich the urban landscape and to enhance the living environment. Also they are open for walkers, that offer a high-quality leisure and recreational value.