TUNING 24 - Open Research Amsterdam
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34 VALUES FOR SURVIVAL: CAHIER 3 24 35
TUNING 24
TOGETHER
STORY BY DEBRA SOLOMON
IMAGES BY GIJS FRIELING
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shopping malls, bike paths, a
playground or two, and a metro provide food for everyone here –
What a funny bunch we are here station. Our neighbourhood designed, especially now during humans, other animals, plants
in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Some is only 50 years old. It was the pandemic, and during the We are going to grow a food and fungi. If we design it well, The soil will become rich, absorb
of us were born here, some of us first designed as a large park climate crisis. We would like forest from the lawns and tiny when it grows it will almost take more water and allow more
come from faraway places with that would reach the nearby greenery where we can harvest woods, and store rain in the care of itself. Some plants will plants to grow. We will work
different cities and countryside, farmland. It was to be the fruit, nuts and herbs. We want trees and soils. It will cool our cover the soil, keeping weeds with the seasons as part of an
different farms and gardens. greenest part of Amsterdam. We the animals and insects to feel summers and warm our winters, away or keeping the soil from enormous diversity, right in the
Here, tall apartment buildings love it here. But, we would like safe here, living among more protect us more than the drying out. And we’ll give space middle of the city. What a funny
are surrounded by lawns with our greenery to be even more trees, flowers and fungi than greenery does now, preventing to the hardest workers of all – bunch. And some of us are not
tiny woods, roads, carparks, enjoyable than when it was first they can count. winds and drought. It will the insects and earthworms. even people!
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there? We all notice different We have started gathering on wildflower seeds are set and
things about this place because Wednesdays to cook and eat, lawns kept short, and one April sown. Where nectar was once
But how do we imagine more we are so different. Some of us in the neighbourhood now. to plan and draw together. while the bees are still eating, connector of all the city's greens,
than-what-is already there? If notice trees, and others notice During long walks together, Starting with our different the mowers only notice the flowers’ futures were seeds sown
we make a food forest starting soil. Our group is filled with we notice the way everyone ways of noticing, we design length of the grass. through bird-butts and wind.
with the greenery we already expert noticers – bird and insect notices and this is becoming our how to add more plants, and When the mowing begins, bees'
have, the tiny woods and lawns, noticers, and birds and insects language. And we are becoming more-than-plants, to the food A bee’s song: bellies go empty. Flower powers
how can we be sure of what we that notice wildflowers! Some of a community. It’s fortunate that forest. With the city’s support “Just when the wildflowers defeated by other powers that be.
already have? If none of us can us notice the neighbourhood as we are so different, so that we we are planting winter flowers, bloom in spring, all the lawns are 22 times, rain or shine by design.
see all of it, or know all of it, it’s been for 50 years, and some can notice more things together tempting more bees to join us. rhythmically mown. 22 times Fragmented landscapes cause
how do we know what is really of us notice what’s happening differently. But the city mowers like the till the end of October, before species decline.”
40 VALUES FOR SURVIVAL: CAHIER 3 24 41 TUNING TOGETHER 24 The mowing continues and we So, our community has approach the city to see how approached the planners But some of the planners to stop it. The city loved the of the city’s green spaces notice our noticing. They are food forest idea, and knows to finish eating and waiting for – designers, managers, money- reminded by our community of But the food forest also offers that changes to the lawns and neighbourhood more liveable, the newly added plants doesn’t folk and cleaners. We talk about the neighbourhood’s history, opportunities for old and young tiny woods, adding more-than- but it makes the city’s jobs work, so the city dives back into noticing, about adding to what what its green design promises. neighbours to work outside plants, means changes to the more difficult, taking time away their planning spreadsheets is already there and give them Some planners notice some together. Maybe the food forest way these are cared for. But from how things are usually and tries to make it all fit. When reasons to care differently. This advantages to adding plants is an opportunity for the city to now, the noticing and the caring done. The city doesn’t plan by our community suggests that process takes months, and and community care. True, learn how to trust and support for the food forest is turning noticing seasons and rain, but ‘mowing’ is also ‘noticing when while the mowing continues our the food forest responds to the our neighbours. Maybe the food the entire city on its head. plans through agreements and not to mow’, the city thinks community loses a year of rainy climate crisis by storing water, forest is an opportunity to invent The food forest may make our spreadsheets. Waiting for bees we’ve gone too far. planting seasons. CO2, and creating biodiversity. new city planning.
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Sometimes planners don’t This is hard to understand.
know how to find all the people The city planners have disagreed How can the city support our
City planners are similar to that need to agree on an issue. about the food forest in many food forest, but be unable She gathers her colleagues from
our community. They work on When this happens, creating ways – whether the climate to stop the mowing? If the different groups and instead of
the same issues with different agreement takes a lot more crisis was more important greenery of the food forest has focussing on the food forest as
ways of noticing. Some are time. than building new apartment more and more uses, has more a whole, she reaches agreement
more powerful, if you want to buildings, or if the bee advantages, then more and But then something special about how her colleagues can
get something done in the city, The food forest was a small part community was as important as more city planners need to find happens. A new city planner agree on its constituent parts.
you have to get many others of one neighbourhood in our the mowers. Even if the deputy ways to agree. This frustrates joins our group. This woman By connecting our community
to agree. This may take lots of city, but many people are taking mayor supports our food forest, many neighbours, many bees understands how communities and our city colleagues we
time, but in this way decisions decisions about other parts of there is always someone who and plants. Some of them want notice and design, and how the start practicing a new type of
are reached together. this area. does not agree. to give up on the food forest. city notices and designs. planning for our food forest.44 VALUES FOR SURVIVAL: CAHIER 3 24 45 TUNING TOGETHER 24 What a funny bunch we are here are spreadsheets to protect in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Some It is becoming a large park that Our newly developed ways of the bees’ food and to help our of us are city planners, some will reach the nearby farmland. planning allow fewer lawns In the lawns and tiny woods community to help the food More and more, we are working of us were born here and some It was always Amsterdam’s to be mowed. More flowers of Amsterdam Zuidoost our forest to grow big enough to with the seasons as part of an of us came to live here from greenest area, but now it has are blooming and sowing community is slowly growing take care of itself. New plants enormous diversity: planners, faraway places. Here, where more uses. We have started their seeds, and more bees are a connected food forest that already cover the soil, keeping neighbours young and old, tall apartment buildings are harvesting more fruits and staying for dinner. Spring has stores rain in the trees and soils. weeds away and keeping it from together with bees and trees. In surrounded by green space, our herbs, and the animals and arrived, and the planner, her It is a food forest here on the drying out. And the hardest the middle of the city, we are a community of noticers adds insects have begun to feel colleagues and our community ground, but it also exists in the workers of all – the insects and funny bunch working together. plants to the tiny woods and safe living amongst more and have formed a new funny city planners’ way of working earthworms – have entered into And some of us are not even lawns. more trees, flowers and fungi. bunch. and noticing. Already there the city’s agreements. people!
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