New European Bauhaus inspires a Veggie Garden

REMARC external collaborator, Chiara Certomà is part of a EC project to to stimulate the post-COVID 19 recovery of European cities and communities by addressing issues such as food accessibility, circularity and urban resilience through the NEB principles of inclusivity, sustainability and quality of experience.

About the project 

Rising levels of food insecurity and malnutrition are among the most significant urban challenges associated with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in European cities. The “New European Bauhaus” (NEB) launched by the European Commission aims to stimulate the post-COVID 19 recovery of European cities and communities by addressing issues such as food accessibility, circularity and urban resilience through the NEB principles of inclusivity, sustainability and quality of experience. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) supports this initiative through a collaboration of several of its Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). As part of the EIT Food call for proposals to promote ‘Citizen Engagement‘, the University of Turin, in collaboration with the City of Turin, presented and obtained funding for a project aimed at installing container gardens in the outdoor spaces of the School of Management and Economics.

Urban gardening at School of Management and Economics of the University of Turin

The project involves the active engagement of the community of the University of Turin and the citizens living in the surrounding neighbourhoods in the realization of a container gardening (50m2) project to produce fruits and vegetables for ready consumption. Two targets participant will be selected. A first group includes students, along with the university administrative and technical staff. A second group involves citizens of the neighbourhoods surrounding the University. In particular, retired people and students from local schools who already have a garden and who could contribute to the exchange of good practices gather around the project. Gender equality and social inclusion will be considered as a prerequisite in the composition of the university-citizenry panel.

Main goals of the Orto della SME

The ambition is to create a collective project that involves not only the university community, i.e. students, teaching, technical and administrative staff, but also citizens and people who live in the neighbourhood where the gardens will be set up. The cardinal principles on which the project idea is rooted are:social inclusion and equality, the production of healthy food in urban areas as a means of raising awarenessof the need for more sustainable consumption, the exchange of good practices between different communities to promote the empowerment of the parties involved and encourage an intra- and intergenerational flow of knowledge, and sustainability as a strategy for redevelopingspaces and places. Bringing young citizens closer to healthy and self-grown food can help developing greater awareness and encouraging healthier eating habits.