Germany: How Allotment Gardens Contribute To A Better Climate
“The figs here have developed incredibly, that’s due to climate change,” says the father of two children and bites into the fruit with relish.
By David Sadler
Globe World New Echo
Sep 24, 2022
Excerpt:
“The green lung is important for the city’s fresh air supply,” explains Beckmann. If it’s 35 degrees warm in the city center, it’s definitely ten degrees cooler here.” The reason is a fresh air corridor, which drives wind from the nearby Wetterau through the green area into the city center and provides cooling.
There are around 300 gardens here, many of which are so-called leisure gardens in which tenants and owners can basically grow whatever they want. The others are allotment gardens and are subject to allotment garden regulations.
The gardens store water, are pollutant filters and soundproofing and provide habitat for many species of animals and plants. “For example, there are a large number of green woodpeckers here,” explains Beckmann, “but also rarer plants, such as the broad-leaved orchid species – here in the middle of the city.”
Gardens like those in the “green lung” are in high demand in growing cities like Frankfurt am Main. In rural regions, especially in eastern Germany, however, demand and stocks are declining. Overall, the number of allotment gardens in Germany has decreased, according to a study commissioned by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development.
There were 25,000 fewer gardens in the period between 2011 and 2018 – not because of new construction projects, but mainly because of a lack of demand. According to the Federal Association of German Allotment Gardens, the most allotment gardens are in Berlin with 66,000 and in Frankfurt am Main there are 16,000.
