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The Liz Christy Trail is an edible route through the “Seestadt”- a newly established quarter of Vienna. It connects eleven individual edible greening projects and invites people to explore them by taking a walk or a bike ride. Existing initiatives along the food trail are made visible and new projects can be stimulated and developed within the trail.
SeeStadtgrün, Seestadt Vienna
Association
2020
The trail starts and ends at Hannah-Arendt-Platz and leads from there around the first quarter of Seestadt
The project was planned as an educational activity as part of the research project edible Seestadt itself. SeeStadtgrün has been involved in educational activities related to climate change since it was founded in 2020. The association is highly active in depaving and greening Seestadt, has established the Seestadt Lounge, a green meeting point for inhabitants, has invented the watering bicycle to take care for all the green and has carried out several planting and constructing activities in cooperation with local organizations and inhabitants. Creating more biodiversity and a greener city together with fellow citizens are their main goals in all their activities. They are communicated during all activities and through their website and newsletter. Seestadtgrün is showing that everyone can contribute to a greener and more climate fit city and raises awareness of what can be done. According to their website they have 82 members and have already planted 2.297 new plants. More people are involved occasionally in different activities.
Through their active engagement they have also influenced decision makers and urban planners and have induced a change in designing public spaces in Seestadt towards better climate change adaptation.
The Liz Christy Trail is an edible route through the “Seestadt”. It connects eleven individual edible greening projects. Existing initiatives along the food trail are made visible and new projects can be stimulated and developed within the trail. There are overview maps of the trail at the beginning or at important points and signs at the individual stations. The Food trail is also promoted online.
There is no reporting on the number of users, but positive feedback comes up from local residents and visitors. Learning outcomes of following the trail are increased knowledge about (edible) plants and new tastes, awareness of what sustainable urban design can look like, consciousness of different possible elements of a green, edible city that is adapted to climate change. Through their existence, the stations actively contribute to a livable city. Depending on their type, they have an educational character, are places of relaxation and encounter, or invite people to be active.
The implementation was financed and implemented by the project edible Seestadt and it was also financially supported by the IBA (international building exhibition). Many stakeholders were involved in creating the Liz Christy Trail.
As there were many groups involved, it was sometimes difficult to communicate and keep in touch with everyone.
Legal hurdles for actual greening by residents were a challenge.
Tips on how to avoid/overcome challenges:
Competences and skills to establish such a trail are: Knowledge about the effect of different elements within the trail, writing and graphical presentation skills, communication skills, coordination skills to bring all the different project holders together and involve them in the project.
Cooperate with local people and find out whether there is a group of people, who really wants the trail and is ready to maintain it: this can also be the project holders identified in step 2.3
2.1 Map all possible projects of the region where the food trail shall be established
2.2 Plan possible routes
2.3 Get in touch with the holders of the projects and find out whether they are fine with being part of the trail
2.4 Define a route with the selected projects
3.1 Develop a graphic design for the map and the signposts
3.2 Create descriptions of every project together with the project holders
3.3 Bring graphic design and descriptions together and create map and signposts
3.4 Print signposts and map (professional printing suitable for outdoor use)
3.5 Put up a signpost at every project and a map for the overview at important places
4.1 Make an official opening ceremony and walk together with locals, administration, project holders, neighbourhood management
4.2 Invite locals and visitors to follow the trail and learn about the different projects independently > through website, local media, cooperation with neighbourhood management,…
5.1 Take care that the signposts are up to date
5.2 Update the overview map (also online)
By designating them as stations on the Liz Christy trail, various green initiatives and projects are highlighted and their value to the city is emphasized. Interested people can walk the trail, learn different things while doing so and get inspired to contribute to a more livable city. If you happen to come across one of the stations randomly, which are after all part of the public space, you get informed about the other stations of the Liz-Christy-trail and “Seestadtgrün” via signposts. The trail is a useful way to inform people about different ways of sustainable, green urban design and can motivate people to contribute to co-create the city they want to live in.
Following the Liz-Christy trail we found out that not all initiatives are open to the public and some can only be watched from the outside. It might be more interesting to be able to enter all interventions along the trail.
In case a community garden wants to establish such a trail it can not be done alone. The garden has to find other green initiatives in walking or cycling distance who are willing to collaborate.
