Naomi Shimpo

For future city planning incorporating historical and symbolic remains, the former Berlin Wall site is worth investigating. The purpose of this research is to explore the present situation regarding the use of the remains of the Berlin Wall, focusing on Checkpoint Charlie (CpC). Through comprehensive document research on the planning process and consensus building after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we found: 1) Similar to other urban development projects in Berlin, CpC is subject to intensive public participation. 2) Even today, more than 30 years after the fall of the Wall, no specific projects have been realized at CpC. 3) CpC reflects the difficulty of interpreting Berlin’s history and the uncertainty of plan realization. 4) Statutory city planning is instrumental in ensuring publicness and promoting consensus building.

<p>Community gardens are regarded as multifunctional spaces that can mitigate social problems; however, there are difficulties in the stability of their management and municipal support is needed. This study demonstrates how the Social City Programme of Berlin supports community gardens as a tool of residential environment improvement. Interviews with relevant actors revealed that the programme supported community gardens through district management in selected areas with challenges in the social structure. Concretely, the district management offices provide subsidies for initial or intermediate costs to garden projects and collaborate with nonprofit organizations and companies which play a role as garden coordinator. In conclusion, the programme helps both new and existing garden projects in terms of financial support and networking.</p>

The paper examines community benefits provided by an established community garden following a major earthquake and discusses possible implications for community garden planning and design in disaster-prone cities. Recent studies show that following extreme storm events community gardens can supply food, enhance social empowerment, provide safe gathering spots, and restorative practices, to remind people of normality. However, the beneficial role played by community gardens following earthquakes is less well known. To fill this gap, the study examines the role played by a community garden in Christchurch, New Zealand, following the 2010/2011 Canterbury Earthquakes. The garden's role is evaluated based on a questionnaire-based survey and in-depth interviews with gardeners, as well as on data regarding the garden use before and after the earthquakes. Findings indicate the garden helped gardeners cope with the post-quake situation. The garden served as an important place to de-stress, share experiences, and gain community support. Garden features that reportedly supported disaster recovery include facilities that encourage social interaction and bonding such as central meeting and lunc

<p>All cities need to effectively plan green space to control irregular land development or utilize abandoned plots for a sustainable future. This article examines how Munich achieved sustainable development with a green belt policy that included self-harvesting plots. The data was collected through an interview with a civil servant, relevant planning documents published by the municipality, and field surveys. It was found that the municipality started conserving agricultural fields as a green belt based on a survey from the 1980s on agricultural lands and businesses, most of which were then in danger of disappearing. In addition, other ecologically important areas were added to the green belt. The number of self-harvesting plots used by urban residents has increased since 1999. The locations of these plots are carefully planned, considering soil conditions and water availability in the proximity of apartments without gardens. The plots are connected to other green spaces and can be accessed on foot or by public transport. Some spatial differences were observed among the plots, especially in terms of their openness, depending on their ownership. It is expected that self-harvesting

For making appropriate plans for urban gardening, both planners’ and users’ viewpoints should be taken into consideration. This study investigates the change of urban gardening in Japan focusing on the viewpoints of the abovementioned stakeholders through literature reviews and discusses the findings in light of the current urban gardening situation. As a result, three periods of change were elucidated. Firstly, since the 1920s, planners accepted the concept of European allotment gardens and established allotment gardens on agricultural lands or in parks. However, they did not consider users’ demands and consequently allotment gardens did not gain in popularity. Secondly, since the 1960s, allotment gardens were spontaneously established on agricultural lands by users. Planners supported this movement in the beginning, but gradually put more emphasis on interests of owners of agricultural lands with the decline of agriculture as industry. Therefore, the laws for allotment gardens were established in order to primarily utilize agricultural lands efficiently instead of considering the demands of the actual users. Thirdly, since the 2000s, various lands started to be used for var

For making appropriate plans for urban gardening, both planners' and users' viewpoints should be taken into consideration. This study investigates the change of urban gardening in Japan focusing on the viewpoints of the abovementioned stakeholders through literature reviews and discusses the findings in light of the current urban gardening situation. As a result, three periods of change were elucidated. Firstly, since the 1920s, planners accepted the concept of European allotment gardens and established allotment gardens on agricultural lands or in parks. However, they did not consider users' demands and consequently allotment gardens did not gain in popularity. Secondly, since the 1960s, allotment gardens were spontaneously established on agricultural lands by users. Planners supported this movement in the beginning, but gradually put more emphasis on interests of owners of agricultural lands with the decline of agriculture as industry. Therefore, the laws for allotment gardens were established in order to primarily utilize agricultural lands efficiently instead of considering the demands of the actual users. Thirdly, since the 2000s, various lands started to be used for various g

In an urban-rural mixed area, a local-scale organic waste recycling system can be established by collecting organic waste from residential areas and utilizing it on a nearby farmland as fertilizer. The key-players driving this system should be urban residents due to their recent significantly increased motivation for agro-activities. However, despite an increase in interest, variables such as self-motivation, waste amount and labor can fluctuate over time. Therefore, this study aims to propose a solution to mitigate the effect of these fluctuations through a case study investigation. From the results, scientific knowledge was correlated to the gradual increase in organic waste suppliers. Regarding optimal labor control, findings highlighted the importance of assigning tasks according to each member's commitment degree.

In Vienna, in 1992 the municipality created a new zoning class, “EKLW: a recreational area Kleingarten for all year living”. Wiener Kleingartengesetz (the Viennese Allotment Gardens Act) was then amended so that gardeners could build a larger house in EKLW-type Kleingärten. This study investigates the amendment’s influence on the spatial characteristics of Kleingärten focusing on housing renovation. The comparison of traced land use in 2011 with the data of the past study in 1999 demonstrated that EKLW-type Kleingärten actually have larger houses than EKL-type Kleingärten and that the largest variation in house areas were found in the older EKLW-type Kleingärten. The main reasons for this, inferred from interviews with the gardeners, were as follows: that some of small houses built initially for seasonal stays still remain as they have been because the gardeners have used their plots for a long time or have inherited their plots with memories of their family; and that old narrow paths demand extra costs for housing renovations. In contrast, the newer EKLW-type Kleingärten have only houses large enough to live in year round. Thus, both the older and newer EKLW-type Klein