An intersectional environmental justice initiative

Photo by Photo David Clode from Unsplash  

ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. This bottom-up initiative was collected by Mladen Domazet within ACCTING’s mapping of inspiring practice cases, within the Biodiversity and land use restrictions research line. Read our report on all 693 mapped initiatives. 

 

Gradski Vrtovi Sisak, Croatia

Gradski vrtovi Sisak (Urban Gardening Sisak) in Croatia is a unique concept; ambitious volunteers cleared up construction and heavy industry waste at a site and turned it into an urban community garden in a city with the majority of low-income and elderly people.  

Regenerating land and rebuilding the society 

The Gradski Vrtovi Sisak was in parallel with Sisak City’s post-conflict reconstruction project; Both initiatives brought in dynamics of recuperating wartime collapse of industry and wartime frontline damage and healing the scars of ethnic cleansing. On top of this, the urban gardens open space for the survivors of a powerful earthquake. All these dynamics combined turned the urban gardening project into an intersectional environmental justice initiative where regenerating heavily polluted land intersects with rebuilding the society.  

Today, Sisak City officially became the seventh Croatian city that can boast of the City Gardens project with the full support of Mayor Kristina Ikić Baniček. Saša Balen Andrić, the project leader, mentioned that the project idea came through observing other cities in Croatia that have successfully transformed neglected land areas into splendid gardens. She said: “We intend to arrange this area in such a way that it will be possible to stay there all day because we plan to install swings and climbing frames for children, arrange a swimming pool and use this area for work and leisure, which will provide a pleasant and fun all-day stay for the whole family“.

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