Urban shared gardens

[Deleted]

I know that a lot of cities like Berlin, London or even New York are spread out enough to leave quite a bit of unused space that can easily be turned into a garden if there is enough motivation by the local residents. It is quite a bit more challenging in Paris, which is extemely compact and where there are very few empty lots or things like abandoned railway territories. However, they do exist in all of the outlying arrondissements. The 14th, 19th and 20th arrondissements have the greatest number of them, but my own neighbourhood has 3 of them, which isn't too bad considering the density of construction.

The city of Paris encourages these initiatives but makes it very clear to the users that it is only temporary and that some day a municipal project might require that the space be used for something else.

Of course, the users find it hard to accept, and that is the case with one of these places, the "Bois Dormoy" which has grown wild and free for the last 30 years. The city now has a project to build a retirement home for Alzheimer victims as well as a crèche for infants at this location. It's a cruel dilemma, since nobody contests the fact that such places are more and more necessary, but is it really necessary to destroy a much-loved natural space in an area that is cruelly lacking such things.

Today I went to take a look at the Bois Dormoy, which is only a few blocks away on my street, but it is so discreet that this is the first time that I walked a little bit up the dead end (due to the Gare du Nord train tracks) to get a better look. I see signs in the neighbourhood for it all the time, because they have picnics, music, meetings and all sorts of things there regularly, but I have stupidly never bothered to go.

Here is the name of the dead end where it is located.



You would never guess that it is there if you don't already know.



However, it becomes apparent quickly enough.









As expected, it was closed on a weekday morning, so I took all my pictures through the fence.



It seems to be much bigger than I expected. A guardcat protected the area.



There is a barbecue and bar area for the social events.



I went along the fence to see what I could spy.











To prevent me from jumping the fence and stealing the watering cans, the guardcat moved into position.







Reassured of my peaceful intentions, the guardcat accepted to pose for a portrait.

I really need to come back on a weekend when the Bois Dormoy is open.

Here is a photo that someone posted of this remarkable area seen from above.



And here is an event that took place there one night.

The two other local gardens are the Jardin d'Alice and the Jardin de l'Impasse de la Chapelle. I hope to add reports about them here soon, even if it is not gardening season. They are really a breath of fresh air when you live in the big city.

[bixaorellana]

What a treasure to have such a thing inside a big city!

Obviously a logical argument for using that ground for the proposed purposes is that the Bois Dormoy can only be fully used by a select, presumably healthy few, whereas the home and nursery will benefit many, many people over time. However, having seen all the imaginative and successful re-purposing of Parisian buildings you've shown, it would seem possible to do the same for these projects.

[mossie]

A difficult dilemma for the City.

I note that from the very first picture of the guard cat, his ears were swept back and your card was marked "Suspicious person"

[Deleted]

That's a fabulous community garden Kerouac, kitty and all.
New Orleans is host to a slew of community gardens, little gems tucked away in
neighborhoods all over the city.I've seen some newer ones on some of my bike rides and will try and get some pics of them.They range in size depending on whatever empty lot is available to host one obviously.
Some are under the Parkway Departments sponsorship and some are run by neighborhood organizations.

Here's a nearby one run by a neighborhood organization:

[Deleted]

I just wish that Paris had more room for things like this. Naturally the suburbs have plenty of room, but the majority of them have other things on their agenda.

[Deleted]

Back in the early 1990's I went on a tour of the community gardens here in NOLA that were under the auspices of the Parkway Partners Dept.
There were some incredible gardens, one of them was in the Ninth Ward. You never saw such a proud group of people showing off there labor of love.
I'm sure it went under during Hurricane Katrina.

[bixaorellana]

Really excited to see this, Casimira. Pritchard Place was my first neighborhood in New Orleans. Are the first two pictures taken facing Carrollton? I don't recognize the big brick bldg, but assume it's one that replaced one of those (the one on the right-hand side facing the lions from Crltn) that burned during Katrina.

Wonderful and wonderfully groomed space! I have to laugh seeing the mounds. It took me ages after I left NO to understand that mounds weren't appropriate in areas of much lower rainfall & less good dirt.

Gotta ask: is that T's cousin's BVM, graciously donated to this endeavor?     ;D

[Deleted]

None of the pics face Carrollton Avenue. They are all facing in from Carrollton. That brick building is on Earhart. The garden is on one of the lots that burned during Katrina, one of the houses that belong to the Archdiocese sat on it.

;D ;DI don't know if that BVM was a donation from T.'s cousin, there are more than one in that garden as well.

[Deleted]

One of the shared gardens in my neighbourhood has been open more and more often recently for community events -- concerts, the annual party held by the local monthly newspaper and really just about any excuse for a little celebration that anybody can come up with. So the other day, they were having a 'Bal Perdu' named after a famous song from the early 1960's about the nostalgia of the impromptu dances of the past.

This particular garden is called Ecobox. It was created in 2009 and is perhaps the most active along my street. It was also exposing photos of the area by local photographers.





All sorts of scavenged furniture and other items have been brought in.



And of course there is the lovely wild garden.





One area was "growing" little plastic toys and stuffed animals.









I wasn't the only person with a camera.

[Deleted]

Part of the area they have taken over is an abandoned parking lot for one of the apartment blocks.



I bet they are really hoping that the city will come and scrape away the asphalt one of these days.

















They have created quite a few refuges for insects and other small creatures.







Oddly enough, their little strings of flags were exclusively flags of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.



People were arriving with stuff for the evening event.



After studying the posters, I decided that I would return after dark.

[Deleted]

It was the evening of the flamenco concert, so I knew that I would not stay long.





There was a healthy crowd for a cool late September evening. I suppose the fact that it was free helped quite a bit.





They even have a little bar and kitchen cooking area.

And then it was time to wander back home...

I have read there there is a movement, of which Ecobox is a part, to create a new promenade plantée along the rail lines there, because nearly all of the buildings have a buffering piece of land to separate them from the train tracks. It doesn't seem realistic at the moment, but who knows?

[lagatta]

I loved those gardens in Paris and NO. As well as the guardcat(s) - I think there are actually two; the ginger tom and the sleek grey cat - and the guardian BVM. Hope the health institutions find somewhere else to put their establishments, as so much greenery is also a health factor in such a densely-populated neighbourhood.

I was so sad looking at those post-Katrina photos of the Ninth Ward, because while it was obviously poor and neglected, it was clear that some of the residents had put a lot of pride and work into improving their homes and neighbourhood.

Found the hyperlocal newspaper, le 18e du mois: 18dumois.info/ And this month's edition spotlights the gardens!!!

[Deleted]

I wanted to go to their event, but it was the same night as the Nuit Blanche.

[Deleted]

I peeked through the fence at Jardin Dormoy again, and it is as lovely as ever. It may be living its last season though, as the city of Paris has plans to build a nursing home on that site. Obviously, I have mixed feelings about that.

Meanwhile, there is a new trend in the city to help reduce urban gardening frustration. On some of the calmer streets, on the condition that they have very wide sidewalks (which enormously reduces the possibilities, obviously), they have dug out much bigger areas than usual surround the trees, so that garden associations can have fun with horticulture. On rue Saint Bruno, for example, there are some examples of chaotic but amusing gardening.

They even put in a birdbath.