Urban Agroecology Living Lab in Zurich

Something new is emerging in Zurich North, bringing together different actors from civil society, city government, and education - an "Urban Agroecology Living Lab".  Agroecology is an important strategy to address the many social and ecological challenges our society is experiencing. Agroecology is a transformative science, a practice and a social movement. To do this, the project works with two practice initiatives: an existing community garden that will be strengthened, and at least one new initiative developed together with local actors (a food coop or a food forest). Providing input for exchange with other city dwellers and organizations in order to scale-out urban agroecology (i.e. inspire more people and manage more land together and according to agroecological principles).

The activities are supervised by the SoLaWi Mehalsgmües and accompanied by the conceptual network "Technikum Urbane Agrarökologie" (TUA) and the ETH. The Living Lab will be a space for collaborative production, collaborative design, and testing of inclusive, multifunctional agroecological activities. The goal is to develop together a new type of Living-lab that is specifically applicable to urban agroecology in and outside of Zurich. We want to provide a useful method for the creative development of urban green - or rather colorful - spaces.