Rewild your City! Urban Gardening am Balkon, Terrasse oder Fensterbrett

By Melinda Fegg and Lena Fegg
Supervisor: Dr. Susanne B. Unger

The loss of biodiversity is an increasing threat to our ecosystem and life on Earth. There is an alarming and continuous decline in species, e.g., due to loss of habitats and food sources. At the same time, cities and urban areas are particularly affected by high summer temperatures and rising heat. The urban heat island effect indicates that temperatures in cities and urban agglomerations are up to 5-10 °C warmer than in surrounding rural areas. Temperatures are constantly increasing, and the number of people living in cities will rise. This indicates that more and more people will be exposed to high temperatures and heat in cities. Heat has enormous impacts on health, well-being, and daily life, highlighting the urgent necessity of climate and heat adaptation and mitigation. Measures such as greening cities can contribute to a reduction of heat in urban areas. Several studies have shown that urban gardening and the creation of green and wild spaces - even in the smallest areas - make an important contribution to strengthening and preserving biodiversity and buffering negative heat effects. Besides, research results suggest positive impacts of gardening on people’s nature connectedness, mental health, and well-being.

Balconies, (roof) terraces, and windowsills in urban areas have great potential. Even on just a few square meters, it is possible to grow a variety of insect-friendly wildflowers, vegetables, herbs, and fruits, experience nature, and create natural green spaces that make an important contribution to promoting biodiversity, protecting species in urban environments, and helping to cool cities. Together, green balconies, (roof) terraces, and windowsills can create a “green network” that runs throughout the city and thus creates a common habitat for various species. However, many balconies, (roof) terraces, and windowsills remain largely empty and unused.

Therefore, for our final project, we created a hands-on guide for city inhabitants on how to start urban gardening on one’s balcony, terrace, or windowsill with a focus on Munich. We aim to convince and motivate people to start gardening and use their private spaces to create wild, green oases. Within our guide, we highlight the importance of ecological, sustainable, and insect-friendly gardening. We combine background knowledge and explanations with practical tips, step-by-step guidance, and hands-on activities. We emphasise sustainable and low-cost gardening practices, such as upcycling ideas and the reuse of materials. We aim to share helpful insights, ideas, and easy-to-follow instructions for nature-friendly gardening. Our goal is to inspire people to engage in urban gardening and highlight its many benefits — from supporting biodiversity and protecting species to helping mitigate urban heat through rewilding. Additionally, we would like to share our personal experiences with urban balcony gardening. We are both passionate balcony gardeners ourselves. We have a tiny three-square-meter city balcony in Munich where we grow a wild mixture of different wildflowers, vegetables, herbs, and fruits, creating an ecological and wild green space.

Start with urban gardening on your own balconies, terraces, and windowsills!
Rewild your City - Ready, Set, Plant!