ICLEI Member Zagreb (Croatia) had a challenging 2020, facing the COVID-19 pandemic and two earthquakes, which tested the limits of the city's response capacity. Now, Zagreb is looking towards a brighter future, choosing to implement innovative nature-based solutions (NBS) to improve well-being of citizens. This includes a new therapeutic garden, which opened yesterday (10 May).

The city had plans to expand its existing network of urban gardens with a new therapeutic garden in 2020, which were put on hold due to financial duress caused by the pandemic and earthquakes. They instead decided to implement a new, holistic therapeutic garden and a mini urban farm. Both planning processes have involved residents to ensure that these solutions cater to current needs.

What is a therapeutic garden?

This is space that improves well-being by providing accessible and serene spaces for socialisation and contemplation. Such gardens include diverse plant species and are tailored for varied users. In Zagreb, this meant involving – and ensuring garden accessibility for – people living nearby that have disabilities. The park was designed with the help of various local institutions catering to people with disabilities, including the ‘Little Home’ daycare centre, which hosts therapeutic and interactive activities for disabled children. The children will use the therapeutic gargen, planting herbs, making natural cosmetics, and selling some of the produce. The garden helps visitors observe nature with all their senses, using activities such as games and art classes in which nature takes centre stage. It aims to increase interaction between those with and without disabilities, integrate marginalised people into the local community, educate people, and promote fun!

Before summer 2021, a mini farm will be set up next to the therapeutic garden, and it will include a container structure, retrofitted with a green roof, green wall and solar panel. The container will house an aquaponics hub and plant incubator; its green walls and roof will help protect from overheating.

The mini farm will provide indigenous vegetable and fruit seedlings to locals, and will host workshops on contemporary urban gardening and farming practices. Long term, the components of the mini farm will be mobile, moving to a local high school, surrounded by elementary schools and parks, to garner more attention and enhance learning opportunities.

The therapeutic garden and the mini urban farm will refresh this previously abandoned site. The farm will also act as an aducational resource, bringing locals and students together at events, and introducing them to urban gardening and nature-based solutions as tools for a healthier and more satisfying urban life.

This work is being conducted in the context of the proGIreg project, in which ICLEI Europe is a partner. For more information, click here.