Are there guidelines or incentives for high-quality Baukultur?

Grün Stadt Zürich (GSZ) regulates the construction and outfitting of the individual allotment gardens at the foot of the Uetliberg through enforcement of the Allotment Garden Ordinance (Kleingartenordnung, KGO). Applications for smaller structures are approved by the Wiedikon Family Garden Association’s site manager, whereas larger projects, such as the construction of a garden house, must be approved by GSZ. The Allotment Garden Ordinance specifies dimensions, volumes and materials for garden houses, as well as the percentage of permissible soil sealing.

Does the place serve its purpose?

Since the coronavirus pandemic, people in Zurich have expressed a great deal more interest in having their own gardens. The Family Garden Association’s waiting list is long. After all, a plot of land not only enables gardening, but also provides a private outdoor space. It gives allotment holders a place to barbecue, set up a trampoline for the children or make themselves comfortable in a hammock. For many city dwellers, the plots of about 200 square metres offer the happiness of having their own garden without having to own a single-family house. The gardens fulfil regenerative, social and communicative functions.

Does the place demonstrate responsible land use?

The large allotment garden colonies are a welcome green space for biodiversity within the city. The diversity within any one plot depends very much on the leaseholder. But within the area as a whole, the biodiversity is great. The Wiedikon Garden Association expressly calls for its members to use only biological pest control methods. Synthetic fertilizers and chemical herbicides are prohibited.

Will the place remain attractive in the long term for living, working, leisure and/or tourism?

The allotment gardens help to ensure that the Friesenberg is and remains an attractive place for living and leisure activities. They augment the wooded and green areas around the Uetliberg, which are intensively used every day by walkers, seniors, dog owners and sports enthusiasts. Some plots are used for growing vegetables, berries and fruit, while others are more recreational or a combination of the two. In many cases, the tenants come from the neighbourhood.

Does the place foster community?

Even from a distance, flags flying above the plots reveal the many different nationalities of the tenants. Flags with fanciful designs also fly among them. They too reveal something about the mindset of one individual or another. Within a dense area, there is great social diversity in terms of background, age and education. The neighbourhood is quite random, and so an allotment garden promotes interaction between people who are otherwise unlikely to meet in everyday life.

Is the place in dialogue with the landscape, urban fabric, colours and materials?

The Wiedikon Family Garden Association was founded in 1916. Like many other allotment gardens, it was established to improve the living conditions of poorer urban population groups. Thus, for over 100 years, the colony has shaped this part of the city, which is dominated like no other by housing cooperatives. The former workers’ housing estates of the Friesenberg and the allotment gardens are early survivors of a time at the beginning of the 20th century when people were increasingly migrating to the cities.

Does the place foster attachment to place?

The Association manages 780 allotments, which are leased mainly to people from the neighbourhood. The place helps leaseholders feel at home around Friesenberg. Being outdoors leads to many spontaneous encounters with other tenants and inquisitive passers-by.

Does the place’s beauty contribute to people’s well-being?

The plots of the Wiedikon Family Garden Association are situated on a slope at the edge of the city and the adjoining woodlands. Many of them offer a wonderful view of the greenery and the lower lying inner city. If you take one of the footpaths that lead through the fenced allotments, you will discover a range of beauty: the beds of one garden may be laid out in a strictly geometric manner, without a weed, while others are wild and entwined. Openness to other aesthetic notions and practices is called for here.