Introduction
Amsterdam – the city of canals, quirky architecture and lively nightlife. A hustling city with its 881 000 bikes and 20 million visitors a year. The desire of finding a place to breathe, a place to escape the hectic pace of everyday life has built the city's green lungs. And that is exactly what was done. Parks were built Nature was built. Every square meter of ground is a man-made landscape in the Netherlands as most of the country is below sea level. Some of these green areas have however developed naturally the past three decades.
The first municipal park of Amsterdam came to life in 1891 – Westerpark. As a part of the park there were created two community gardens: Tuinpark Nut en Genoegen and Volkstuinvereniging Sloterdijkermeer which was founded in 1927 and 1936. Here people of all parts of the city come to grow, cultivate and feed both the soil and soul as a breath of fresh air to the regular city life.
When entering the two bordering gardens you have access to take a stroll and admire 649 gardens in total. The waitlist to obtain a private garden is between eight and ten years. The public is free to enjoy the greenery through the months of March to November.
On Sloterdijkerweg the sound of trains passing grow louder. The street parallell to the tracks is a visible border between the rushing hour of the day and the tranquility of the slow paced life in the Tuinpark Nut en Genoegen.
Obtaining a cottage is not the only option for the Amsterdammer with a green thumb. In Sloterdijkermeer there is a vegetable garden run by volunteers that come together and share the love of gardening.
Sander is one of the eight volunteers. He has been contributing in the vegetable garden for the past three years.
As it is the end of the season the work of harvesting the tomatoes has to begin.
The Soeptuin vegetable garden is the home of multiple vegetables, berries, herbs and flowers. On the contrary to its surroundings everything in the garden is a natural product of organic gardening.
«You don't have to be scared of eating anything here. Everything is organic.»
«You don't have to be scared of eating anything here. Everything is organic.»
«You don't have to be scared of eating anything here. Everything is organic.»
«You don't have to be scared of eating anything here. Everything is organic.»
«You don't have to be scared of eating anything here. Everything is organic.»
«You don't have to be scared of eating anything here. Everything is organic.»
«You don't have to be scared of eating anything here. Everything is organic.»
«You don't have to be scared of eating anything here. Everything is organic.»
– Sander
Being a volunteer can include working together or gardening a small patch by yourself. For Sander, Brigitte and Mira it is about being a community. They meet every Sunday in the garden, as long as the weather is nice.
«I like it here. You can do everything in your own tempo.»
– Mira
«We all need some color in our lives.»
– Sander
«Being here is anti-stress. It is relaxing.»
– Brigitte
Amsterdam is facing a huge task: securing sufficient housing for the growing population. To build enough homes for a population that will soon hit one million inhabitants the municipality created project Port-City, a city within the city. The development of this covers the areas of Sloterdijk and Westerpark, amongst other.
There is uncertainty what the future of the Westerpark will look like. The ongoing urbanization of the city is a constant threat to the small parts of green lungs the city contains. Bike paths and tram lines through the park are among the topics to still be determined.
But it is all about living in the moment.
«It's Sunday today, isn't it?»
– Mira
«This is the Amsterdam Garden of Eden.»
– Sander