Content AgendaEvent: 5th Viennese Neighbour`s Day

Content
AgendaEvent: 5th Viennese Neighbour's Day
AgendaPreview: Agendaforum
AgendaParticipation: Online survey about the future of Wieden
AgendaTopic: Community gardens
AgendaPreview: Rio + 20 conference
AgendaTopic: Sustainable market initiatives
AgendaEvent: 5th Viennese Neighbour's Day
On Friday the 1st of June the alleys, streets and squares of Vienna
will be full of people in celebration of the 5th Viennese Neighbour's
Day. The programme includes large numbers of activities like festivals,
walking-tours around the neighbourhood, sport events and exhibitions.
In addition there will be the opportunity to be part of the discussions on
the „Vienna Charta for living a good life together“. The
Neighbour's day is a good indication for the fact, that this already
happens in many places.
Like every year all interested people are invited to organize activities
on their own in their neighbourhood. Therefore you don't
need much: A few chairs and tables in a courtyard or on the
pavement, bring along food and drinks and the
neighbourhood festival is ready to start. Support is given in
form of advertising material as well as advisory and
information service.
The people of Vienna are in best company with their festivals
during the Neighbour's Day. Last year there where over 12 million
people from over 1200 cities in more than 30 countries who joined
the initiative!
In Vienna the celebration is organized by numerous private initiatives together with the Local
Agenda 21 Plus, the Vienna public social aid (“Hilfswerk”), the Vienna association of youth centres,
the “Gebietsbetreuung Stadterneuerung” and the neighbourhood-service “wohnpartner”.
www.nachbarschaftstag.at
www.charta.wien.gv.at
AgendaPreview: 10th Agendaforum
On 25 June the 10th Agendaforum will take place. There will be a review on the last three years of
LA21 Plus in Vienna and a celebration of everything which could be accomplished together. At the
same time the aims and possibilities for the future will be discussed. Beside the presentation of the
approved model of cooperation especially the involved people will enter the stage. Finally all agenda
participators and interested guests can join the „LA21 Plus Millionenshow“ and put their
knowledge about participation in Vienna to the test.
AgendaParticipation: Online-survey about the future of Wieden
There is a pleasant result of the online-survey of the
AgendaWieden: More then 660 people who live or/and work in
Wieden participated in the online-survey during March and stated
their opinion on sustainable projects and actions.
Special concerns were made for the advancement of neighbourly
help and the spread of neighbourhood festivals. Also the creation
of community gardens, the preservation of public space
without compulsion to consume or an area-wide speed-limit
for all side roads and the development of cycle way infrastructure were important topics. Some
more popular ideas were a good supply of organic and fair traded products, photovoltaic on the
roofs of Wieden, neighbourly organized childcare and last but not least a larger diversity of
participation possibilities!
Furthermore there were over 200 people who contributed their own ideas and more than 120 stated
that they want to get involved with sustainable development in their living environment.
It could be proven that online-participation can be the origin of new commitment. Now the concrete
implementation with Agenda initiatives and groups will follow.
You can find the detailed analysis of the online-survey here: www.agendawieden.at
AgendaTopic: Community gardens
Urban community gardening is a more and more important theme in Vienna. The demand is very
high and the varied, positive effects like ecological education, strengthening of social
networks or tasteful consumption of self-grown food are without controversy. The LA21 is
engaged with sustainable garden projects since a long time.
Last year the association Grätzlgarten 9 was founded in Alsergrund. In cooperation with the LA21
Plus and the district council as well as with the help of private sponsors it was possible to find a
piece of land for a community garden in the area of the formerly hospital (AKH). Since autumn the
parcel gets prepared for this year's garden season and
recently French agenda-guests started
sowing carrots, onions, radishes, parsley roots and garlic.
In „Grätzlgarten 9“ the community aspect is in the focus
of the project. People from near by with different ages and a
variety of ethnical and social backgrounds are able to meet
each other and to grow fruits and vegetables together. This
common responsibility is strengthening the social
contacts and forwards the revival of the neighbourhood
and the esteem of the living environment.
The „Zaubergarten“ in Liesing wants to give an
understanding of the responsible interaction with the nature
especially to kids. In the Donaustadt the community
garden Norwegerviertel with its special raised beds offers
the possibility for gardening to people with handicapped
motility. The community gardens in Josefstadt (Tigerpark)
and Landstraße (Arenbergpark) are starting brand new this
spring.
Grätzlgarten 9
Community garden Arenbergpark
Community garden Tigerpark
Community garden Norwegerviertel
Zaubergarten Liesing
Film: "Gemeinschaftsgärten starten durch
Film: about the community garden Norwegerviertel
AgendaPreview: Rio+20 conference
From 20th to 22nd of June 2012 the UN-conference
on environment and development “Rio+20” will
take place in Rio de Janeiro. The conference will
celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first “Earth
Summit” in Rio. This first summit in 1992 was a
milestone, because for the first time environment was
discussed along with economy and development as a
common global challenge. As a result the Local Agenda
21 was developed.
The programme of Rio+20 deals with the topics „Green Economy“ and „Environmental
Governance Reform“. In addition to that there will be an evaluation of reached aims and future
challenges.
In Austria there is a variety of planned actions on the occasion of the conference. In context of the
initiative “Rio+20” there will be numerous events all across Austria with discussions on the
possibilities of a sustainable change. Furthermore the Jugendumweltplattform arranges a youth
forum called „Jugendforum Rio+20“, where the LA21 Plus Vienna will also participate.
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.html
http://www.rioplus20.at/
http://www.jugendumweltplattform.at
AgendaTopic: Sustainable market initiatives
A worthwhile contribution to the local supply and to a diversity
of high-quality products – this are unquestionable features of
marketplaces. Is that everything? Both can also be provided
by conventional shops. In the following we have four
assumptions about the special qualities of local marketplaces:
Strengthening of local economic cycles and sustainable
forms of production
On marketplaces mostly small and regional based companies
sell their goods. Hence the value creation stays directly in the
region. Thereby jobs are protected and local economical
structures can be strengthened. Besides ecological planting
methods and short routes of transport guarantee a sustainable
production with a good ecobalance.
-
Social and cultural potential
Marketplaces are places of of interaction and communication
at which social capital can be developed – people are meeting
and talking with each other and new social networks emerge.
Besides marketplaces offer space for cultural use and open
possibilities for local artists to stage and perform. The visit of
a marketplace becomes thereby an experience in which
economic, social and cultural aspects are combined.
-
Participative and sustainable community development
In the ideal case, marketplaces develop through the initiative
of local players and get supported by open networks. This
strengthens local structures, advantages cooperation and
ensures long-term engagement. Finally it is guaranteed that
the achieved economic, social and cultural benefit is gained by
local people.
-
Information advantage through direct contact with the
producers
Marketplaces provide the chance to communicate with the
producers of the offered products. Where does the cucumber
come from? Under which conditions has the cuke been grown
and which vegetable has its season? Such and many other
questions can be asked directly to the producers.
-
Certainly it needs adequate basic conditions and professional
supervision to guarantee this qualities. In context of the LA21
Plus there are meanwhile three market-projects, which are
implemented with different focus: The FASANmarkt at
Landstraße, the Biomarkt Sobieski at the Alsergrund and the Bauernmarkt in Stadlau.
FASANmarkt
Bauernmarkt Stadlau
Information about markets