The Rotterdam neighbourhood of Oud Mathenesse is in many ways typical Dutch post-WWII housing: apartment blocks without common areas, separated by virtually empty grass plots. Such designs insufficiently support social activities, residents’ health, and especially biodiversity. This latter issue, now at the top of the agenda for cities worldwide, demands us to rethink and redesign urban spaces. The Bio-CiVo project actively sought community collaboration to tackle the topic of urban biodiversity.
The goal of Bio-CiVo (Citizen Voices in Biodiversity) was to engage citizens with biodiversity, using Oud Mathenesse as a case study. The TU Delft side of this collaborative project was led by assistant professors Geertje Slingerland and Juliana Goncalves. “Humans cannot survive without a functioning ecology,” says Juliana. “But on a smaller scale, greenery also cools down the city and provides room for social activities.” Geertje adds: “Actually, biodiversity in cities is higher than on farmland! Since cities will continue to grow, their ecological value is critical. And we try to make this topic interesting and easy to understand.”
Biodiversity in cities is higher than on farmland! Their ecological value is critical.
Geertje Slingerland
The two assembled a research team: Jing Spaaij and Isabella Jaramillo Diaz, both Urbanism students from BK, María Gil Falcón, an Industrial Design student from IDE, Anja Overdiek from RUAS, and Mike Duijn from Erasmus University. This team, supported by Juliana’s expertise, developed digital tools allowing citizens to evaluate local biodiversity and see the potential social and ecological value of shared spaces. From an early stage the students were connected by Geertje with neighbourhood organisation Mathenesse aan de Maas (MadM): not only for feedback, but also to discover “how to give back to the community” (Isabella). To everyone’s delight, this collaboration would blossom into the revival of a cherished community tradition.
The Bio-CiVo team developed two digital tools, the Evaluation tool and the Building tool.
In the Evaluation tool, you fill in a ‘personality test’, matching you with a plant or animal, which then becomes your guide. Isabella: “We found a pre-existing set of ten species which represents biodiversity in Rotterdam, and decided to use them everywhere.” Jing: “People loved this test!” You are shown an existing area in the neighbourhood that lacks biodiversity, for example due to excessive paving. The tool lets you add different layers, including greenery and flowers, edible plans, and open-air social activities. You are asked about preferences for shared spaces, and encouraged to contact existing initiatives for local biodiversity.
You are then redirected to the Building tool, where you get to redesign a small plot of land. This tool demonstrates the potential of diversifying the lawns in between apartment buildings, which are today mostly plots of grass with little ecological or social value. A ‘menu’ of design elements is provided: plants, tables or benches, areas for playing or barbecuing, grass, water, and paving. A ‘Bio-score’ indicates the impact of your design on biodiversity.
Digital tools can be more effective in gathering data than interviews or surveys.
Juliana Goncalves
Both tools are creative ways to gather data from citizens. Juliana: “Asking residents to create images or illustrations of biodiverse areas can be more effective than interviews or surveys.” The team received vital feedback from both MadM and residents, underlining the importance of these collaborations. “We learned from MadM that the area we originally picked for the Evaluation tool was quite controversial in the community. So, we chose another site,” says Isabella. “Later, residents pointed out the need to improve accessibility, especially for less digitally experienced people like the elderly.”
Organising a neighbourhood festival for science
From the very beginning, the Bio-CiVo team was dedicated to leave a lasting legacy in the neighbourhood. In the first meeting with MadM, their initial idea of hosting a small neighbourhood festival quickly turned into reviving the Lentefeest (Spring Party), a local event which had been dormant for a few years. Isabella: “There was so much enthusiasm for this idea, it became quite intense! We were in WhatsApp groups and had weekly meetings.” Jing: “In the end, we divided the tasks. They organised the ‘fun’ aspects, like food and entertainment, while we handled research and communication.”
There was so much enthusiasm for the idea of reviving the festival, it became quite intense!
Isabella Jaramillo Diaz
Local connections were crucial in shaping, organising, and promoting the festival. Juliana: “For example, representatives of the Polish community organised activities such as a flea market.” The Lentefeest also featured local bands and several booths with free food and drinks from different cultures: Poland, China, Morocco, and the Netherlands. There were stands for other researchers and biodiversity-related initiatives like the Floating Farm and the neighbourhood garden. Isabella: “We encouraged people to explore the festival using a stamp card, where each stand was represented by one of the ten animals: very effective on kids.”
At the Bio-CiVo stand, the digital tools were demonstrated and tested, providing valuable feedback and connection. Jing: “People liked the visuals and the personality test, recognized the scenarios, and felt motivated afterwards to enact change.”
How to get community engagement right
According to Geertje, the ‘special ingredient’ of Bio-CiVO was continuous engagement with the community. “We worked with societal partners: a local startup, MdaM, and individuals from the neighbourhood. Not just to gather data, but to discuss the design and scope of the study.” Isabella: “We found Oud Mathenesse to be diverse and committed, with many initiatives and lots of enthusiasm to volunteer.” In fact, they struggled to decouple from the community. Jing: “That was a lesson on the importance of expectation management.”
If you want community engagement, you need a point of contact.
Isabella Jaramillo Diaz
Bio-CiVo ended in May 2024, but the team is happy that it will be followed up by the four-year Wijk als Biotoop 2.0 project, which aims to develop a learning ecosystem by and for residents. Geertje: “The connection with MadM was crucial during Bio-CiVo and will remain crucial for this project.” The students agree. Isabella: “If you want community engagement, you need an ‘in’, a point of contact.” That’s how Bio-CiVo achieved something remarkable. Geertje: “A lot of researchers talk about societal impact, and this project actually achieved it. Lentefeest, which used to be dormant, will return next year.”
The success of Bio-CiVo and the Lentefeest was only possible because of the involvement and enthusiasm of many volunteers, local initiatives, and research institutions. They are: Janine van Druten-Ubert, Eleftheria Karyoti, Sarah, and Merel van Tellingen from MdaM; the team of volunteers who prepared the food; the talented artists Monique Von Beers, Roots Trio, Tjilp, Showband Oud-Mathenesse and The HUVters; and all the initiatives present in the festival: Hogeschool Rotterdam, Floating Farm, De Buurttuin, Op de Schop, Werkgroep Groen, De Bokkesprong, Bioto, and De Verbindingskamer.
Published: December 2024
More information
- All visuals in this article were made by and are property of the Bio-CiVo team.
- Read more about the research process and findings of Bio-CiVo in this publication.
- Explore the four-year follow-up project: Wijk als Biotoop 2.0.
