What is a Community Backgreen?
We are interested in developing backgreens into community greenspaces which encourage a sense of community, create opportunties for food growing, and encourage sustainable lifestyles by providing facilities for composting and bicycle storage - and that's just a start.
Community For us, the most important part of a project is the community element. We need people who live around the site to volunteer their time to create the project and then to enjoy using it. The development and management of community backgreens is a fantastic way to build a sense of community in a tenement and around a tenement square. Find out more about community backgreen groups here >
The BackgreensThe features of a community backgreen project will depend upon the size of the site and the aspirations of the folk that live around it. A community backgreen can be created in one backgreen, in several linked backgreens or in a large group of backgreens within a tenement square.
At larger sites, our first goal is to develop a 'community green' in the centre of the site. The community green is the focus of community activities and services, it is where we install a co-shed and other facilities.
Wherever possible, the community green will be located in a small area in the centre of the site, which all residents can gain access to. The image below is of the community backgreen and co-shed at the Caleys Community Backgreen site.
The community green provides a central location for shared activities and community facilities which might be useful to all of the households such as, a jungle gym play area for young children, a community composting facility, bike sheds or whatever the residents decide.
At smaller sites (single backgreens or a couple of backgreens), we do a mini version of the larger project with a smaller shed.
The Co-Shed
At all community backgreen sites we install a co-shed (community shed). The size of the co-shed will differ depending upon the size of the site and the number of folk who will use it. The image below shows the co-shed and community backgreen at the Orwell community backgreen site in Dalry.
The tools and equipment for the regeneration and maintenance of the site are stored in the co-shed. The co-shed is available to all residents around the site who participate in the project.
Growing Spaces
In the last couple of years especially, we have encouraged folk to develop their backgreens as edible landscapes, by installing raised beds for growing veggies and forest gardens full of fruit trees and bushes.