Rijnvliet, Edible Neighborhood

Rijnvliet is a new residential area in Utrecht. It is part of the Leidsche Rijn expansion area that provides 1000 new ground-based dwellings. The masterplan is developed by DeZwarteHond. Felixx designed the public space in the area as an edible, educative landscape. The layout is based on the principles of food forestry and developed in collaboration with residents and Æ – Food Forestry Development.  slider Participatory Co-design Utrecht municipality aims to achieve a healthy future for the city by providing high-quality public green space. When neighbors and residents proposed an urban food forest for Rijnvliet, the municipality embraced their grassroot initiative and included it in the design phases. Together with the municipality, a special concept for the public space has been developed: all the greenery is edible for humans, or animals, and there will be a central food forest.Today the public space of Rijnvliet consists of a 15ha food forest with more than a thousand (fruit) trees and 220 different (sub)species of edible plants, herbs & shrubs. The entire district is embedded within a productive landscape, integrating three values: food production, usage and nature.  Seven layers of the Food Forest  The realms are built up with multiple layers of plants, together forming an integrated ecosystem. The different vegetation types and species attract insects and organisms that enforce each other. There are seven layers: The canopy, consisting of original and planted large trees. Low trees, consisting of smaller trees or half-standards. Shrub layer of fruit and berry bushes. Herb layer of multiannual vegetables and herbs. Soil covers, a layer of plants that spread horizontally. Underground layer of plants that produce roots or tubers. Climbers, a vertical layer of climbing plants. Besides to recreational benefits, the 15ha food forest enhances the ecosystem services of the area, including water management, heat reduction and air purification. The abundant green and blue spaces are harmoniously blended with the built environment. The quality of life is enhanced by providing a rich human experience, high biodiversity and extensive habitat for birds, bats and other species. Innovation Rijnvliet, Edible Neighborhood in Utrecht has won a special international prize; the Innovation in Politics Award 2021. A public jury of European citizens praised the cooperation between the neighborhood and the municipality and awarded the first prize in the category 'ecology' to the municipality of Utrecht. Public space Rijnvliet under construction, aerial view ©John Korssen - 12/05/2022

multi generational city, gezonde stad, healthy ageing, healthy aging, walkable city, 15 minute city, urban agriculture, slow food, food forest, urban forestry, urban orchard, city orchard, urban harvest, fruit trees, Heat island effect , Heat island effect reduction, microclimate, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, climate change, climate change adaptation, air quality improvement, pollution mitigation, heat mitigation, hungry city, garden city, edible city, food in the city, sponge city, safe city, city for people, sustainable city, resilient city, healthy city, hungry city, garden neighborhood, edible neighborhood, food in the neighborhood, sponge neighborhood, safe neighborhood, neighborhood for people, smart neighborhood, circular neighborhood, resilient neighborhood, sustainable neighborhood, healthy neighborhood, learning landscape, adaptable landscape, multifunctional landscape, growing landscape, dutch landscape, future proof, environmental resilience, social resilience, social cohesion, green infrastructure, nature based solutions, sustainable ecology, levensloopbestendige stad, ageing city, ageing in place, construction progress