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Rijnvliet, Edible Neighborhood

Urban Food Forest Rijnvliet, Utrecht

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. 

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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 

Seven layers of a 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:

  1. The canopy, consisting of original and planted large trees.
  2. Low trees, consisting of smaller trees or half-standards.
  3. Shrub layer of fruit and berry bushes.
  4. Herb layer of multiannual vegetables and herbs.
  5. Soil covers, a layer of plants that spread horizontally.
  6. Underground layer of plants that produce roots or tubers.
  7. 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.

  
Neighborhood excursion on the National Architecture Day - June 2023

tree map

If you want to know more about the types of trees that can be found in the neighborhood, have a look at the Tree Map. It shows you where to find all edible trees, what you can eat from them and when you can harvest.

   

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. 

Year

2017 - Current

Location

Utrecht, The Netherlands

Type

Landscape, Public Space

Client

Municipality of Utrecht

Size

15 ha

Awards

2023 Dame Sylvia Crowe International [Winner]
2023 LOOP Design Awards [Winner]
2023 Landscape institute Award [Finalist]
2023 WLA Honour Award [winner]
2023 A+ Award [finalist]
2021 Innovation in Politics Award [winner]

Publications

MooiNL
Planur-e
NRC
FRAMEweb
Bomenkaart
World Landscape Architect
AD.nl
CG Concept
City Deal
Leidsche Rijn Hogeschool Utrecht
Leidsche Rijn maken we samen
Leidsche-Rijn
Metaal Kathedraal
RTV Utrecht
Regio Leidsche Rijn
Straatbeeld
Gemeente Utrecht

Team & partners

Michiel Van Driessche
Marnix Vink
Deborah Lambert
Fieke Damen
Robert-Jan van der Linden
DeZwarteHond
Xavier San Giorgi – Æ Food Forestry Development

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  20. The Unbound Amsterdam
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  22. Brainport Smart District Helmond
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  24. Spatial Framework Blankenburg Süden, Berlin
  25. 'Typhoon-proof' Shenzhen's East Coast
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  27. A green entrance for the airport
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  32. Darmstadt Masterplan 2030+
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  34. Master Plan Ter Aar, Nieuwkoop
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  47. Redevelopment Strategy Vogabyggð
  48. Villa Garden
  49. City life in the woods
  50. Schie Quarter Schiedam
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  52. Buji River
  53. Vaskhnil Novosibirsk
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  55. Maritime Campus Almere
  56. Resilient Riverscape Berat
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  59. Ekaterinburg City Campus
  60. Transformation Strategy Gufunes
  61. Transformation Strategy Chelyabinsk
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  63. Zinder Culture Cluster
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  65. S4 Highway Hangzhou
  66. Strategic Plan Fier
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  68. Kronenburg Business Park
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  75. The Museum of the 20th Century
  76. Gardabaer
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  78. Science and Technology City Chongqing
  79. Yue Xiu 353 Transformation
  80. 5YN3RGY
  81. Erlongshan Recreational Park
  82. Danxia Recreational Park
  83. Campus Lelystad
  84. Proto Tamansari
  85. City Gardens Tyumen
  86. Park Somerlust Amsterdam
  87. Bandar Lampung Park
  88. R&D Campus Fengxian
  89. S-West Eindhoven
  90. Biodiversity based dairy farming
  91. Heidelberg Creative Quarter
  92. Barendrecht Vrouwenpolder
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