Urban Gardening Innovation Expands to Neues Marktplatz with Mobile Plantings
In the heart of Neuwied, four innovative mobile vertical gardens have been installed on the market square, providing a refreshing oasis amidst the scorching heatwave that recently affected much of Germany. These gardens, equipped with a high-pressure mist system, were funded through the "Future-Proof Cities and Centers" funding program of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB).
These mobile gardens, known as "MobiGa" systems, were developed in collaboration with the Technical University of Bingen from 2018 to 2022. Daniel Ragonese, Neuwied's climate adaptation manager, spearheads the city's efforts to make it more livable and sustainable. For questions about the mobile gardens, you can reach out to Daniel at 02631/802 144 or via email at [email protected].
The MobiGa systems are designed with minimal maintenance and care requirements, making them ideal for urban environments. The high-pressure mist system is activated by touching a sensor and lasts approximately a minute. On hot summer days, these gardens can provide up to 12 degrees of cooling, offering much-needed relief in densely populated urban areas where planting more greenery for cooling is often challenging.
The mist system consumes only two to three liters of water per hour, making it an efficient solution for cooling urban spaces. While the exact amount of water consumed by the system depends on the misting frequency, duration, and system design, it is significantly less than traditional irrigation methods.
The MobiGa systems are not in continuous operation; instead, they are activated as needed to cool the surrounding area. These mobile gardens have already proven effective in numerous cities across Germany and Switzerland, including Neuwied, where they have been installed to increase biodiversity and provide a cool, refreshing space in the city center, which, with little cooling greenery, was particularly hot and uncomfortable during the recent heatwave.
With temperatures reaching up to 38 degrees Celsius, these mobile vertical gardens offer a promising solution for cooling urban environments, demonstrating the potential of innovative technology to create more livable and sustainable cities.
These mobile vertical gardens, branded as "MobiGa" systems, combined with the high-pressure mist system, have been developed and implemented to counter the effects of climate-change and to promote sustainable-living in urban spaces like Neuwied. As a result, the system, developed in collaboration with the Technical University of Bingen, has minimal care requirements and provides up to 12 degrees of cooling on hot summer days, consuming only 2-3 liters of water per hour, significantly less than traditional irrigation methods. By increasing biodiversity and offering a cool, refreshing space, these gardens have already demonstrated their effectiveness in numerous cities, helping to make urban environments more livable and sustainable.
