---
title: CG IKUGA – Social Sector Vision
description: "IKUGA – SOCIAL SECTOR VISION Vision for the Green Community Plaza and Community Use IKUGA – Interkultureller Garten Magdeburg # **1. SECTOR NAME** **Society: Community- and participation-based social subsystem.** This vision belongs to the social helix: the everyday life of…"
url: "https://becom4.eu/becomdocs/cg-ikuga-social-vision/"
updated: "2026-09-19"
category: "Community Gardening / CG - Innovative vision"
---

# CG IKUGA – Social Sector Vision

IKUGA – SOCIAL SECTOR VISION

Vision for the Green Community Plaza and Community Use

IKUGA – Interkultureller Garten Magdeburg

# **1. SECTOR NAME**

**Society: Community- and participation-based social subsystem.**

This vision belongs to the social helix: the everyday life of the neighbourhood, the relationships between residents of different origins and generations, and the civic fabric that keeps a community garden alive beyond its beds and tools.

# **2. SECTOR VISION STATEMENT**

The underused entrance path of IKUGA is transformed into the Green Community Plaza – a welcoming, shaded and multifunctional space at the gateway of the intercultural garden.

The space is conceived not merely as a plaza, but as a social hub: a low-threshold meeting place where school children, families, migrant groups and long-standing garden members can meet, garden, learn, share and celebrate together. A wooden deck functions as a stage for presentations, workshops and neighbourhood events; seating on both sides, native planting, an information board, bicycle parking and solar lighting make it comfortable and inclusive at all hours.

This fits the New European Bauhaus (NEB) principles well, as it brings together sustainability, beauty and participation, rather than simply creating a purely functional space. The plaza is built on the principles of circularity, diversity and belonging – a green gathering place that connects people, ideas and nature.

# **3. CURRENT CHALLENGES AND NEEDS**

**Context of IKUGA**

The intercultural garden of Magdeburg is a place for tolerance and cooperation, where people from many different countries and cultures meet and garden together, supporting the development of an open and tolerant society. The idea was developed in 2009 by Caterina Mendel as part of a student research project and matured in 2010 into a full concept supported by the cultural association KanTe e.V.

Real garden work began in 2012, with workshops and concerts helping people grow into a community; as migrant groups and intercultural associations were invited, the garden became genuinely cross-cultural. Since 2014 the community has built a pergola, a greenhouse and public benches; in 2018 an association was established to run the project, and in 2022 IKUGA celebrated its tenth anniversary. The association today counts roughly 25–30 active members.

**Needs**

**Social anchoring function:**A diverse community that shares gardening space and cultural knowledge needs a physical anchor – a neighbourhood hub that strengthens the ties between different backgrounds and generations.

**Community-building:**The neighbourhood needs a stable, welcoming space to consolidate a lasting community around the garden.

**Bridging generations & cultures:**The plaza should connect older members' knowledge of gardening and traditions with the energy of young people and newcomers.

**Infrastructural improvement:**The entrance requires shade, seating, safe surfaces and lighting so that the garden feels inviting rather than provisional.

**A low-threshold approach:**Activities and design must remain accessible and inclusive, so that no group feels the place is 'not for them'.

**Challenges**

**Participant rotation:**There is significant turnover among participants, which makes the stability of the place fragile.

**Theft and loss of ownership:**The recurring theft of fruit and vegetables reflects a loss of shared ownership and desensitisation among current users.

**Socio-economic & cultural imbalance:**The cultural and socio-economic situation of the neighbourhood makes it difficult to gather people together; diversity of members and viewpoints can make agreements hard to reach.

**Low local interest & weak belonging:**Many local neighbours show little interest in gardening and the effort it requires, and there is a limited sense of belonging to the area.

**Institutional & physical dependence:**The garden's situation in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and its dependence on local funding, requires close coordination with the city council to shape and secure the space so it does not remain an isolated 'island'.

**How the current state reflects these challenges**

Today the entrance is an underused path with little structure and few inviting places to gather – a physical expression of the difficulty of drawing people in and holding them. To turn this into an opportunity, the Green Community Plaza concept takes centre stage: a visible, beautiful, shared threshold that signals ownership and welcome. When residents – and especially young people – not only use the space but help shape and care for it, a sense of belonging grows that directly counters turnover, theft and disengagement.

# **4. PROPOSED FUNCTIONS OF THE IMPROVED AREA**

From the social perspective, the plaza operates as a hub with several interconnected zones. In line with circular-economy principles, the space itself serves as a learning and demonstration area: visible material reuse, permeable surfaces, native planting and locally sourced components.

- **Welcome & orientation zone:**entrance area with the IKUGA sign, an information board and a garden map that orients newcomers and volunteers.
- **Stage & events zone:**the wooden deck as a stage for presentations, workshops and small events, shaded by a large sun sail and usable in the evening thanks to solar lighting.
- **Seating & encounter zone:**seating on both sides and a cosy seating corner with planters, creating a comfortable place to meet, rest and talk.
- **Learning & workshop zone:**outdoor workshops on gardening, ecology, recycling, upcycling and arts & crafts for all ages.
- **Green & biodiversity zone:**native plants and flowers that support pollinators, improve the microclimate and make the space beautiful.
- **Mobility zone:**bicycle parking for visitors and volunteers, connecting the garden to soft mobility.

This mix makes the space resilient: it works in everyday life and can scale up for festivals and neighbourhood events.

**Target groups**

- Local residents, families and neighbourhood initiatives
- Migrant groups and intercultural associations
- School children, youth and educators
- Garden members, volunteers and gardening enthusiasts
- Cultural and civil-society organisations

**Frequency of use**

- Daily / seasonal for gardening and informal encounters
- Weekly workshops and activities (gardening, cooking, crafts)
- Monthly talks, exhibitions or intercultural events
- Seasonal festivals and celebrations

# **5. KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERSHIPS**

The appeal and stability of the plaza depend on the mix of groups it brings together and the partnerships that sustain it.

| **Target Group** | **Type** | **Needs & Interests** | **Project Focus** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Local residents & families** | Local | A welcoming, safe, everyday meeting place close to home; participation; belonging | Community plaza, seating, neighbourhood events, low-threshold access |
| **Migrant groups & intercultural associations** | Local | A neutral space for exchange; shared gardening; visibility of their cultures | Intercultural dialogue, shared plots, cultural events, mutual respect |
| **School children & youth** | Local | Hands-on learning, safe outdoor activity, contact with nature | Workshops on gardening, ecology, recycling, arts & crafts on the stage |
| **Garden members & volunteers** | Local | Better infrastructure, shade, tools, recognition, a stable core group | Wooden deck, shade sail, storage, ownership of the space |
| **Educational institutions** | Local | Field trips, sustainability & circular-economy education | Teaching space, demonstration of native planting and reuse |
| **Civil society & NGOs** | Regional | Partnerships, dissemination, community capacity | Co-organised events, networking, shared programming |

**Media partners**

- Regional press and local online platforms covering neighbourhood and sustainability initiatives

**Educational institutions**

- Schools contributing to workshop projects
- Universities integrating intercultural and sustainability activities into their curricula

**Civil society & institutions**

- KanTe e.V. as the founding cultural association
- The City of Magdeburg and relevant district / municipal funding bodies
- Local associations, intercultural and diaspora groups
- Neighbourhood initiatives and informal cultural groups

# **6. EXPECTED IMPACT**

**Short-Term Impact (1–2 years)**

In the initial phase, the focus is on visibility and establishing the plaza's role as a new meeting place.

- **Social revitalisation:**The underused entrance becomes an 'open-door space'; first contacts between neighbours and garden members arise around the shared plaza.
- **Activation:**The first workshops, talks and small festivals take place on the new stage, giving the garden a visible public programme.
- **Building identity:**The garden's role in the neighbourhood is anchored in public consciousness as a positive 'place of possibilities'.
- **Initial circular-economy successes:**Repair, upcycling and native-planting practices are established; residents begin to use the space as a resource for shared activities.

**Long-Term Impact (5–10 years)**

In the long term, the plaza establishes itself as a structural element of the neighbourhood's social life.

- **Social resilience:**The plaza becomes a permanent 'third place' that fosters cohesion across ages, cultures and interests and reduces participant turnover through a shared sense of ownership.
- **Ownership & care:**Greater ownership and everyday use reduce theft and neglect, as the space is genuinely felt to belong to the community.
- **Circular economy:**A local ecosystem of knowledge, materials and skills grows beyond the garden through collaborations with schools, associations and the city.
- **Role model:**IKUGA's Green Community Plaza serves as a regional benchmark for low-cost, NEB-based intercultural community gardening, attracting knowledge exchange and support.

The logic is that short-term activation leads to long-term transformation: the plaza is no longer merely an entrance but an active part of the neighbourhood's social infrastructure.

# **7. SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE**

- The appeal of the plaza stems from the mix of different groups sharing one welcoming space.
- New visitors and neighbours bring footfall, curiosity and fresh energy to the garden.
- Long-standing members ensure continuity, authenticity and long-term operation.
- Educators and creatives act as a bridge group, running activities that connect residents, newcomers and children.

This structure aligns with the NEB principles, as it combines inclusion (involvement of residents and migrant groups), sustainability (reuse of materials, native planting, permeable surfaces, solar lighting and improved microclimate) and aesthetics (a beautiful, shaded gathering place). The aim is a 'third place' that is neither purely home nor purely a service point, but the social heart of the garden and its neighbourhood.

# **8. CONNECTION WITH OTHER HELICES**

**Social → Economy**

A vibrant, well-used plaza increases the value of what the garden produces and hosts – local food, handmade crafts and cultural events – and makes small-scale economic collaborations with local craftspeople and food initiatives attractive.

**Social → Education**

Cultural and gardening activities (workshops on ecology, recycling and crafts) work as an informal education system, teaching circular-economy skills in an accessible way and providing schools and researchers with a living learning space.

**Social → Environment**

The plaza translates the care of nature into everyday experience: native planting supports pollinators and biodiversity, shade and permeable surfaces improve the microclimate, and hands-on activity turns environmental awareness into practice.

**Social → Politics / Governance**

The plaza acts as an interface between residents and the city council: through participation and visible results it becomes a tangible showcase of EU-funded NEB principles, facilitating access to further funding and structural support.

# **9. ONE KEY MESSAGE**

*“IKUGA's Green Community Plaza turns a forgotten path into the heart of the intercultural garden – a shaded, welcoming place where people of all origins and generations meet, learn and grow together for a sustainable future.”*

This message links the three cornerstones of the concept: the shared place (the plaza), the social benefit (an inclusive intercultural community) and the ecological focus (circularity, biodiversity and NEB principles).

# **10. VISUAL OR SYMBOLIC ELEMENT**

**Symbol**

The central visual is the Green Community Plaza itself: the large sun sail stretched over the wooden stage, read as a shared 'roof' under which the whole community gathers – open on all sides, sheltering everyone equally. (The project's own 'Future Vision' render of the plaza, with people seated around the shaded stage among native planting, can serve as the hero image.)

As a symbolic sketch, the plaza can be drawn surrounded by speech bubbles carrying the many voices of the garden – greetings and questions in different languages, a child asking about a plant, a neighbour offering a recipe, someone new asking where to sit – all converging on one welcoming space beneath the sun sail, above the word “welcome”. The image captures the plaza as a place where diversity, everyday life and nature meet.

*“Growing together for a sustainable future.”*

### Disclaimer / Copyright Notice

Parts of this material were created and structured with the support of AI research tools. The content was created to support analysis, training and project reporting and was adapted and reviewed by the project team. Research was conducted using publicly available materials from international organisations, European institutions, educational projects and specialist gardening organisations.

All trademarks, organisation names and product names mentioned are acknowledged and remain the property of their respective owners. The linked learning materials remain subject to the terms and copyright notices of their respective publishers.

*BeCom 2024-1-DE02-KA220-ADU-0002475 · Community Gardening Learning Material · El Risell*