Previous state
Rijnvliet Edible Neighbourhood, a residential area of Utrecht, the Netherlands, is part of the Leidsche Rijn expansion project where a thousand new housing units have been constructed. Its layout is based on silviculture for food production and it has been planned with participation of the residents. The zone, with poor soil quality, was previously used for pasturage.
Aim of the intervention
What began as a traditional housing project became a participative process in which local residents contributed towards creating a new neighbourhood which, constructed around accessible urban agriculture, would be resilient to climate change. Working with experts, they produced a document describing the kind of neighbourhood they wanted. Since the changes were clearly explained, the users could evaluate the benefits to ecosystem and were able to play an active part in its protection.
Description
The neighbourhood includes a fifteen-hectare urban food forest with more than a thousand fruit trees and 220 species of edible plants. The public space consists of multiple layers of plants forming a well-integrated ecosystem. The different kinds of vegetation and species attract mutually beneficial insects and organisms. There are seven layers: the cover of tall trees, another layer of smaller trees, a layer of fruit and berry bushes, a perennial herbaceous layer, ground cover plants, an underground layer of plants with roots and tubers, and a vertical layer of climbing plants.
Each part of the neighbourhood has its own identity with specific planting areas. The central park brings all the layers of the forest together with recreational zones, including football fields, and a raised walkway among the trees for picking fruit. Not only does the forest offer recreational activities but it also improves ecosystem services like water management and provision of cleaner air.
Assessment
Thanks to organised events, new residents and local schoolchildren were involved in the planting process from the very beginning. Active participation in applying the principles of the edible forest in public space made residents commit to the project and thus become the best long-term guarantee of good neighbourhood management. The result is design of a very valuable public space where the vegetation is edible.
[Last update: 30/03/2026]
