Context and Challenge

In Graz, Austria, research focused on how biodiversity loss intersects with urban inequality. While the city hosts over 30 community gardens, access to green space and healthy food remains uneven. Migrant women, single mothers, and elderly women living alone often face barriers – physical, linguistic, and symbolic – that could prevent them from participating in urban greening initiatives. Without deliberate inclusion, such projects risk reinforcing social exclusion and contributing to green gentrification.

The PLANET4B project recognised this as a critical entry point. Could biodiversity initiatives be reimagined to centre social justice, lived experience, and community agency? Could gardens become spaces not just for ecological restoration, but for collective transformation?

Turning Point

The collective effort to build the garden was symbolically celebrated through the installation of the garden fence. It was a moment when physical work resulted in a deeper sense of belonging. Women* who had previously felt unsure of their belonging in an urban garden picked up tools, worked side by side, and declared, “This is our garden.” That simple phrase marked a shift—from participation to ownership.  It was the moment the garden stopped being “only” a research site and became a brave community space for female empowerment and agency.

Transformative Change in Action

The transformation began not with tools or seeds, but with listening. Facilitators invited women* from different marginalised backgrounds to share stories of place, memory, and food. Nature walks, shared meals, and storytelling circles created a welcoming atmosphere. Slowly, trust took root.

The GAIA Gartenberg community garden emerged from this process. It was co-designed by women* with migration histories, single mothers, and retired women, alongside gardeners, artists, and researchers. Together, the women* created a place of bio-/diversity. The construction of the garden fence marked a symbolic act of collective ownership.

Learning unfolded through hands-on practice. Participants mapped pollinator paths, reflected on the handling of snails, planted culturally significant crops, and exchanged growing and food traditions. Gardening became a practice of belonging. Over time, women who had once held back due to language barriers or lack of confidence began coordinating tasks, welcoming newcomers, and even founding an association to manage the garden beyond the project’s duration – becoming central agents of activities on this green space, the first Community Park of the city.

The garden became a living lab for biodiversity and inclusion. It was a place where ecological knowledge met cultural memory, where food sovereignty and social resilience grew side by side. Biodiversity was no longer abstract — it was visible in the soil, tasted in the harvest, and felt in the rhythms of community life.

Alignment with PLANET4B Goals

This story reflects PLANET4B’s core objectives:

• Intersectionality: The project centred women* affected by overlapping inequalities of gender, migration, class, and age.
• Behavioural and Institutional Change: Participants moved from passive engagement to active stewardship, engaging in municipal planning and policy.
• Participatory and Creative Methods: Storytelling, mapping, and co-creation were used to surface hidden knowledge and foster transformation.
• Leverage Points: The garden became a site for testing systemic change, linking biodiversity to food justice and urban governance.

Outcomes and Vision

The GAIA Gartenberg is now more than a garden. It is a nucleus for an emerging community park, with a second garden and orchard meadow already underway. The municipal green space department has become a committed partner, signalling that the Bio-Diverse Edible City idea is becoming part of Graz’s urban development strategy.

The deeper legacy lies in the lives of the women* who now see themselves not just as gardeners, but as urban actors. As one participant put it, “Before, I thought this kind of thing was for other people. Now I know it can be ours.”

Lessons for Broader Application

• Transformative change begins with people’s lived experiences and opening room for agency, not just policy targets.
• Reducing barriers to participation - through translation, childcare, and flexible formats – makes engagement more inclusive.
• Valuing lived experience alongside scientific expertise unlocks meaningful co-creation.
• Diversity in the community is a strength to be celebrated, not a challenge.
• Sustaining active facilitation helps self-organisation to bloom.
• Ensuring the availability of appropriate resources is crucial for the successful initiation of pilots that drive transformative change.