Antwerp's Free Tree project is part of an initiative by the local council called Neighborhood in Bloom.
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Antwerp encourages its citizens to go green by distributing trees for free.
Until September 30th, the Belgian city is distributing 2,000 trees to residents who have gardens or unpaved planting spaces.
For this project, 20 tree species suitable for urban environments were selected. A short survey covering available space and amount of sunlight will help you decide which type is best.
The initiative is expected to make cities cooler in the summer, improve air quality and create more breeding grounds for birds and other animals.
Many people will already be familiar with this project. Last summer, the tram line was inaugurated, covered in eye-catching autumn leaves.
Vehicles traveling on Line 1 were transformed for one day into lush mobile gardens, with plants packed into every available space to encourage residents to take up urban gardening.
Why is Antwerp promoting urban gardening?
Antwerp's free tree scheme is part of an initiative by the local council called Neighborhood in Bloom (Buurt in Bloei).
The aim of the plan is to encourage residents to take part in gardening in order to transform the city into a greener and healthier place to live.
As part of this initiative, Antwerp City Council is offering “façade gardens'' free of charge to budding urban gardeners.
People living in the city center can request the council for flowers or wreaths or trees to be hung between houses across the street. The council will also offer financial assistance to people wishing to purchase rainwater harvesting barrels to water their gardens.
The plan is being implemented again after a huge success in 2022. At this time, the residents of Antwerp were inspired to create more than 200 façade gardens, more than 170 tree areas and 100 wreaths.
When it comes to setting up gardens, the district council will be responsible for pulling up the paving tiles, laying the soil and planting, and residents will be required to maintain the shrubbery and green space.
What are the benefits of urban gardens?
Adding more foliage to an urban environment isn't just aesthetically pleasing.
Plants and trees lower temperatures in cities and help alleviate the so-called “urban heat island” effect, where urban areas become significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas as a result of human activity.
It also helps reduce pollution and clean the air. A small green space may attract nesting birds, squirrels, and lots of insects.
Plus, just pottering around in an urban garden for five minutes can lift your mood and improve your mental health.
