Initiated in April 2012, Herligheten is an urban food project founded on ecological principles. It consists of 100 allotments and a 250m² field growing ancient grain types such as spelt, emmer and einkorn.

Located in the heart of Oslo in ‘Bjørvika’, a rocky island in the centre of a building site, the project is surrounded on all sides by roads, railways lines and industrial buildings.

One of the primary reasons for its location in an industrialised sector is the hope that ongoing monitoring with shed light on the effect of pollution on the success rates of urban gardening.

This project was planned to be temporary from the very beginning, and will only exist for three growing seasons.

As a social project, there is a large emphasis on public education – the project provides lectures for its allotments holders on a range of subjects, from keeping chickens and baking bread to a number of talks on various aspects of food growing.

The project also aims to be democratic, so every allotment holder has a say in the development of the Herligheten project.

This is an excellent example of a derelict urban site being transformed into something positive, built on the foundation of community ideals and co-creation. And as an ecological project, all gardeners at Herligheten use responsible gardening methods, ensuring minimum environmental impact, and maximum benefit for all involved.

To read more about the Herligheten urban gardening project, click here.

[Photograph by Vibeke Hermanrud, 2012]