The Liz Christy Foodtrail is a pathway set through Seestadt, a new district in Vienna. This route links eleven edible greening projects, inviting visitors to explore them on foot or by bike. It showcases existing initiatives along the way and encourages the creation and expansion of new projects.
Environmental education, education to sustainable development
SeeStadtgrün, Seestadt Vienna
NGO
2020
The Foodtrail begins and ends at Hannah-Arendt-Platz, guiding visitors on a loop around Seestadt’s first quarter.
The association SeeStadtgrün is a non-partisan, non-profit organization composed of residents of Vienna’s Seestadt district. Its goal is to enhance the urban landscape and improve the quality of life through various greening initiatives. They focus on greening public spaces, fostering neighborhood connections, and supporting biodiversity. Thanks to the commitment of its members, numerous projects have already been implemented, positively impacting the urban climate and promoting natural diversity.
The Liz Christy Trail, as an edible-themed path within the Essbare Seestadt (Edible Seestadt) initiative, serves multiple purposes in the context of a community garden and urban greening projects.
The primary goal of this tool is to make edible urban spaces more visible and accessible to the community, encouraging people to engage with sustainable food production and green infrastructure. It is also an educational resource, helping visitors understand edible plants, sustainable urban planning, and climate adaptation strategies.
The trail fosters creates also meeting points where residents, gardeners, and visitors can connect. It encourages active lifestyles through walking and cycling so that urban spaces can be both productive and recreational.
In the short term, the implementation of the trail has increased awareness of edible landscaping, making existing projects more visible and accessible. Visitors exploring the trail learn about the role of urban agriculture and sustainable food production firsthand. The positive feedback from locals and tourists suggests that the initiative successfully raises curiosity and engagement with green spaces.
Additionally, the signage and maps placed along the route provide practical knowledge about the different edible plants and their cultivation, making the concept of food trails more approachable for both residents and urban planners.
Over time, the trail is expected to encourage the creation of new community gardens and edible landscaping projects inspired by the existing ones. More residents and stakeholders may become interested in adopting urban greening practices, contributing to a resilient and sustainable city.
The trail also demonstrates how cities can integrate edible greenery to improve biodiversity, food security, and social well-being.
Exploring the trail deepens understanding of edible plants and sustainable urban design while highlighting the principles of a climate-adaptive green city. Each station contributes to urban livability, functioning as an educational hub, a space for relaxation and social interaction, or a site for hands-on engagement.
The objective of the Gardeniser Academy project is to support the development of community gardens in Europe by offering online training contents tailored to the needs and expectations of gardeners all over Europe.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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