With subsidies to a green tenant oasis
In just two months, the inner courtyard of the residential building at Kleiststrasse 7 in Wiesbaden's Dichterviertel district has been transformed from a somewhat neglected wild area into an attractive and leafy meeting place for the building's residents.
At the inauguration ceremony, the first ideas for the future use of the courtyard took shape. Where wild greenery used to work its way through the concrete on an abandoned area, landscaped green spaces and seating now invite people to linger. Bicycles are kept dry under the new pergola and two "taps" with plant bowls connected to the downpipes make watering easier for the residents. Months earlier, the professionals from Immo Herbst für Garten- und Landschaftsbau unsealed the concrete surface in the backyard, installed the new parking area, created new edged beds, planted trees and turned the backyard into a green gem in Wiesbaden's city center.
The redesign of the previously unused backyard cost around 65,000 euros, almost a third of which GWH received through grants from the "Growth and Sustainable Renewal" urban development program. Sabine Gaedecke from Stadtentwicklungsgesellschaft Wiesbaden presented the certificate. Measures that improve the climatic situation in the city center, increase ecological diversity in the area surrounding the apartments and contribute to the quality of stay were eligible for funding.
The final design took all three aspects into account and also met with approval from the residents. "Everyone in the building was delighted with the announcement that the inner courtyard would be redesigned and planted with greenery," says one tenant. They had seen plans and sketches of the project in advance, "but to see it implemented now is something else again."
"Two parties in the building have agreed to permanently maintain the new greenery in the backyard," says Dirk Heymann, who was responsible for communicating with the tenants and also submitted the funding application. This will ensure that the building community benefits from the new communal open space for as long as possible.
In addition to Stephan Machny and Dirk Heymann, Ursula Beyler-Jertz, Marko Hohm, janitors Matheo Irandoust and Ramazan Dogan and head of department Anastasja Schatz also contributed to the successful implementation.