It seems to me like 'Urban Farming' and 'Urban Gardening' is becoming all the rage in the states lately. I personally love the idea. Re-purposing unused urban space to grow food has a myriad of environmental benefits. Urban gardens are a better use of space. They can replace unused lots or buildings that are causing unnatural run off. Eating food from an urban garden also reduces the carbon footprint of the food because the transportation from origin to plate is significantly decreased. Plus, getting outside and gardening every once in a while is good for you!
The Germans realized these environmental and health needs around the time of industrialization and urbanization. Large amounts of people were moving off their rural farms into the city to work. Around the mid 1800s, a doctor named Daniel Gottlob Moritz Schreber was writing publications that dealt with the subject of children's health and social consequences of urbanization during the Industrial Revolution. He is credited with starting the "Schreber Movement" which emphasized the importance of fresh air and appreciation of nature. This movement also started organized allotment gardening, or Schrebergärten.
I was pretty confused when I saw my first Schrebergärten. They kind of look like a mini neighborhood with little huts for houses. It is pretty rare for Germans to have a house with a yard since a majority of people live in apartments. My roomies informed me that the little plots of land are passed down through the generations, and it's pretty hard to get one! They have also told me that living in your Schrebergarten hut is frowned upon, but throwing parties in your Schrebergarten is encouraged. A little party/chill spot that provides you with health benefits and sustainable agriculture? The Germans know whats up.
The Germans realized these environmental and health needs around the time of industrialization and urbanization. Large amounts of people were moving off their rural farms into the city to work. Around the mid 1800s, a doctor named Daniel Gottlob Moritz Schreber was writing publications that dealt with the subject of children's health and social consequences of urbanization during the Industrial Revolution. He is credited with starting the "Schreber Movement" which emphasized the importance of fresh air and appreciation of nature. This movement also started organized allotment gardening, or Schrebergärten.
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