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Curated Biodiversity

We will bring and create a richer life to the parks and green spaces of Tartu city centre - more people, lush vegetation, exciting activities, games and sports facilities, landscape art. Tartu will become an even more enjoyable place to be for plants, insects, small animals and people.

Story

Is it possible to grow with nature in the city? It is. But it doesn’t happen by itself. The parks of Tartu’s city centre today lack diversity in every sense. Fortunately, there is a lot of space with great potential, and this can be curated and steered in the right direction. The aim is for people and urban nature to co-exist in a mutually enhancing way.

Increasing biodiversity in cities is crucial to mitigate the effects of climate change, reduce the loss of species and their habitats, and create a better habitat for people both mentally and physically.

Experience

We are adding missing features to the city centre parks. We will create places to meet and reflect, to spend time and play. You will be able to explore the biodiversity and get hands-on. Downtown parks will turn into a landscape laboratory where changes will be systematically documented, and the conclusions drawn from the results will serve as a model and guide for improving any similar spatial situation.

Everything else that makes a park a park will also be refreshed: space for movement and activity, functional infrastructure, spatial art. The natural environment, revitalised, is one part of the species richness and diversity of parks.

Impact

We are starting to export the knowledge of documented biodiversity enhancement. Biodiversity loss is a problem everywhere, and know-how on how to bring it back to cities is very much needed.

A pleasant urban space enhances the Capital of Culture experience, and the message will be taken from here, near and far. The people of Tartu will also learn to know and notice nature better.