From global problems to the local action in the Community Garden “AUDZˮ

The community garden “AUDZ” which is accessible for everyone was created as a local small scale response to the problems of the 21st century – the depletion of natural resources, air pollution, increase in industrial production, a destructive amount of waste, aging of society, the lack of a sustainable society, etc. Nora Gavare, a designer, participated in the ERASMUS+ international training mobility visit “Development of urban environment” in Hong Cong where she acquired experience and new insights into over-population, rapid growth of urban areas at the expense of the natural habitat and a sharp increase in demand for food products. These trends are not yet evident in Latvia, but they are relevant in the context of the forthcoming climate crisis. At the same time, the demand for healthy locally grown food and zero waste products has increased noticeably. Residents of cities and towns are eager to buy products of known origin, quality and processing factories. However, the only way how to be fully convinced of the quality and “transparency” of the food products is to grow and prepare food stuffs on our own. There are the following questions to be answered: “Do we have enough knowledge how to grow, for example, tomatoes? Haven’t people forgotten natural processes while using the advantages of the development of technologies? What would happen if we created PLACES where people could both explore and learn, share and experience?” As regards such towns in Latvia as Sigulda, where there is a rapid growth of the population and the number of declared residents, it is necessary to promote the creation of the sense of community and education processes due to the lack of the communication opportunities which would promote the interaction of different social groups and enhance the formation of a sustainable society. Such a conclusion was made by performing a photo mapping of Sigulda’s public environment in different periods.