'Forest of Trees' - Intervention in Rotterdam Kralingen

For the past 2 years Design & Publics has been actively involved in Kralingen aan de Maas and Kralingse Oostflank in Beweging: organisations that have the ambition to make this part of the city more pleasant, green and connected by inspiring and motivating public and private decision-makers to take local values and concerns into consideration in the large infrastructural and building plans that are currently being conceived.

As an outcome of one of our co-creative inspiration sessions, which are frequented by citizens, local citizens’ organizations, Excelsior FC, civil servants, project developers and politicians, a seemingly vacant piece of land was identified (together with a busy road) as a zone which obstructs the connection between neighbourhoods and the river Maas. Inspired by this insight, we, together with the nearby Arboretum Trompenburg and Wijkraad Kralingen, installed a so called ‘Bomenbos;’ 54 trees in pots which serve as a playful new green ‘place’ demonstrating the ecosystem services of trees but also as an urban guerilla style intervention to fuel dialogue on severance and unliveability caused by the heavily trafficked road.