Cultivating Greener Cities: Introducing the Goods of Our City Urban Gardening Toolkit

Ghadir Ghamrawi

Urban gardening is emerging as a key practice for healthier, more resilient cities. In dense neighborhoods like Beirut, access to green spaces is limited, yet the demand for sustainable, community-centered solutions continues to grow. The Goods of Our City toolkit offers a practical, experience-based guide for anyone interested in starting their own garden on a balcony, rooftop, or terrace. It translates two successful citizen-led interventions – a green roof at Zico House and a community garden at the Near East School of Theology (NEST) – into actionable knowledge for the wider public.

Developed by a team of urban planners and designers passionate about environmental well-being, the toolkit provides a step-by-step approach to space assessment, planter design, plant selection, budgeting, construction, and long-term maintenance. It introduces readers to permaculture principles and emphasizes practical lessons learned through hands-on implementation in Beirut’s Mediterranean climate, from understanding sun exposure to managing seasonal change and soil composition.

Over the course of developing this toolkit and implementing the gardens, I (Ghadir) built a long-term relationship with the community that shaped this work in profound ways. While I began the project with a broad urban and ecological vision, it was the residents’ requests – often small, practical details that improved their daily experience – that grounded the project and strengthened its impact. Their curiosity, their care for the smallest elements of the garden, and their willingness to learn and maintain the space transformed the initiative into a shared journey. I learned as much from their lived realities as they did from the technical guidance we provided, and this mutual exchange created meaningful bonds between the community and me and between the community and the garden itself. It is this human dimension that continues to drive my attachment to the project and my commitment to replicating and supporting similar initiatives.

Beyond its technical guidance, the toolkit highlights the broader value of urban gardening - improved air quality, personal wellbeing, environmental stewardship, and strengthened community ties. Findings from the NEST community garden show measurable impact, including enhanced spatial quality, increased social interaction, and higher levels of happiness and relaxation among users.

The Goods of Our City toolkit is designed to empower citizens to reclaim urban space, cultivate their own food, and contribute to more sustainable neighborhoods. Whether starting small or planning a larger initiative, the guide offers accessible steps to help new gardeners build with care, plant with intention, and share the joy of greener living.

Explore the toolkit here.

About the author

Ghadir Ghamrawi is an architect and urban designer who became a citizen scientist on the Relief Centre (IGP’s PROCOL Lebanon) in the Hamra Prosperity team. Creating pathways from research to impact, her Urban Gardening initiative was a product of her sustained involvement with the Citizen Science methodology and her commitment to enhancing people’s quality of life.