Gardens for towns & cities

Gardens for towns and cities
A collection of ideas by
Charlie Alice Raya

Gardens for towns and cities is a collection of ideas for gardens with a purpose, aim or focus.

One of my early gardens list got to over forty ideas, by now the list has over a hundred and sixty ideas, and it is still growing.

Some of the gardens are part of the easy town story, some make an appearance in the dot.story, and some are mentioned in the examples for easy town business ideas (see the dot.book).

It is likely that I will publish the gardens collection with details for each garden at some point. I just don’t know when, yet.

Like the town ideas presented on this website, the gardens have special purposes: such as the Challenge Garden to keep fights off the streets, The Silent Garden to get a chance for a quiet walk when you need it, The Mushroom Garden which would be a great town highlight every autumn, The Party Den outside the town where the party never has to stop, and where it can make all the noise it likes, and more.

Many of the gardens on the gardens list could become tourist attractions, but usually the main objective of a garden is to give different people in a town or in a city spaces where they find like-minded people, or where they can present their craft and art, where they can let off steam, or find some rest or even some healing.

Some of the gardens on the list, like The Senses Garden, could become an essential part of medical clinics and rehabs.

I live in a city with a nice large park around the corner. But sometimes there are just too many people around for a nice quiet walk.
Now, I don’t need a quiet walk all the time, but sometimes I would love to go to a Silent Garden where no one talks, and sometimes I would love to go to a Dance Garden to hop around, or to a Debate Garden for a nice argument.

The thing is, once you declare a place as a kick-the-ball-around space, or as a Books Garden, or as a dance-as-long-as-you-can area, or as a Challenge Garden, you make sure that people know where they can go to do whatever they want to do, and everyone can find a place that is fitting for their present needs and moods.
This also provides areas for interaction among people with similar interests and moods, because why would anyone go to the Jesters Garden if they weren’t in the mood for a good laugh?

The following dialogue is from book 1, beginning, week 1, where The Senses Garden is still called The Feel Garden.

‘The Feel Garden is no less tricky. And again, I suggest a close cooperation with Health & Care. The idea is to have a garden with different objects, materials and surfaces. The garden’s aim is to give the visitors stimuli for their senses: touching, smelling, seeing, hearing and tasting. For example: a visitor could walk through clay, touch fur, smell hay, see a rainbow in a waterfall, feel and taste peppermint leaves, listen to birds and the like.
A patient who has been through a brain injury will benefit from any stimuli they can get. But even an average western person tends to have dulled senses and is often stiff and tense. By stimulating our senses, anyone can become more aware of their body again and actually use everything the body has to offer. This would also reduce the tensions that build up in our bodies due to stressful jobs or situations.’
‘And people could learn to be more perceptive again,’ another new face prompted.
‘Yes. I don’t have many details on the Feel Garden, but sometimes I thought it could offer different kinds of experiences. Quiet experiences and for those more daring, fun things like running through a waterfall.’
‘Or crawling through mud?’ Jack suggested, smiling.
Alice smiled back and said: ‘Or roll down a slope and land in a pond.’
‘Naked?’ Maja uttered dreamily and many laughed.
‘OK, OK. I think I get the general idea,’ Kim interrupted, sensing that more people wanted to add ideas for the fun part of the Feel Garden.

book 1, beginning

The Challenge Garden
The Dare & Venture Garden
The Hurdle Garden
The Balance Garden
The Senses Garden

The Body Garden
The Skin Garden
The Herbs Garden (medical)
The Health Garden

The Breathe Garden
The Yoga Garden
The Meditation Garden
The Nap Garden

The Steam Garden
The Bathing Garden
The Mud Bath Garden
The Hot Spring Garden
The Sauna Garden

The Swimmers Garden
The Climbers Garden
The Walkers Garden
The Improve-how-you-walk Garden
The Runners Garden
The Improve-how-you-run Garden
The Prosthetic Users Garden
The Skaters Garden
The Cyclers Garden
The Wheelchair Users Garden
Bikers Garden
Racing Garden
The Blind People Workout Garden
The Workout Garden
The Pumpers Garden
The Kickers Garden
The Balls Garden
The Martial Arts Garden

The Silent Garden
The Blind Garden

The Howl Garden
The Rage Garden
The Scream Garden
The Ice Cream Garden

The Dream Garden

The Sculptors Garden
The Carvers Garden
The Painters Garden
The Graffiti Garden
The Photographers Garden
The Artists Garden

The Image Garden
The Picture Garden
The Gallery Garden

The Crafts Garden
The Tinkerers Garden

The Performers Garden
The Jesters Garden
The Plays Garden
The Movies Garden

The Sounds Garden
The Sounds & Music Garden
The Jazz Garden
The Dance Garden
The Bands Garden
The Songs Garden

The Books Garden
The Story Garden
The Writers Garden

The Literature Garden
The Fantasy Garden
The Comics Garden
The Mystery Garden
The Authors Garden
The Scientists Garden
The History Gardens

The Philosophers Garden
The Thinkers Garden
The Why Garden
The Debate Garden
The Fact-Check Garden
Education Gardens

The Worlds Garden

The Cultures Garden

The Sex Education Garden
The Sex Garden

The Flying Solo Garden
The Couples Garden
The Romance Garden
The Candle Light Garden
The Lights Garden

The Party Den
The Out For Laughs Garden
The Feasts & Festivals Garden

The Games Garden
The Gaming Garden

The Hang Out Gardens
Chill-Out Garden
Tree Houses Garden

The Mind-your-own-business Garden
The Walk-the-way-you-want Garden

The Parents Garden
The Playground Gardens
The Kids Chill-Out Space
The Teens Garden
The Teens Chill-Out Space
The Generations Gardens
The Families Garden

The Gods Garden
The Gods Gallery Garden

The Queens & Kings Garden
The Masquerade Garden
The Common Garden
The Gossip Garden
The Posing Garden
The Tea Garden
The Coffee Garden
The Mingle Garden

The Camping Garden

The Floating Garden
The Hanging Garden
The Underground Garden
The Tree Tops Garden
The Roofs Gardens
The Facades Gardens
The Mountains Garden

The Insects Garden
The Bees Garden
The Butterflies Garden
The Birds Garden
The Fish Garden
The Dogs Garden
The Pets Garden
The Feeding Ducks Garden

The Flowers Garden
The Wild Flowers Garden
The Weeds Garden
The Tree Barks Garden
The Timber Garden
The Trees Garden
The River Garden
The Lake Garden

The Herbal Garden (cooking)
Mushroom Garden
Vegetable Gardens
Fruits Garden

The Rocks Garden
The Minerals Garden

The Fabrics Garden
The Flowers for Colours Garden
The Colours Garden
The Fashion Show Garden
The Spaces Garden
The Shoe Garden
The Feet & Legs Garden
The Barefoot Garden

The Tech Garden

The Workspace Gardens

The Maps & Globes Garden

The Spring Garden
The Summer Garden
The Autumn Garden
The Winter Garden
The All Seasons Garden

The Gardens Garden

Floating Gardens

Maybe Floating Gardens could help in areas with a high risk of floods.

The idea is to set the gardens on platforms which would rise with the floods. Poles might be best to fix the gardens to a location.

Later addition: Just found these images of floating gardens in Bangladesh published by The Guardian.

Connections

Like the list for town ideas, the list for gardens for towns and cities is growing as well. And gardens play a role in every part of the easy town story, in the dot.story, at Hub Stations, and even on the Hub.

An invitation to a garden party /:-)

Not quite. But if you would like to discuss an idea for a garden, I would be delighted to add some ideas.

The Senses Garden / The Feel Garden