Farming on public ground: Umea Municipality

Within Umeå municipality there are currently a number of possibilities for urban cultivation as the municipality is giving associations the possibility to use public space for growing food intitiaves in public spaces around the city. The Municipality leases out land for cultivation plots and colonies to support urban cultures by allowing certain park and square surfaces to be used for cultivation for a limited time. How it works for the citizen:

1. Contact streets and parks via email or phone. Briefly describe your ideas and in what area you want urban cultivation.
2. Together with the Municipality, they find a suitable place in the area where you want to be. For example, it may be in the vicinity of where the members of the group live.
3. Make a sketch of how you want to build the urban cultivation and send the sketch to your contact person at Gator and parks.
4. To grow on a general area requires a police permission. The permit is called “use of public space” and the application form is available on the police’s website, www.polisen.se. The application for the police costs 700 kr. The municipality invoices a fee of SEK 810 for a land grant valid for three years.
5. Only after you have paid the fee for the police license can you get a permanent permission to start building the urban crop on site.
6. Before each spring it is good to contact the municipality’s contact person and tell us about the plans of the year. Perhaps there are many who want to grow and the area needs to be expanded?

WHAT WORKED WELL

• One of the goals of Umeå’s development is to create a tight city center with attractive meeting places, clear city spaces and a mix of features that will provide security, life and movement for the city. Parks and nature areas are an important part of this development and can offer experiences and activities of many different kinds. Urban cultivation is a growing interest and is an obvious place in the sustainable city.

LESSONS LEARNED

• It’s good if you’re from the beginning a group of people. One of you should be prepared to seek permission from the police, apply for land acquisition and be a contact person to the municipality.
• Access to water, we can not usually offer city growers, it must be solved from nearby properties.

WORKING GROUP

• Umea Municipality