What is the case?

The climate effects are becoming increasingly noticeable in urban areas. The action ‘Remove a tile, plant a plant’ is one of the easiest measures to mitigate these effects. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has therefore organised the National Tile Popping Championship (NK-Tegelwippen). Various municipalities compete to remove as many tiles as possible over six months. The municipality of Arnhem has challenged the municipality of Nijmegen to a contest. Since a large part of the city consists of private spaces, it is important to involve residents in this process and make them aware of the contribution they can make.

What is the project doing about it?

Three students are working in two Arnhem neighbourhoods to remove as many tiles as possible and replace them with greenery, in collaboration with residents. Together with the municipality, various organisations, and residents, they will depave and green private gardens. This project is a first step towards an integrated approach where residents are involved in 'greening' the city.

“Green is the connection of the future” (Student Max Terwisscha van Scheltinga, 2021)

“Like love, green is a universal language” (Student Max Terwisscha van Scheltinga, 2021)

“Those who go green, meet green” (Student Max Terwisscha van Scheltinga, 2021)

What does the project yield?

The removed tiles will hopefully lead to a victory over Nijmegen during the National Tile Popping Championship. The students hope that these actions will not only contribute to making the city climate-resilient but also strengthen social cohesion in the neighbourhood. Finally, the approach developed by the students could serve as a format for other neighbourhoods.

On a higher scale, this project also contributes to the ambitions set by the municipality of Arnhem, including 10% less paving and making the entire city climate-resilient by 2030.

Who is involved?

Project duration: From 01 February 2021 to 07 June 2021
Involved students: Max Terwisscha van Scheltinga, Jur Kuijper, and Richard Zwier
Client: Anne Luijten (municipality of Arnhem)
Contact person EnvironmentLAB / OmgevingsLAB: Frans van den Goorbergh
Involved lecturer: Daan van der Linde (Management of the Living Environment)

This project is carried out in the OmgevingsLAB. Arnhem competes against Nijmegen in the National Tile Popping Championship.