Amsterdam – March 6, 2025
On the 6th of March 2025, Amsterdam’s Houthavens hosted a festive Tree Festival Day, an initiative by property developer Heren 2, Erwin Stam Tuinstudio and Boomkwekerij Ebben. Inspired by the pocket parks in New York and Paris, a temporary green park will be created on a site that cannot be built on for the time being due to various circumstances, including power grid congestion. Instead of looking at a bare building site, the neighbourhood now has the chance to enjoy a botanical oasis in the heart of the city for at least the next 10 years. National Tree Day, which has been involving children in tree planting since 1957, is committed to making younger generations aware of the importance of trees and nature for a sustainable future. This event perfectly matched this, as the children not only learned about the importance of trees, but also actively participated in greening their own environment.
Greening the city for future generations
Dressed in colourful Tree Festival T-shirts and boots, the children of BSO Houthaven from Combiwel voor Kinderen were ready for an interactive and educational afternoon in the park. After a short talk by landscape architect Erwin Stam and Dirk Ebben of Boomkwekerij Ebben, Frank Nooijens of the National Tree Day especially addressed the children. He asked questions about their knowledge of trees and encouraged them to share their ideas about the importance of green in the city. They already knew that trees ‘make breath’. Then the children were allowed to fill the hole around an 8-metre-high Quercus Phellos with a circumference of 60 cm, together with co-initiator Eijk van Otterloo. This was a fitting representation of the collaboration between the children and the initiators to make the city a little greener for future generations. This largest tree in the park, a symbol of strength and future, had been placed a few days before for safety reasons. Afterwards, the children were given their own birch bush to plant themselves. Besides the physical act, the educational value was central; the children dwelled on the fact that trees and plants play a role in climate-proofing the city and how greenery improves liveability.
Testing ground for climate adaptation
The Houthavens Botanique is not only an aesthetic asset for the city, but also a testing ground for testing trees and plants that can withstand the challenges of climate change. In 10 years, the park will probably disappear, but the trees, planting and materials will be reused elsewhere in the city, so nothing will be lost and the city will continue to benefit from this green experiment. The initiators thus hope that this temporary park will be an example for other places in the city, where greening can contribute to improving the living environment. The knowledge and experience gained here can provide valuable insights for future green projects in the city. In this way, Houthavens Botanique not only contributes to the current living environment, but also to a more resilient, greener Amsterdam in the long term.’
