This Dutch city’s ‘walking’ forest is making the world green with envy

The Dutch city of Leeuwarden is greener than usual this summer, with 1000 portable trees moving around the centre.

The walking forest has been part of the Arcadia art festival, which brings together artists, performers, and debaters, on the topic of humans, nature, and positive global change.

1000 trees and a long walk ahead

The project is called Bosk (which means ‘forest’ in Frisian) and was developed by landscape architect Bruno Doedens in an attempt to reevaluate humans’ relationship with nature, writes The Guardian.

The 1000 trees cover 3.5 km of Leeuwarden city centre, and the project is designed to inspire locals and festival visitors to reconnect with nature and green living.

photo-of-Leeuwarden-from-above
Leeuwarden has gotten significantly greener lately! Image: Arcadia/Supplied

More trees in urban areas make cities far better equipped for reducing temperatures on the ground and cleaning the air from dangerous carbon dioxide — two key features of future-proof cities.

READ NEXT | These derelict Rotterdam train tracks are being made over into a luscious green airpark!

And the man who came up with the idea of the walking forest, Doedens, is clear about the intention behind the project: “We as a species are behaving like adolescents who don’t want to clean up their room. We need to grow up and stop making a mess of everything,” he wrote in a 2021 essay.

Great support

The walking forest has become very popular among locals and visiting festival goers alike, and there’s no shortage of support.

photo-of-arcadia-festival-volunteers
Who doesn’t love a green city space? Image: Arcadia/Supplied

The new, green vibe has has had a noticeable effect on the local population, who seem to feel like it gives the city a more relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.

RELATED | Goodbye highway — hello lean, mean, green scenery (and 5000+ houses) for Rotterdam!

There are always some haters

Of course, no new, hip, green, and sustainable initiative would be complete without some complaints. These mainly concern the fact that the trees take up quite a bit of space, leading to some logistical issues in the city centre, reports Omrop Fryslan.

Photo-of-Bosk-Leeuwarden
People of all ages are enjoying the walking forest this summer. Image: Arcadia/Supplied

Thankfully, angry car drivers are a minority, and most people are welcoming and enjoying the green change.

Would you like this in your city? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image:Arcadia
Juni Moltubak
Juni Moltubak
Juni moved to the Netherlands after realizing how expensive tuition fees in the UK are, and never regretted her choice of studying in The Hague. After three years of Political Science, she is ready for a new adventure — an internship at DutchReview! When you don’t see her typing on her laptop she can be found strolling around Haagse Bos or sitting in her lovely garden scrolling through interior design TikToks.

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