Regeneration between the tiles: a garden grows next to the ship

On a vacant lot in Rotterdam, directly opposite a cruise ship where 2,000 refugees with refugee status are temporarily living, something unexpected is emerging: the largest herb spiral in the Netherlands.

This isn't just a unique garden project. It's a powerful example of ecological and social regeneration , right in the heart of the city.

A garden opposite the ship

The cruise ship, once a symbol of luxury, now houses families in small cabins with little privacy, no greenery, and little space to relax. The NOS previously described the situation bluntly: "Unsafe living conditions."

Across the street, on a plot of land that has been unused for years, a temporary village square is now being created. It will include a small café, sports facilities, and a community garden. A place to come together, breathe, and feel human again.

Just start scooping

This initiative was started by Raymond Landegent and Annebel de Kok – local changemakers who had never built a herb spiral before. But they simply got started , true to the Rotterdam spirit of "Stop talking, start cleaning," or in this case: "Stop talking, start planting."

Using tiles from the NK Tegelwippen (Dutch Tile Flipping Championship) and two large piles of soil and wood chips from the municipality, they began to shape the spiral.

And something extraordinary happened: everyone who passed by was invited to join in. Some with a shovel, others with plants. Abdullah, a resident of the ship, even showed up. He looked around and spontaneously started digging and planting, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Planting hope

That's precisely the essence. Regeneration isn't just a grand plan or an ecological theory; it's people working together to do what's necessary , with their hands in the soil.

Perhaps the garden isn't permanent. The land is earmarked for new construction within a year. But what this initiative reveals is too important to forget.

We hope the city of Rotterdam recognizes the true value of these kinds of places : Places where community and ecology converge. Places that offer dignity and connection. Places that literally and symbolically plant hope , right between the paving stones.

Because if regeneration becomes visible anywhere, it is here, next to a ship, on a vacant lot, with a shovel in your hand.