Green on the inside: Antwerp tram turns into a moving garden

The unique interior design seeks to inspire commuters to request their own free plants from the city

Stepping into the tram running on line 1 of Antwerp can be jaw-dropping and transformative. Commuters will find out that the entire interior of the vehicle has been turned into a garden, with plants hanging from the ceilings and the walls between the windows.

The unusual action is part of the Neighbourhood in Bloom (Buurt in Bloom) initiative by the district council, which aims to inspire residents to try out gardening and participate in making their surroundings greener and healthier. After all, if the 35-metre-long tube of a tram can become an imaginative forest, why can’t any other surface that you could think of?

If interested to try out their green thumb, people living in the central district can request free façade gardens, green garlands and tree sections, according to district alderman Tom Van den Borne.

Green facades – not just a marketing gimmick

The tram also features a hostess, who is there to inform the passengers about the initiative and so that they don’t just wonder what is going on. This is, in fact, a new edition of the initiative after last year it was considered successful. The result was the creation of more than 200 facade gardens, 170 tree sections and more than 100 green garlands.

It’s a little bit ironic, but regarding the green garlands, which can hang between houses across the street, one of the conditions is that no tram line runs through the street. Nevertheless, the entire initiative is giving people a unique chance to turn into urban gardeners and really take a commitment to transforming their neighbourhoods.

The district will be responsible for breaking out pavement tiles, installing vertical and horizontal cables and planting (potting soil and plant packages with climbing plants). Neighbours, on the other hand, will have the responsibility to maintain the plants and the greenery.