There is Life in the City

There Is Life in the City
Green Balconies & Urban Permaculture Design
with Veritsa Vasiljevic Patocchi

An experiential workshop exploring how balconies, terraces, and small urban spaces can become living ecosystems.

Through the lens of permaculture, participants learn how to observe and design their own urban microclimates — understanding sunlight, wind, water, materials, biodiversity, and seasonal rhythms in the city environment.

The workshop invites participants to see the balcony not simply as decoration, but as a space for food production, ecological regeneration, beauty, and wellbeing.

Together we explore:

• Balcony design through permaculture principles

• Understanding urban microclimates and seasonal patterns

• Sun exposure, wind, heat, and water observation

• Creating biodiversity corridors for pollinators and beneficial insects

• Vertical growing and small-space solutions

• Companion planting and layered planting systems

• Designing beautiful, functional, and resilient green spaces in the city

Participants are encouraged to observe their own living spaces differently and to experiment with small regenerative actions that reconnect daily life with natural systems.

The workshop may include simple drawing, mapping, and reflective exercises, as well as a small illustrated zine participants can take home as inspiration for their own balcony ecosystem.

Suitable for:
Urban ecology events, schools, community gardens, sustainability programs, cultural spaces, intergenerational gatherings.

Format:
Talk + interactive observation + practical examples + creative reflection

Duration:
1.5–3 hours, adaptable to the event format

Available in English, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian