Urban Forest

Urban Forest 2024-2025

Urban Forest will be a catalyst for the reimagining of Belfast as a pioneer in responding to both the local issues of the city and the global challenges of the planetary emergency.

The project sewn in 2022 will grow to become – in time – one of the world’s greatest urban transformations; germinating a new way of thinking about the city that is underpinned by the values of a regenerative city, wellbeing and leaving no one in the city behind.

Our Themes

Fruiting - Culture | Place
The forest will create a new ecosystem - continuously changing and creating new moments of excitement, reflection and awe.

Biodiverse - Climate | Wellbeing
The forest will build habitats where humans and nature thrive together. Open, accessible, green spaces will improve health and well being by bringing spaces to dream, explore and create.

Evolving - Education | Innovation
The forest will be an open laboratory to explore how the built environment, people and natural world come together: testing technological innovations, trialling new ways of living, piloting alternative modes for how natural engages its human cohabitants.

Closed Loop - Systems | Economic
Forest is inspired by cycles: taking radical approaches to the spaces within the city by exploring regenerative solutions around energy, food, waste, and water.

Connected - Connectivity
Forest connects communities, from neighbourhoods to the city centre; creating pathways to share ideas, energy, food and transformation.

Use our timeline below to see the different stages of the Urban Forest. Click through the sites to go on a journey through the Forest as you will experience it in 2024.

1.1 Get Lost in a Forest

Get Lost in a Forest will form the central backdrop to the Urban Forest project, taking over the green space in front of the city hall and turning it on its head. The site will sprout to unveil a new civically owned living playscape for children across the city to make their own. Across a series of co-design workshops, children will be taken through a process to design and own their new natural playscape.

1.2 Rebirth & Renewal of the Old Bank

The Secret World of the Old Bank will allow people to experience the iconic old bank building on Royal Avenue in new ways. The space will be open to interpretation by a designer, artist or collective who will take the viewer on an awe filled experience which plays with scale, biodiversity, wildlife and theatrical programming.

1.3 Delve into the Flax Pavillion at Writer’s Square

Writer’s Square becomes a testing ground for ideas for Belfast’s future. This cultural hub will have constant programming, performance, activities and food & drink. It will be a space to explore long term greening of Writer’s Square, the use of flax (a key material in Belfast’s history), hydroponics, urban growing and urban renewable energy.

2.1 Create a Green Spectacle

The green spectacle takes over Royal Avenue and Donegall Place. The intervention will play with height and scale. It will be planted and maintained by people in the city and local businesses. It will include a large number of mobile gardens and play landscapes, co-designed by nationally famous garden/play designers and local schools and organisations.

3.1-6.9 More Sites in the City

Flowerstacks
City Wide

Look Up Rooftops
City Centre

Look Up Facades
City Centre

Explore Inside / Outside

Seeds of Change
6.1 Castle Street
6.2 Garfield Street
6.3 Cathedral Gardens
6.4 High Street
6.5 Bank Street
6.6 Kent Street
6.7 Rosemary Street
6.8 Fountain Lane
6.9 Castle Lane

The Forest Framework

The Urban Forest project aligns with the following Local Strategic Priorities for Belfast:

A Regenerative City
Helping the city move away from sustaining to ‘evolving’ a regenerative economy.

Wellbeing at its Heart
Improve sense of belonging, purpose, loneliness and safety in the City Centre.

No-one Left Behind
Upskilling and skills develpment to close the gap and support a new green economy.

Site No.	Festival Programme	Location	Cultural Strategy	Strategic Priorities	Delivering on...	Forest Themes
1.1	Get Lost in a Forest	City Hall	Belonging Creating	Wellbeing at the Heart No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Biodiverse Connected
1.2	Rebirth & Renewal of the Old Bank	Former Bank of Ireland Building	Belonging Challenging Creating	Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4	Fruiting Evolving
1.3	Delve into the Flax Pavillion	Writer’s Square	Belonging Challenging Creating Exploring	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Biodiverse Connected Closed Loop Evolving
1.4	No. 2 Royal Avenue	No. 2 Royal Avenue	Belonging Challenging Creating	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Biodiverse Connected Closed Loop Evolving
2.1	Create a Green Spectacle	Royal Avenue	Belonging Challenging Creating Exploring	Wellbeing at the Heart No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Biodiverse Connected Closed Loop
3.1	Look Up to the Rooftops	Rooftops across the city	Belonging Challenging Creating	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Biodiverse Connected
4.1	Explore Inside & Oustide	Royal Avenue and Donegall Place	Belonging Creating	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Biodiverse Connected
5.1	Look Up to the Facades	Facades across the city	Challenging Creating	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Evolving
6.1	Seeds of Change	Castle Street	Challenging Belonging	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Evolving Closed Loop
6.2	Seeds of Change	Garfield Street	Challenging Belonging Creating Exploring	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Evolving
6.3	Seeds of Change	Cathedral Gardens	Belonging Creating	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Connected
6.4	Seeds of Change	High Street	Belonging Creating Exploring	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting
6.5	Seeds of Change	Bank Street	Challenging Creating	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Evolving Closed Loop
6.6	Seeds of Change	Kent Street	Belonging Creating Exploring	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting
6.7	Seeds of Change	Castle Street	Belonging Creating	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Connected
6.8	Seeds of Change	Fountain Lane	Challenging Creating	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Closed Loop Biodiverse
6.9	Seeds of Change	Rosemary Street	Challenging Creating Exploring	Wellbeing at the Heart Regenerative City No-one Left Behind	EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4 S1, S2, S3, S4 EC1, EC2, EC3	Fruiting Closed Loop Biodiverse