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Students are sitting at the Martin Schmeisser Square in the summer © Roland Baege​/​TU Dortmund
“Garden(s) of Refuge”

Academy in Exile Plants Micro-Forest on North Campus

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Photo: Several people digging in the ground during a tree planting campaign. In the background, you can see the Math Tower of TU Dortmund University and the EF50 building. © Felix Schmale​/​TU Dortmund
As part of the “Garden(s) of Refuge” project, Academy in Exile has planted several hundred trees on the campus of TU Dortmund University.
At the end of November, a group of students, researchers and volunteers joined forces to plant several hundred trees on wasteland behind the International Meeting Center (IBZ). Behind the initiative is the “Garden(s) of Refuge” project of Academy in Exile at the Department of Cultural Studies, which aims to draw attention to the connection between climate change and forced migration. The new micro-forest will not only serve as a green retreat on campus in the future. It is also already being incorporated into applied literary and cultural studies courses and in research projects.

More and more people are being forced to leave their homeland due to conflict and displacement. At the same time, the consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly tangible in the form of droughts, heavy rainfall and rising temperatures. Where these two crises intersect is the starting point for Academy in Exile’s project entitled “Garden(s) of Refuge”, which aims to sharpen awareness of this connection. “With ‘Garden(s) of Refuge’, we want to visualize the idea of safe havens – both for people and nature,” explains Adjunct Professor Vanessa Agnew, who heads Academy in Exile together with Professor Kader Konuk. Some of the participants in the afforestation project themselves originate from regions where the consequences of climate change can already be clearly felt in the form of storms, fires, droughts, extreme temperatures or rising sea levels. “Planting a micro-forest provides a platform for discussing these effects,” says Professor Agnew.

Academy in Exile launched the project in 2024, in cooperation with various institutions at TU Dortmund University and the UA Ruhr Liaison Office New York. Researchers from the Department of Spatial Planning identified a suitable location on campus. The area was first cleared of brambles, then the ground was prepared, a path laid and a seating area built before the first trees could be planted. The “Garden(s) of Refuge” was planted according to the Miyawaki method, an afforestation technique named after the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki: To promote growth and establish a fully developed forest in a short space of time, numerous native species are planted particularly close together.

The “Garden(s) of Refuge” project is funded by the Allianz Foundation, the Mellon Foundation and the Rudolf Chaudoire Foundation, with in-kind donations from local businesses. A partner garden is currently being planted at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.

The “Garden(s) of Refuge” as a place for research and encounter

The micro-forest is at the disposal of all members of TU Dortmund University as a place to meet and relax. “People who want to enjoy a moment of peace and quiet and watch birds or other animals are already going there,” reports Professor Agnew. The micro-forest is also being incorporated into research and teaching: Together with Dr. Bryce Lawrence from the Department of Spatial Planning, Agnew is using sound recordings from the micro-forest to examine how the soundscape of former wasteland can be restored. The aim is to analyze these recordings in the future to determine how the afforestation process alters the soundscape. Another research project to examine plant density based on the Miyawaki method is already planned. Students attending applied literary and cultural studies seminars and children from the nearby HoKiDo kindergarten also helped to prepare and plant the micro-forest.

In October 2026, Academy in Exile will organize an international conference on the topic of “Climate-Migration-Refuge”, during which the “Garden(s) of Refuge” will be officially opened. In addition, the micro-forest will be part of the International Garden Exhibition (IGA), which will take place in the Ruhr region in 2027.

Academy in Exile’s activities are also a source of inspiration for projects at other universities. In June, the “Garden of Refuge Walk” opened as a temporary exhibition in the Botanical Garden at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), with the aim of drawing attention to the courage and resilience of persecuted scholars worldwide.

Further information on the project

About Academy in Exile

Academy in Exile (AiE) was founded in 2017 and has been hosted since 2023 by the Department of Cultural Studies at TU Dortmund University. It campaigns for researchers at risk and awards scholarships and fellowships to scholars in the humanities, social sciences or law and artists threatened because of their research, art and/or civic engagement.

Impressions from the “Garden(s) of Refuge”:

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