Continuing our exploration of garden spaces in Coimbra, inspired by the garden started by Patrícia Esteves, we sought other ways to form communities in the city. Following the advice of our colleague Paula Barata Dias (University of Coimbra), we decided to focus on the Repúblicas, the student community houses.

Repúblicas are a patrimony in Coimbra, representing the material and immaterial heritage of student life in the city. Those houses are rented by students and managed by them, in accordance with the ideals of democratic and collective living. These are spaces where nothing is owned, and everything is shared. The Repúblicas played an essential role in awakening the social critical debate in the 1960s and 1970s, during the political shift in Portugal.

Thanks to the help of Paula Barata Dias and Joana Carvalho, we were lucky to visit 5 Repúblicas, hear the stories of the houses from the students living in them, see their gardens, and even join them for lunch and dinner. We heard about their struggles with taking care of the houses, the need for prioritising house repairs and the quest for something more; not only surviving, but living. Gardening, as we heard, can be one of the ways of approaching this quest; the surrounding challenges and difficulties render it difficult, though.

More than anything, Repúblicas search for advice, for someone who could help them start gardening. That was what guided our next visits and the organisation of our workshop at the University of Coimbra.