Revitalization of Available Open Space in UK Through Urban Farming
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Transcript of Revitalization of Available Open Space in UK Through Urban Farming
Revitalization of available open space
in UK through Urban Farming
___________________________________ Achieving food supply by efficiently approaching existing land use
Research Methods P32078
Author: Iyaneshpandian Chandrasekaran
14084856
Supervisor: Jon Cooper
Department of Planning
Oxford Brookes University
ABSTRACT:
This research addresses two important approaches in urban farming
within the context of region that how does public and other open spaces
could be used for urban farming and also how that has to be approached.
The growing urbanism has been a very influential factor which impacts
over farming land, land acquisitions, industrial development respective to
demands, food distance, rise in number of migrants and immigrants,
employments, poverty, hygiene, global warming, public participation in
social activities, community interactions etc.,. Such factors directly or
indirectly influence the quality of living in the cities and also impacts the
qualities and quantities of environment. Many surveys across the globe
had furbished that in 2050 there would drastic increase in the number of
cities compared to current and also serving almost all the population as
resident of the cities. Such circumstances would transfer many towns into
cities, and number of villages would go down considerably thereby
resulting in reduction of farm lands and also drastic rise in number of
consumers. As a result of reduction of farm lands, there would be a
reduction of food supply. Since majority of the population is residing in
the cities and the reduction in farm land and food supply would become a
huge challenge for the growing urbanism. Those conventional farming and
ploughing couldn't happen in the urban context since the availability of
land mass would be of bits and pieces, so innovative technological
supports were expected with major concern of sustainability.
As an approach towards challenge we going to face in future irrespective
of developed or developing cities Urban Farming would be a sustainable
approach to apply in urban centers to meet the demands of food supply.
And we cannot specifically create a landuse in an existing successful
urban structure since it is been functioning positively in urban context
already but we could retrofit or revitalize the available space such as
public and private open spaces, roof tops, pavements etc., And also new
development can be design by including Urban Farming as one of their
design quality to enhance food production. The approach of Urban
Farming not just supports to meet the demand of food supply but also it
will help the urban dwellers and consumers to reconnect with the art of
farming into their cities and neighborhoods'. Does Urban Farming could
actually compensate the rising demand for food supply as well as could it
is capable of producing nutritious food to the society or community
through the year, which would dealt in the research and as a conclusion
of the result we would be arriving at it. As a part of this research, we
would be researching across the available typologies of Urban Farming
and it's maintenance respective to regional context and we would be
studying its impact to urban life style and to its community. Since Urban
Farming is considered one could even imagine about the cost involved in
doing it, and to eradicated the issues of cost impact to major extend we
could consider revitalizing of the open space (public and private) were the
fund involved is very less compared to Vertical Farming, thereby keeping
our research feasible to context.
BACKGROUND/INTRODUCTION:
"Sitopia and the urban paradox
Pre-Occupation with food and its origins, production, make-up and distribution, as well
as its taste and cost, has never been greater amongst city dwellers. Across the globe,
emerging, self-reliant food networks and economics are shaping both the physical and
social aspects of our cities.(Steel, 2014)"
The background of this research concerns about revitalizing the open
space of UK's cities and streets to the context of Urban Farming and its
role in master planning to meet the demands in the context of urbanized
population growth, climatic changes and food production.
The population of the world is rising steadily, so does our urban
population. It is a huge resource to biodiversity but manmade
developments till now doesn't allow us to afford such growth because we
don't have proper sufficient space and food supply. And this rise in
population has came in to scanner at the beginning of 21st century still
the control over it wasn't so fruitful. World has never seen such greatest
shift in human dwelling patterns towards Urbanization (Steel, 2014) and
more than half of the world's population are living in the cities
(Gorgolewski et al, 2011). As per Steel, 2014, the most recent recent
literature suggests "cities are set to dominate the future", which
concludes in near future will be having cities in every city neighborhood.
It is been predicted by 2050, the global population will be cross 9 billion
people and out of which almost 6 billion will be living in the cities (Lim,
2014). There will be a drop in agricultural production of 20 to 40 per cent
due to intense demographic shift and rapid urbanization of arable land
(Lim, 2014). Dickson Despommier, 2011 estimates that current rise in
global population needs farming land utilizing traditional farming methods
an area comparable to the size of Brazil will be required for cropping and
livestock, "which does not exist". Many disagrees to availability of arable
farm land since people visualizes earth with more green space but most of
these green zones are sensory zones which couldn't be touched for the
purpose of farming and constructing. The city should be recognized as
organic entities, inextricably bound to the natural ecosystem and to be
stop seeing it as inert objects. Ancient Greek word Sitopia, sito (food) and
topos (place) is a way of recognizing the central role that food plays in
our lives and of harnessing its potential to shape the world in a more
equitable and productive way (Steel, 2014).
The dualistic needs of human are reflected in the cities and being a
political animal we need to feed our body and soul. We need the company
of others in order to flourish, yet the closer we cluster together (Steel,
2014). As we cohabit, we innovate. Emerging, self-reliant food networks
and economics are shaping both the physical and social aspects of our
cities. These were once a vision but not anymore, now it is the reality and
they are happening now. Social equity, economic and environment
improvements and social outcomes are supported by locally - based food
production, processing, distribution and consumption. The urban paradox
is explored through the lens of food. "Whatever we do in life, we got to
eat" (Steel, 2014). Though it is a simplest fact, it had shaped our entire
world as of now. Professor of Food Policy at City University London, calls
'Leave it to TESCO', Food as to be used as a tool to shape the world (Tim
Lang, 2014). And considering food as one of the focus in planning, urban
planners and designers has a chance to play more innovative roles in
nurturing sustainable cities. It also creates broader spectrum in food
policy in political space to form food as a policy agendas and rest
revolving around it.
Food being one of the primary needs of the life and flow has been
disconnected from our daily experience. In urban circumstances,
production, treatment and storage are isolated from patterns of
consumption. And there is the lack of regaining the valuable materials,
energy and nutrients from the wastes which are cleared away in closed
systems such as garbage trucks and sewage pipes. The little local context
were not considered to its potentiality since the profit concentration is
over the multinationals and reinvested in large scale projects (Jongert,
2014). The typology of preferring small scale urban farming into the
existing cityscape would be an vitalizing factor of dealing with food supply
and there by reconnecting the dwellers with farming which would enhance
the community cohesion. With better community cohesion, the
environmental quality of the neighborhood would be maintained and
developed. And this could pave way for new businesses to grow in the
cities thereby having the check over employment and health. The food
distance would be reduced and also ensures nutritious foods to the
consumers which helps the generation to feel the reality of taste and
smell of the food. The factor of Food Miles (Mougeot, 2008) has been a
huge economical factor which is the cause for the rise is food price, if the
distance is reduced by providing community markets either seasons or
permanent or both will have a greater impact over the price of food
benefiting both the farmers as well dwellers. And even gender based
farming could be applied so that women's in the cities and children could
be kept busy farming and playing around and connecting with the art of
farming. Such reconnection would be the sustainable solution for the
future were the population might grow immensely higher and denser in
the cities. Urban farming not just alone have a check on feed the cities as
said in Hungry Cities, Steel, 2014 also it helps other economic and social
factors and political factors.
RESEARCH QUESTION:
As an extraction from the above mentioned background over the need
and purposes of bring farming into cities, the research as to answer the
following question:
"How to deliver the revitalization of available open spaces
through Urban Farming in the context of demands respective to
supply and community?"
RESEARCH AIM:
In order to answer the research question, research seeks following aims.
• To identify the features and elements of urban farming.
• To identify the urban design development guidelines to enable
urban farming.
• To identify the quantitative approach of urban farming to meet the
demand for food supply.
• To identify the renewable and sustainable resource management
approach to support successive urban farming.
• To evaluate the criteria's of urban farming which facilitates the
betterment of urban social network.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:
To achieve all the aims mentioned above, the research requires following
objectives.
1. To develop a framework to understand and analysis over the
policies, theories and practical design approaches in relation with
urban farming.
2. Identify the current innovative technologies and sustainable
approaches with respect to renewable resource management to
support the functioning of urban farming.
3. Reference to objective 1 & 2 develop the urban farming design
development and management guidelines.
4. Utilizing all the above objectives, derive guidelines to evaluate
quantitative analysis of food production.
5. Test the extracted design guidelines and management processes
with the academics and professionals such as urban planners, urban
designers, architects, landscape architects, engineers etc.,
6. Reporting the findings and conclude the research stating the ability
and creditability of urban farming.
METHODOLOGY:
Therefore as mentioned in below figure, the research methods need to
undertake literature reviews which is supported by case study analysis,
extraction of development of design and management guidelines, testing
of the extracted design and management guidelines via interviews and
mappings; and reporting over the findings and concluding the research.
Fig:1 - Overview of Methodology (Author, 2015)
In order to obtain the aim and objectives, the research as to be driven by
a research method called "inquiry by design"(John Zeisel, 1981). And the
research were classified under the following stages as follows:
STAGE 1:
In this stage, the fundamentals of urban farming and its typologies were
examined through literature reviews. And the extracted information or
piece of literature will be used to figure out the features and element of
urban farming involved in both scales (large scale and small scale). Then
the extraction is narrowed down to the small scale features and elements,
its applications methodology would be concentrated.
STAGE 2:
In this stage, through literature review the details respective to waste
management and other sustainable resource management techniques to
date would be discussed. And the date available through this stage would
be suited for the functioning of urban farming in a sustainable context.
STAGE 3:
In this stage, the extracted literature regarding the design and
management would be compiled to produce a framework of the same.
The framework driven through the research helps to proceed further to do
urban design with a focus over urban farming.
STAGE 4:
In this stage, the quantitative analysis of the food production has to be
dealt with the literature reviews and case study analysis. And as to arrive
the quantitative analysis of food production with respective to food type
and population density with respective to the available public and private
open spaces and a feasibility study over the proposal.
• GrowUp urban Farms, London
• Cultivate London Growing Together, London
• Urban Bees, London
• Farm garden, FCFCG, London were the chosen case studies.
STAGE 5:
In this stage, every extracted details would be tested by the academics
and professionals such as urban planners, urban designers, architects,
landscape architects etc., By testing process, the extracted research
details would be narrowed down and refined to achieve the research aim.
STAGE 6:
In this stage, all the aspects required for the research would be refined
and tested, and the core findings would be reported over by any feasible
formats and the research is concluded with the research findings.
LITERATURE REVIEW:
In this stage, research involves three components. Where the first two
components is based on the literature reviews and case study analysis to
figure out the features and elements (typology) of urban farming suitable
to the regional context along with waste management and the later
involves in understanding the framework for the design and management
guidelines to facilitate urban farming in small scale. This includes the
theoretical and physical researches to deliver the required framework to
achieve the research question.
Following are the literature cited till now:
AGRICULTURE IN URBAN PLANNING: Generating livelihoods and food
security.
This book deals with the concrete strategies to integrate city farming into
the urban centers. It draws the original field work in cities across the
rapidly urbanizing global south and deals with the contribution of urban
agriculture and city farming to livelihoods and food security. The robust
and food provision; the socio-economic aspects of urban composting;
urban agriculture as a viable livelihood strategy; strategies integrating
city farming into urban centers; and the complex social-ecological
networks of urban agriculture were covered through case studies.
AGROPOLIS: The social, political and environmental dimensions of urban
agriculture.
This book formulates the strategies of urban agriculture which is an
increasingly popular practice in cities worldwide. The critical aspects for
the urban poor and employment has been addressed and this is the first
findings of the original field research projects funded by DRC's
AGROPOLIS International Graduate Research Awards on Urban
Agriculture.
FARMING THE CITY: Food as a tool for today's urbanism.
This book is all about how to use food as a tool for growing urbanization
with the aspect focusing over the small scale of urban farming. And
addresses the stats of estimated population by 2050 could be feeded
through urban agriculture and identifies the issues such us food miles,
foodprints and co2 emissions. It also offers achievable and affordable
solutions to process and rethink local food system in a positive way
affecting the neighborhoods', communities, politics and people.
HUNGRY CITIES: How food shapes our lives.
This books deal with the relationship between the food and the cities, and
how des food shapes the cities. And the aspects of small scale urban
farming to reconnect the dwellers with the food production and farming
along with making the community to understand the purpose of it. And it
also discusses the scope of healthier food productions in the urban center
and how does it would impact over the health of the community both
physically and mentally.
SUSTAINABLE URBANISM: Urban design with nature.
This books discuss with the neighborhood development to maintain the
environment quality and urban design aspects with respective to nature.
It calibrates the functionality of high density population in a sustainable
designed environment were transportation and landuse were critically
analyzed.
THE VERTICAL FARM: Feeding the world in 21st century.
This books illustrates ad focus on large scale urban farming and mainly
over the vertical farming in the urban centers or cities. And hw does the
vertical farming could be incorporated into the high rise building and
could be productive through the year and as well as how it collaborates
the landuse as a mixed. The details over the management criteria's were
discussed which helps the farming building to function in sustainable way
and also how could these building can generate energy and waste
management processes.
WOMEN FEEDING CITIES: Mainstreaming gender in urban agriculture and
food security.
This books deal with gender based urban farming in the African countries
and how does community cohesion and farming is fruitful in practical
aspects. And it also explains strategically how to propose the typology of
urban farming in to the regional context with respective to the available
recourses. Not just greens and fruits were a part of urban agriculture but
also livestock management helps to maintain the high nutrition's in food
supply, the authors deals with these subject with many case studies. And
the gender based farming could up very economically productive by mean
of women's holding upper hand in community farming thereby increasing
the annual income rate and also the strategies to reinvest the profit back
to the farming and also improving standard of living.
CONCLUSION:
This section as set out as the preliminary part of the research and the
background of the topic is to illustrate the need and purpose of urban
farming in urban context. And as a approach towards creating the public
and private open space of UK as an edible space, through small scale
urban farming as the strategy. And with detailed examining of the
background the research questioned as been put out to identify and
respective aims to achieve. As part of research, to achieve the respective
aim mentioned at the beginning certain stages of objectives have been
proposed and through specific research methodologies it could be
achieved and it's been furnished in above discussion.
The next phase of the research would be the detail understanding of the
literature reviews with case studies to derive the framework of design
principles and management guidelines. The same framework would be
used to analysis and even propose the existing site conditions in UK cities.
And the phase includes how does the set up framework could be tested
and evaluated to achieve the research question and aim.
BIBILIOGRAPHY:
Cities, Independent Research Organisation, 2014. Farming the City. 1st ed. Amsterdam: Trancity & Valiz.
Despommier, Dickson, 2011. The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century. 3rd ed. New York: Picador.
Farr, Douglas, 2008. Sustainable Urbanism: urban design with nature. 1st ed. New Jersey: Farr Associates.
Hovorka, Alice et al, 2009. Women Feeding Cities: Mainstreaming gender in urban agriculture and food security. 1st ed. Rugby: Practical Action.
Mark, Redwoods, 2009. Agriculture in Urban Planning. 1st ed. London: Earthscan.
Mougeot, Luc J A, 2005. Agropolis. 1st ed. London: Earthscan.
Steel, Carolyn, 2013. Hungry City: How Food Shapes Our Lives. 3rd ed. London: Vintage.
LIST OF FIGURES:
Fig:1 - Overview of methodology