The aim of this intervention is to create a green urban public space that produces food and metabolises waste from its surroundings. This localised cyclical system should achieve the closure of a loop on food while simultaneously providing the neighbourhood’s residents with a common activity that facilitates multigenerational socially integrative interaction. The project should maximise how walkable the neighbourhood becomes. Adhering to the Phase four principles of redistribution of the benefits of verticality such as increase in the amount of amenities, proximity to others, status through food security, creation of a more integrated neighbourhood is paramount to the project. Beyond just social interaction it should have an educational component focusing on food’s role in climate change mitigation, food miles, etc.
The urban public productive garden will be implemented in two phases. In Phase 1, spaces on street level will be identified and gardens subsequently built, with a possibility of collaborations with local businesses. In phase 2, rooftops and facades will be identified to create more green areas in the neighbourhood. Water will be a distinctive feature on both sites as each site has a different climate and therefore requires a different approach. In the case of District 22 - a water collecting tower will be employed to collect air moisture and synthesise it into water. In the case of Yifu - rainwater will be collected to cover the demands of the garden. These water harvesters can be integrated into the facades and further beautify the surroundings.
A range of local community actors should be identified through community mapping. But hypothetically, the actors first aimed at would be the users of NGOs that help people who live in isolation, stay-at-home parents, school and university students. Through community involvement each of the interventions would develop a culturally and locally distinct programme. Due to the permanence of the space, clubs can develop and overtime activities for vulnerable adults and neuro-atypical people can have a space in the programme of the intervention.
