garden | IDEAS

Created by of the founders of GOOD, the Goldhirsh Foundation supports innovators through grants whose ideas can shape and change the world. This year the Goldhirsh Foundation is tackling a new approach to grant making through the “My LA2050 challenge.” This application is specific to the Los Angeles region and the opportunities for its future, but open to voting by everyone. My LA2050 will support the areas of arts & cultural vitality, education, environmental quality, health, housing, income & employment, public safety and social connectedness.

As part of our ongoing collaboration with From Lot to Spot, we submitted an application that addresses the need for urban revitalization by the greening of community spaces: we have seven days left to collect votes for the project to receive funding (deadline: April 17, 2013)!

Our goal is to create a planning and implementation tool that will assist in the realization and installation of simple landscape based interventions. The manual will lay out details on how to identify and create green space networks in low-income communities and how to implement green spaces with the utmost respect to the environment. Given the opportunity we would provide communities, city officials, friends and neighbors a tool to create much needed green spaces throughout Los Angeles.

Can you imagine a Los Angeles with a large system of parks, gardens, micro-spaces, plazitas, parklets, pedestrian walkways that lead to and from work, play and living spaces? By taking simple ideologies of space, connectivity and landscape, Los Angeles can become a beacon for urban environments around the country. We want the community to be involved in the planning and construction of green spaces which are in their neighborhoods, to make a deeper connection to their environment. These are grassroots play spaces, nature spaces and contemplative spaces. With the implementation of these green spaces, Los Angeles will reap the benefits of planting trees and vegetation that sequester carbon emissions and improve air quality; designing permeable surfaces such as low/no-mow grasses and porous paving will capture and clean stormwater; creating beautiful, clean green spaces will spur economic investment; and providing areas where adults and youth can interact with the natural environment in their neighborhoods will create ample health and wellness opportunities by combating nature deficit disorder.

These will be green spaces that will support communities to thrive, not just survive.

Please vote for this project and help us make a significant impact in Los Angeles!

Thank you!

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Posted by Martina Dolejs
in Landscape Infrastructure, Social Impact
on 11 April, 2013

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The Victoria Street Community Garden is located on a formerly derelict parking lot in Houston, TX. Sixty individual raised plots, along with a community orchard, group demonstration beds and community gathering spaces were designed by SWA Group and installed by volunteers over a two day period. Scott McCready and Eli Lechter talked to me about… Read more »

Q. Can you describe the features of the garden?

A. The garden contains sixty 4′x 4′ raised plots for community members, group raised planters for demonstration and teaching, a natural play garden for young children, a shed and deck, a picnic lawn, community orchard and a community gathering space.

Q. Who will manage the garden?

A. The garden is managed by Volunteers of America (VOA), a non-profit organization. Identifying long-term personnel at VOA to be involved was one of the project’s challenges.

Q. What infrastructure was needed for the garden?

A. An irrigation system serves the primary public areas (shared use lawns and gardens) and individual plots were designed to accept future drip irrigation. Security concerns prompted a different set of infrastructure, including lighting, access control and an 8′ fence to keep out feral dogs.

Q. Were there any permitting issues?

A. The main permitting issue was related to the fact that we were relying on volunteer efforts and on an extremely tight schedule. The city did require a full project review and eventually the Mayor’s Office had to get involved to expedite the review process so that the project could stay on schedule.

Q. What did you learn about designing for agriculture from this project?

A. We had to consider proper solar orientation for the garden plots, the suitability of the materials and soil depth. The project would be built by volunteers and that affected the way we designed. We thought a lot about scalability of program to allow the garden to grow as it becomes adopted by the community, and realized how important community participation is for a project like this. The greatest cost for the project in the end wasn’t related to the program improvements (community spaces) but rather to site preparation and utilities and security. These items are much harder to fundraise for. Finally, we learned that middle school students work as hard or harder than adults!

Q. The images of the garden under construction show the use of a pre-fab system for the raised beds. Can you tell me a little about it?

A. The raised beds were installed using a product called Gro-Pod. It’s a pre-fab raised bed unit, with integrated irrigation and cedar plank edges, and it allowed us to just lay out the garden, rather than construct each raised bed. It also isolates the growing medium from any potential contamination in the site soils. The product is new on the market, and this is a good testing ground to see how it holds up in a public application.

Q. Any last insights on designing community gardens?

A. Volunteer projects need a simpler plan for layout and construction to ensure reasonable quality. Design considerations must take into account labor, access to heavy machinery and the uncertain nature of volunteer availability. Coordination of large groups is always a challenge, but the results are quite rewarding – despite all the problems, the project succeeded in transforming an eyesore into a vital gathering space for a community in need of such opportunities. With a bit of creativity and sweat, a lot of work can be accomplished without huge resources.

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Posted by EllenBurke
in Urban Agriculture
on 21 January, 2012

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The Organic Food Garden at Sacred Heart Preparatory in Atherton California is an 1,110 square foot garden designed in 2007-8 as part of the landscape for the new Michael J. Homer Science and Student Life Center. The food garden is so successful that it has been expanded to include an additional 9,000 square feet in another location on campus. The overall project is LEED platinum certified and has won several awards including the 2010 AIA Top Ten Green Projects. Marco Esposito was the project principal, and talked to me about his experience designing the garden, and lessons learned.

Q. What were the primary goals related to the agriculture program?

A. The garden is located in a high-profile area of the campus, so the concern was to have it look good whether planted, fallow or overgrown.

Q. Can you describe the design of the garden?

A. It is located in a sunny south-facing location, within a simple, tidy framework of walks (on sun side) and broadleaf evergreen hedges (backdrop on non-sun side). It is in a high-profile area, flanking the dining room and adjacent outdoor terrace, such that the food garden is highlighted but not in the way. We recommended that the least tidy crops, such as tall grains that can tip over, be planted in lower profile locations.

Q. Were there any concerns from the client about the agriculture program? How did you address them?

A. Sacred Heart had had a food garden before this project, but it was untidy and the leadership was concerned about creating a new un-tidy garden. We provided a simple framework for the food garden – a 140′ long rectangle of soil, 8′ wide, between a concrete walk and a waist-high broadleaf evergreen hedge – where 90 degree row crops of varying widths could be planted. Whether the soil is bare after harvesting, or whether the garden is overgrown, the framework is strong enough that any condition is acceptable.

Q. Who will manage the garden?

A. The garden is maintained and operated by students and faculty as part of its Environmental Science and Global Studies courses.

Q. Who will eat the food from the garden?

A. The food feeds the faculty, staff and students in the on-campus dining facilities, and is also donated to local charities.

Q. What infrastructure was needed for the garden?

A. 18″ of organic top soil, and pop-up spray irrigation.

Q. Were there any permitting issues?

A. There were no issues for construction. However, the school had to work the County Health Services to get approval to serve food grown on campus. According to a school press release “…the school is the first in San Mateo County to be approved by the Department of Environmental Health Services Division to use fruits and vegetables grown in its own organic garden for preparation and food service in its school cafeteria.”

Q. Any last insights on edible landscape design for campuses?

A. Keep it simple, and modest in proportion to surrounding permanent framework – having it look neat increases acceptance by all.

SWA Project Team: Marco Esposito, Lyn Liu, Travis Theobald

Project Lead: LMS Architects

Consultants: ISC – Irrigation

Photo Credit: Tom Fox, SWA Group

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