15043 fsg eliza rodrigs clean

Reinventing the Greenway: Cultural Landscape Heritage through Urban Agriculture Eliza Hope Rodrigs USA, American, University of Massachusetts Amherst

ABSTRACT:

production and social interaction along the Merrimack River.

Currently, many of these mill buildings are abandoned and the central island is in disrepair. Despite this setback, major vehicular transportation routes link surrounding towns and a MBTA commuter line provides a strong connection to Boston.

This proposal, inspired by nineteenth century industrial production in Lawrence and the contrast between the historic success of the mill industry and the current state of the old industrial center, seeks to reactivate and reinterpret ‘island production’ through the implementation of a multi-scale food systems approach. Current agricultural areas in the region are limited to the northeastern areas of Haverhill and North Andover, leaving Lawrence with a large and mostly vacant industrial footprint. The proposal creates a model for the reinvention of historic patterns of social life in Lawrence by recreating patterns of social activity and giving new meaning to the concept of the ‘greenway’ in a way that reengages the public within the cultural landscapes of Lawrence while increasing food security for residents.

This project seeks to reactivate the idea of production within the context of a low-income racially diverse New England mill town through a multi-scale food systems approach. It reestablishes historic social activity by recreating patterns of social life and reinventing the idea of the ‘greenway’ to reengage the public in the cultural landscapes of Lawrence. It presents a systematic social approach that increases food security, encourages social interaction and environmental stewardship and facilitates sustainable development from the inside out.

Categories and Subject Descriptors [Regional Planning] [Cultural Landscape Heritage]

Keywords Urban Agriculture, Greenway Design.

Food

Security,

Cultural

Landscapes,

1. INTRODUCTION: AIMS AND BACKGROUND

2. DESCRIPTION “Greenways are bands on the landscape, designed for their natural and recreational resources [2].” Building off of an existing greenway plan highlighting an abandoned rail line, this proposal allows the greenway to be understood and approached in layers, rather than viewing it through the lens of a set of specific activities – biking, walking, etc.

Focusing first on the central industrial island on the bank of the Merrimack River, the area represents the flagship of opportunity for the cultural reinterpretation of the idea of mill production. Beginning the first step towards a self-sustaining food systems model, it is important to create an exemplary framework to support the expansion of the system.

Proposed housing units provide a strong social infrastructure and financial context necessary for the success of a model centered around community agriculture. Sun studies reflect advantageous areas for crop cultivation and food production throughout the New England seasons, and a proposed hydroponic complex provides a strong context for a larger agricultural complex. Vehicular transportation routes allow for easy access to both the downtown center and the surrounding region and the newly constructed pedestrian bridge allows for a strong connection to the town center.

Recognizing the advantages of this centralized location, the industrial island holds enormous potential to become a hub or home base for a larger agricultural network, one that spans the area of the abandoned rail-trail. The spaces within the agricultural

Lawrence, Massachusetts, located just 25 miles north of Boston, is the poorest town in Massachusetts and among the poorest in the nation. 33.1 percent of people live below the poverty line and of children under age 18, 49.9 percent live in households below the line. Lawrence is home to a large immigrant population, with 73% of town residents identifying with Hispanic or Latino Origin. Also reflected are numbers of Irish, Italian, French and German immigrants. As of June 2013, the unemployment rate in Lawrence was as staggering 15.7%, the highest in the state of Massachusetts. The town has a very young population, with a third of residents under the age of 18. Three out of four children are at risk for hunger and qualify for government subsidized food programs [1]. The housing market in Lawrence remains quite expensive as it caters to commuters and professionals working in the Boston area. Coupled with high rates of poverty within the town, this leaves Laurentians without enough money to purchase quality food and adequately feed themselves. This proposal seeks to alleviate some of the heaviest stresses, developing Lawrence from a most basic level with strong attention to design solutions on a social scale.

Lawrence was for many years one of the most successful mill towns in New England, and at its high point – one of the most successful in the world. Mill workers, many of whom had immigrated from over 40 countries, commuted daily to the central industrial island - at the time the center of factory

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complex are anything but uniform, incorporating mixed-use areas, educational centers, greenhouse complexes, recreational open spaces and new agricultural technologies such as aeroponics and aquaponics (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Industrial island conceptual plan

3. APPLICATION AND RESULTS Although this model begins by bringing life back to the industrial island, it is important to understand this type of initiative from a much wider perspective than just at the sitespecific scale. Along the larger proposed network lie smaller areas that range in scale, size, and function. Understanding that the success of this type of model relies on strong social infrastructure as well as successful systems design, a variety of scales and methods are proposed that allow for the large-scale implementation of an agricultural initiative allowing many levels and types of participation (Figure 2).

The conceptual rendering of the central island presents an example of what, according to the Five Borough Farm in New York, NY, could be termed a ‘community farm’, with other levels defined as ‘community gardens’, ‘commercial farms’ and ‘institutional farms’ [3]. Breaking it down in this way allows maximum social involvement, with the understanding that the systematic opportunities have to be as diverse as the population of Lawrence (Figure 3). It is also important to note that the success of this type of model requires a unique approach not only to the social ‘climate’ but to that of New England as well, taking advantage of many different types of both indoor and outdoor agricultural practices. Many of the proposed agricultural areas along the greenway reclaim vacant lots, unused paved spaces and post-industrial sites, enabling the rail-trail to essentially ‘connect the dots.’ In this way the greenway takes on many different roles; a transportation system for produce, a recreational throughway, a connector to larger greenway networks in the area, etc.

Not only does the initiative take advantage of unused open space but it also encourages environmental awareness and stewardship, especially among the youth. Because Lawrence has such a young population, a huge amount of opportunity and importance of the proposal lies in the education of children to foster a relationship with the land. Ultimately, this relationship is one that if cultivated, could effectively and proactively combat issues of food security and nutrition. Ultimately, the proposal links historic trends of production & social interaction with new agricultural community models and seeks to reinterpret the concept of historic preservation by recognizing patterns, reviving systems, and bringing production back to the central island to increase food security and food awareness within the town of Lawrence. If knowledge is power and food is the basis of life, than developing a relationship with food and where it comes from is undoubtedly one of the most enabling and powerful things an individual can do.

Figure 2. Multi-scale agricultural greenway plan

Figure 3. Industrial island conceptual rendering

4. CONCLUDING REMARKS In this way, it strives to involve people in their places, facilitating active engagement in the landscape and reinterpreting the ideas of and relationship between people and the ‘cultural landscape’. Finally, the system brings new meaning to the greenway, creating a social, commercial, and agricultural corridor that provides strong connections to the surrounding towns and beyond. With the proposed housing complexes, Lawrence has the financial investment necessary to begin an initiative of this size, as well as the sheer amount of unemployed workers to begin development. Apart from the logistics of transporting arable soil, constructing complexes and reclaiming vacant land, much of the legwork will lie in educating the public and integrating varying agricultural practices. This is a first step towards an approach to city planning and sustainable development that allows for a hybridizing of environments, a model where the lines between landscape and city begin to blur to create an effectively sustainable, culturally rich food-secure community.

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Acknowledgments:

5. REFERENCES

Thank you to Brad Buschur and Groundworks Lawrence for giving me the opportunity to design and develop this type of greenway model and to the Five Borough Farm in New York, NY for inspiration regarding multi-scale systems design. A special thank you to Ethan Carr, Phd FASLA and professor of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning at UMass Amherst for acting as a sounding board for the complexities of this type of project and supporting me so wholeheartedly throughout the process.

[1] City of Lawrence 2009 Open Space Renewal Plan;

http://www.groundworklawrence.org/files/library/openspace/ final-osp-full.pdf [2] Hellmund, Paul C. 2006. Designing Greenways: Sustainable Landscapes for Nature and People. Washington, DC: Island Press.

[3] Five Borough Farm, New York, NY. The Design Trust for Public Spaces.

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