communal allotment growing
part of the ‘watch dalston grow’ series
Community growing plots AgrocitĂŠ - Paris
why grow in the city?
04
Traditional Food Production Contemporary Food Production
05 06
Food Poverty
08
what is terrace growing?
10
The Concept
12
The Potential
14
how will it work?
16
Policy and Ownership
16
Scaling the Project
18
what you need
20
how it is managed
22
Small Scale Management
24
Self-Governance
24
Managing a Network
25
visualising
26
what can be grown?
30
the instructions
insert
Growing plots at Camley Street Nature Reserve - London
communal allotment growing a ‘watch dalston grow’ prototype
This manual aims to provide the information required to facilitate a communal allotment growing project in the UK. This guidance has been formed in relation to ‘Watch Dalston Grow’, a wide reaching urban agriculture project in Hackney which aims to empower locals to reclaim their neighbourhoods alongside addressing the pressing issues such as deprivation and food poverty.
why grow in the city? When fully considered, the question why we don’t commonly grow food in urban areas is relatively unanswered. The precedents attached to this project (see Watch Dalston Grow Precedents) show there is an interest and numerous examples of where it has been done well both in the UK and all over of globe. The more direct question of why grow in the city is easily answered therefore. Growing in the city links supply to demand of food, however the modern food demand, expects all foods irregardless of season. Urban agriculture is a great use of dead spaces in our cities. As well as providing produce, they also brighten the grey, address modern comsumption and aid community cohesion.
Traditional Food Production Traditionally, humans have always existed alongside food production. However industrialisation of the western world began to seperate this as food became transportable and able to retain freshness through new technology. The separation of people and production has led to expectations of exotic foods all year round. This project attempts to reintroduce the production within the people to unlock the benefits that this brings.
FOOD FOOD MILES MILES milesapproximated. approximated.based basedoff offproduce producefrom fromtesco tescostores stores- -sheffield sheffield **miles
300
miles miles
contemporary Food Production
MUSHROOMS MUSHROOMS
Only recently has a widespread interest appeared around the production of their food. Arguably this started with GM crops which boosted sales in organic foods. An increase in the fair trade movement could also be attributed to this. More recently, this concern focussed around food miles. Whilst the distance food has been transported is now vast, it is still often more energy efficient for this to occur rather than growing exotic foods in the UK. The issue therefore surrounds again the expectation of exotic and out of season produce. This modern day expectation could arguably be attributed to the separation of production and people.
ORANG ORAN TOMATO TOMATO GAR GAR AUBERGI AUBERG COURGET COURGE BROCCO BROCC LETTU LETTU
7500
BLUEBERRIES BLUEBERRIES
miles miles
NGES GES OES OES RLIC RLIC GINE INE ETTE TTE COLI OLI UCE UCE
PEPPERS PEPPERS
800
2300
miles miles
miles miles
PEACHES PEACHES GRAPES GRAPES
6000
miles miles
Food miles of a selection of winter produce of a Tesco supermarket
Food Poverty Whilst urban argiculture does not have to be a reactionary means (such as the victory gardens during the world wars), an important argument for projects such as this is to increase access to nutrious food. Those who lack access (either spatially or financially) to healthy food are described as being in food poverty. Areas of the UK with concentrations of deprivation and social housing (i.e. a high percentage of inner city areas) see large numbers of people in food poverty. Poor diet is now attributed to a third of premature deaths in the UK which the Faculty of Public Health blames on food poverty forcing lower income groups to eat processed foods. Growing healthy, nutrious food in the city can have a huge impact on these groups therefore. How this can be done through terrace growing will now be explained.
Community food production AgrocitĂŠ - Paris
what is communal allotment growing? Urban areas, however dense, almost always contain ‘dead’ or underutilised spaces. Particularly common underutilised spaces are those which exist as green spaces within social housing, or former social housing areas. Councils are keen to limit activity in these spaces to reduce maintenance and potential conflict between residents. Allotment growing in these spaces would be particularly viable as it is the residents of social housing which research has shown to be most affected by food poverty. Placing allotments in these areas could be a step towards fixing this, assuming an interested public can be assembled.
the concept Communal allotment growing is based around the concept that social housing green spaces are generally under-utilised and are highly visible to the passing public, therefore potentially inspiring others to get involved. The project looks at exploring community right to build orders as a way to bypass the planning process to allow the community to decide what exists in their area. Allotment plots could be individual or communal, depending on how the community decide to grow and share the produce. The allotments are based around a single shed which allows sharing of tools, materials, seeds, knowledge and skills. There is also potential for a food market to emerge, selling or gifting excess produce to the rest of the community.
How will it work? The process of how this project will work is mostly governed by community right to build regulations. Formal information of such can be found here: mycommunityrights.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/LOCALITYBUILD_UNDERSTANDING.pdf This government booklet explains the process to apply and work through the process of submitting a community right to build order. This starts with the association. To be able to submit an application, a formal organisation with a charitable status needs to be formed, with a majority of the directors required to be a part of the local community. This organisation is required to consult the community throughout the design process, to ensure the design is beneficial for the entire neighbourhood. Following this design process, the organisation can submit their proposal to the council, who make their decision based on a local referendum. If a majority of the neighbourhood vote in favour, the council are obliged to grant permission to the project. From here, the Watch Dalston Grow network can provide the materials needed for the project to begin and grow from there.
OPEN ACCESS Access to the site is always open therefore it remains entirely public. A system of governance would need to control the picking of crops
public land Land is owned by the council and they control the development rights of the site
restricted activity The council restrict activity on the land to prevent anything which could cause tension between residents (for example no ball games). This leaves the land sterile of any activity. If a majority of residents vote in favour of allowing an activity (as they have to as part of Community Right to Build permission), then new activities could occur at the site
How is it managed?
01
02 Group of residents looking to grow in their neighbourhood
03
Start a formal organisa electing directors to me of community right to b Organisation must be op of the community
pitch ideas to neighbours to gain more support. Decide a community right to build order gives them an opportunity to garden between their homes
planning officer
05 Planning officer is never involved in the decision. Required however to grant permission to any porject which recieves 50% community support and does not contradict local and national planning policy
director
local business
local resident
gardening network
non-participant
referendum
04
ation by eet demands build. pen to all
Consultation with community increases local interest and pushes ideas forward. Final project decisions are put to a community referendum which requires at least 50% support to pass
prototype #01
network trustee
director director
decision
director network trustee
prototype #02
06
with permission, the watch dalston grow network and london farmer facilitators can provide the materials and knowledge for the community to begin developing the project. Now a process of self-governance can emerge, with the formal organisation now running as a collective, however the directorship structure remains to allow access to community right to build funding if needed. New directors to be appointed every year to allow equality.
Here we see a typical ‘Actor Network’ of how growing projects such as these start to grow
Scaling the Project
what needs to occur?
disused green space
INdividual residents
what is it challenging?
who is involved?
hackney council
individual allotments
collective allotments
community to self-organise and obtain a community right to build order
self-governance between the growing association to manage and share crops and growing spaces
local residents and businesses as part of a community organisation
smaller groups within the community growing association
other local residents and businesses to vote in the community referendum hackney council
challenges right to occupy public space
challenging privatisation of modern lives
challenges council definition of ‘high quality public space’
challenging concepts of ownership
actively taking control of the community
challenging commercial and wasteful society
communal allotment
sprawling community allotment network
strong self-governance between whole growing association to manage and share crops equally
willingness to occupy space outside of the original growing plots
entire growing association
growing association
potentially other local residents who could benefit from surplus crops
local residents
challenging a communities ability to self-govern and police itself
challenging boundaries of occupying public space
testing ownership and responsibility within a whole community
actively taking control of a community
challenging the rigidity of a neighbourhood
what you need As the project grows, you will start to discifer the best way in which to work. One way which is particularly resilient is by using reusable and recycled materials and share these in a network of other gardening spaces nearby. Elements such as seeds and compost as well as invaluable knowledge are easily shared amongst gardening groups/projects which exist almost everywhere. In the early stages, this network can quickly help the project become self sustaining once compost and seeds are being generated. Only minimal inputs such as recycled palettes to create planters will then need to be inputting into the system, while your project becomes a catalyst in the network to help newer ones. As projects start to develop, new techniques will undoubtably form such as seed ‘upcycling’, a free way to introduce new seeds into the system using wasted food. Sharing these skills and knowledge is imperitive for the network to grow and adapt to remain function into the future.
1 Attracted to start a gardening project in Dalston area
2
new individual gard
recycled wood
compost
network local collection external source
network
new project new project
new project
4 ‘growth’ of garden
ening project
front garden collective project
3
guidance
5
seeds
contributing back into the network
compost skills
knowledge
external source
seeds
supermarket upcycling
LOCALLY CLOSED LOOPS OF PROTOTYPE 01
Small scale management Due to the nature of community right to build orders, a formal association is needed from the outset. A number of associations could be chosen, for example a charity or a company which is limited by a charitable guarantee. Each has their own merits, therefore strong consideration of this is needed to choose the one which best fits your context.
self-governance The management of these projects exist in a self-governing form. This is important to be inclusive and it allow those involved to use the gardening spaces how they wish. Strong dialogue between gardeners as projects grow and reaching collective decisions is important to allow a communal growing space to involve, and not a series of individual spaces. Communal growing prevents neglection, allows greater yields as well as a range of expertise for decisions such as crop rotation.
managing a network A successful project which has grown in size and which has applied the ideas of creating a network outside the project, also needs to consider a network within it. Diagram 06 shows how a growing association may be managed. With a space for the association to meet, a collective decision making process can occur which is a benefit of the self-governing process.
visualising a communal allotment project
what can be grown? Try anything! If it can be grown in the UK, there’s no reason why it can’t be grown in an urban garden. Considering the exposure to shade and wind is important, as is the soil type/compost and drainage used in planters. Beyond this however, the sky is the limit. A list of relatively simple and commonly grown crops are listed below: • Aubergine • Beetroot • Broad Beans • Brocolli • Brussel Sprouts • Carrots • Courgettes • Cucumbers • Garlic • Green beans • Leeks • Peas • Potatoes • Raspberries • Rhuburb • Spinach • Strawberries • Tomatoes • Winter Salad
tHE INSTRUCTIONS The insert provides instructions towards the physical aspects of creating a ‘Watch Dalston Grow’ garden. This includes building garden infrastructure from recycled palettes and sourcing seeds. Sharing, updating and adding new knowledge and information is essential for this manual and the attached instructions to retain relevance moving forward. Below is a link to the Facilitating Resilience blog (for which this project belongs to), where information can be shared in a discussion board, which allows this guidance material to stay as relevant as possibly. Any information you feel is relevant for others to know, whether it concerns technical set up, gardening knowledge or anything else, please feel free to share this information using the link below. Thank you!
www.facilitatingresilience.wordpress. com/student-projects-christopherhall
Produced by Chris Hall in relation to MA Urban Design Project ‘Watch Dalston Grow’ for studio Facilitating Resilience Sheffield School of Architecture
www.facilitatingresilience.wordpress.com