Capp Street. Urban Permaculture Design
Urban Permaculture Design SF, CA. Robin Clason Fiona Kirkpatrick Daniela Misleh
Vision
Strategies
Timeline
Assesments
Where is the project?
The Mission
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The Context. “For much of the 1990s, San Francisco’s Mission District maintained a precarious balance between its colorful Latino roots and a gritty bohemian subculture. Then came the overfed dotcom years. Rising real estate prices not only threatened the Mission’s working-class enclave, but also its status as the city’s center of all things edgy and artsy. Sleek bars moved next door to divey taquerias. Boutiquey knick-knack shops came in alongside fusty dollar stores. But prosperity did not sap the district of its cultural eclecticism. With a population that is about half Latino, a third white and an estimated 11 percent Asian, the Mission still remains a wonderful mishmash. Where else can you find epicurean vegan cafes, feisty nonprofits and a Central American butcher shop that, for a memorable time, anyway, had women’s undergarments in the window?” 36 Hours in San Francisco, New York Times.
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The Context.
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History. A special place
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History. A special place
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History. Close to water
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Geological History. Nutrient-Rich Alluvium
A plane of nutrient rich sediment formed in the low, flat area where several rivers deposited alluvium. Excellent for agriculture.
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Ethnobotany. The Ohlone
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Ethnobotany. The Franciscans
“The area under cultivation is 6,630 feet in length. Willow trees and adobe walls ultimately enclose a plot extended to 8,250 feet. The garden includes peaches, quinces, and grapes. Wheat, barley, beans, peas, lentils, and maize are under cultivation.�
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Anthropological History. The Franciscans
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Current Ecology Capp Street Small urban gardens People - Sandwiched between Mission and Van Ness - busy corridors - Schools (St. Charles K-8 school 2 blocks away) - Homeless people in Alioto park Animals - Neighborhood dogs - Pollinators (bees, annual monarch butterfly migration) - Birds (pigeons)
Neighborhood resources: - Neighborhood association - Zipcar parking area next to lot - Martial arts center on the corner - Warehouse cooperative living communities
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The Climate. Mediterranean, Zone C San Francisco Bay Region and most of California west of Sierra Nevada enjoys what is called a Mediterranean climate (is a particular variety of subtropical climate), this pattern is found in only 2% of the world´s landmass and in only 4 areas of the world, the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, Southern and Western parts of Australia, Central Chile and the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Mediterranean climates typically are characterized by short, mild, rainy, winters and long, warm to hot, dry summers. Many plants from other mediterranean adapt and blend well with plants native in San Francisco Bay Region.
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The Climate. Mediterranean, Zone C The native vegetation of Mediterranean climate lands must be adapted to survive long, hot summer droughts and prolonged wet periods in winter. Mediterranean vegetation examples include the following Evergreen trees: such as Pines, Cypresses, and Oaks Deciduous trees: such as Sycamores, Oaks, and Buckeyes Fruit trees such as Olives, Figs, Citrus, Walnuts and Grapes Shrubs: Bay laurel, ericas, banksias, and Chamise Sub-shrubs: such as Sages, Artemisias, and Sagebrush Grasses: Grassland types, Themeda triandra, Bunchgrasses; Sedges, and Rushes Herbs: Such as fragrant Rosemary, Thyme, and Lavender
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The Climate. California, Zone 3
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The Climate. Microclimate The Mission The microclimates of San Francisco create a system by which each neighborhood can have radically dierent weather. The Mission's geographical location insulates it from the fog and wind from the west, Inner Mission is at a lower elevation, is warmer and sunnier than the rest of the city.
Geology and Groundwater Basins, Circa 1850.
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We found a Vacant Lot in Capp St.!
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Our Vision.
Permaculture is practical but imaginative too.
1. Playfull Community Space. In a neighborhood with a lot of cultural diversity, a lot of street life, where young people and families can get together, get to know their neighbors share their needs and skills and be an organized community.
Vision.
2. Transforming this vacant lot in to food-abundant oases. Obtain a Yied Growing edible plant communities and forest gardens maximizing connections between site elements, local resources, energy, and community. Aprox. the garden would generate 3.8 ton of food in a year.
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3. Educating community. A permaculture garden like a showroom of what permaculture is, to be part of all the city life that The Mission is giving and creating a permaculture community life.
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To waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the prosperity wich we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed. Theodore Roosevelt, 1907.
4. Fulfilling a need. People in the middle of the city could have a piece of land to grown their own food. Most of them don´t have big gardens or gardens at all. Alioto Mini Park: Community garden is fairly small, but has close to 50 individual raised beds and open herb and flower gardens surrounding it. There´s a waiting list to get a space for 10 years.
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What is happening in The Lot.
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1. Dimensions.
Capp St.
3.500 ft2 324 m2
30 ft 9 mt
118 ft 36 mt
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2. The Sun.
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3. The Wind.
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4. The Slope.
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5. The Vegetation.
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6. Existing Zones. Water - Slope - Wind - Sun
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Getting started...
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1. Community Actions.
Mail Neighbours get involved cappstreetcreates@gmail.com Blog This blog is an open forum. It is here to inspire, introduce, and stand as a community forum for anyone to comment, post and share their ideas for this space. I have yet to get ahold of the land owner, so as of now, it is a dream space. Lets dream away until we can actualize something together!
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2. What we want in the Garden - List of Elements. Cob Oven *kitchen area and cooking book Input: Clay - Sand - Straw - Water - Straw - Hands On - Soil. Output: Community Gathering - Food - Heat - Natural Building Education - Sculptural Artistic Form - Nutritional and cooking education. Herb Spiral Input: Sun - Water - Mulch - Design - Rocks. Output: Medicinal Herbs - Cooking - Bee Forage. Compost Input: Organic Matter, Moisture, Micro Organism - Shade. Output: Soil - Nutrients - Plants.
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Bee Hives Input: Enclosed Structure - Queen - Expert Maintenance. Output: Honey Production - Pollination of Nearby Crops - Wax. Rain Water Harvesting Input: Water Storage tank, Rain, Roof. Output: Free “Natural” Water - Irrigation. Trellises Input: Bamboo - Wood - Rope. Output: Support for Plants - Shade - Fence.
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Native Plants Input: Water, Soil, Mulch, Seeds, Seedlings. Output: Easy to grow: Belong to an specific ecosystem. Fruit Trees Input: Sun - Water - Mulch. Output: Windbreak - Food - Privacy - Shade - Birds - Natural Fence - Protection - Gathering. Perennial Plants Input: Water, Soil, Mulch, Seeds, Seedlings. Output: Low Maintenance - Less Energy, Less Work, Regenerative System. Nitrogen Fixer Input: Water - Soil - Mulch - Seeds - Seedlings. Output: Nitrogen available for other plants - Hight Nutrient Beans Mulch Plants Input: Water, Soil, Mulch, Seeds, Seedlings. Output: Mulch on Site - Soil Protection - Water Conservancy. Cactus Input: Dry Climate - Sun. Output: Water Storage - Spine - Food.
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Native Plants Input: Water, Soil, Mulch, Seeds, Seedlings. Output: Easy to grow: Belong to an specific ecosystem. Fruit Trees Input: Sun - Water - Mulch. Output: Windbreak - Food - Privacy - Shade - Birds - Natural Fence - Protection - Gathering. Perennial Plants Input: Water, Soil, Mulch, Seeds, Seedlings. Output: Low Maintenance - Less Energy, Less Work, Regenerative System. Nitrogen Fixer Input: Water - Soil - Mulch - Seeds - Seedlings. Output: Nitrogen available for other plants - Hight Nutrient Beans Mulch Plants Input: Water, Soil, Mulch, Seeds, Seedlings. Output: Mulch on Site - Soil Protection - Water Conservancy. Cactus Input: Dry Climate - Sun. Output: Water Storage - Spine - Food.
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Constructions: Creative geometric forms scrounged materials, including bottle caps, chopped car tops, culled lumber, wood, etc. Flexible shapes to work with sun, wind and water. Tree House Input: Recycled Material - Hands on Output: Children Playground - Fun - Shelter Green House / Shed Input: Recycled Material - Hands On. Output: Storage, Shelter Stage Input: Recycled Elements - Hands On. Output: Recreation and educational community space.
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3. Form Follows Function Edge Eect The edge eect of a bioregion has more organisms than the center, the edge is much more productive, and even more important is the relationship between edges. Replicate forms that we find in nature, circles, spirals, curves, vertical growing, etc. Beds and Trails: Lobular roundish shape like an ear lobe. Trails: Wide enough to fit a wheelbarrow. Beds: Double reach, creating good access.
Herb Spiral: Maximize growing space to grow more food, multiple microclimates available for optimal plant growth, maximizes space, harvesting access. Wetter
Dryer
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Herbs Selection
Peppermint Lavender
Chives
Chocolate mint
Chamomile
California Poppy
Sage
Fennel
Oregano Rue
Dill
Rosemary
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4. Planting Considerations Attracting bees, providing mulch, fixing nitrogen, ground cover. The Mission insulated climate: Sunnier and warmer, no wind, no fog, ideal for fruit trees.
Simple and easy species: Local ecosystem, temperate and subtropical crop types for San Francisco.
San Francisco Seasons: Spring: March-May - Summer: June-August - Fall: September-November - Winter: December-February.
Perennial Polyculture: Grow and bloom over the spring and summer, die back every autumn and winter, and then return in the spring from their root-stock. Less energy, less work, less resources, building ecosystems, deeper, tougher, more hardy root systems. Less "jobs" in the garden become harvesting and mulching, more time for fun!
Native Wildflowers: Start with plants easy to care for while garden is being established so less maintenance is needed, want a variety of blooming times (early, medium, late bloomers) so flowers are open all year round to attract pollinators at all times. Seeds of wildflowers were used by natives to create flour (pinole)
Companion Planting / Fruit Tree Guild: Is the planting of dierent crops in proximity for pest control, pollination, and to otherwise increase crop productivity. Companion planting is a form of polyculture.
Nature Layer Patterns: Nature grows in a highly optimized patterns, utilizing multiple layers and making the most of both horizontal and vertical space.
1 - Canopy (large fruit and nut trees). 2 - Low trees (dwarf fruit trees). 3 - Shrub Layer (currants and berries). 4 - Herbaceous (comfrey, beets, herbs). 5- Rhizosphere (root vegetables). 6 - Soil Surface (ground cover). 7 - Vertical layer (climbers, vines)
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Perennial Edibles. Less energy, less work, less resources,
Perpetual Spinach (sun)
Asparagus
Artichoke
French Sorrel
Tilia Cordata (tree, edible leaves)
Nettles
Perennial Arugula
Viola Odorata (ground cover, shade)
Nine Star Broccoli
Pepino Dulce
Scarlet Runner Beans (sun, climber)
Coastal strawberry perennial, easy to grow, tasty, good anywhere in the garden
Chayote (squash, ground cover, sun).
Daylily Tree Collard
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Annual Edibles.
Tomato (climber, sun)
Fava Bean (nitrogen fixer)
Miners Lettuce (easy to grow)
Potato
Leek
Corn Garlic
Pepper (sun)
Squash (ground cover, sun)
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Pollinators – Bed Ends, Flowering bushes Variety of blooming times so flowers are open all year round to attract pollinators at all times.
Silver Bush Lupine and Yellow Bush Lupine - Early blooming
Sticky Monkey Flower - Early/mid blooming
Lizard Trail - Early/mid blooming Mock Heather - Late blooming
Coyote Brush - Late blooming
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Native Wildflowers
Gumplant - Perennial
Beach aster - Perennial, spreads by rhizomes, late flowering plant
Sea Side Daisy - Early blooming
Yarow- Annual Early blooming Dune Tansy - Annual mid blooming
Phacelia Californica - Spring blooming Pearly Everlasting- Mid Season perennial
Chia – a favored food among natives, great in cookie recipes, easy to grow
Tarweed – annual, edible Mid blooming (“wild wheat”), once all the tarweed was gathered the countryside could be control burned
California Poppy Annual
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Trees: Fruit, Nuts and Berries. Temperate and subtropical crop types for San Francisco.
Fig (Black Mission)
Blackberry (Boysen, Young)
Apple (Gordon, Fuji)
Chestnut (Colosal, Nevada)
Plum (Santa Rosa)
Citrus (Meyer)
Avocado (Hass),
Pear (Asian)
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Companion Planting Fruit Tree Guild Dierent crops in proximity for pest control, pollination, and to otherwise increase crop productivity. Companion planting is a form of polyculture.
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Fruit Tree Guild Garden
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5. Planting Areas General distribution: Annual, more maintenance, more accessible.
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5. Planting Areas Section, showing main elements together, planting areas and nature layers.
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Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress. Charles Dickens.
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6. The Project.
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Phase One – Prepare Land, Build Essentials Gathering resources, preparing the space, engaging community
Weekend 1
Weekend 2
Assess resources on site. Bring in materials for large building projects. Layout paths and features. Bring in supplemental materials (compost, Investigate water line mulch, etc.)
Weekend 3
Weekend 4
Build compost structure.
Re-shape land.
Clean up extra organic materials on lot to prepare for reshaping and sheet mulching.
Sheet mulch. Lay out pathways, gathering space, and stage. Create beds and plant cover crops.
Throughout Community engagement – volunteer and educational programs, art projects (start highly visual from the street), update vision with community input, reassess and re-strategize.
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Phase Two – Initial Plantings
Phase Three – Building the Elements
Start with perennials, nitrogen fixers, and easy to care for annuals.
Where time and inspiration are available alongside Phase 2.
Fall (Wet season begins)
Water catchment - Especially important to build if water line is unavailable
Scatter wildflower and cover crop seeds. Well Plant perennials. Herb spiral Begin planting fruit trees. Kitchen Spring (Dry season begins)
Cob oven
Chop and drop cover crop.
Treehouse
Plant annual vegetables.
Greenhouse / shed
Plant remaining fruit trees in early spring.
Bee box Educational boards
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...And Beyond More labor intensive annual plantings by community members Art projects Educational programs Community gatherings
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