Space to Place (Design Journal)

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Activation of Community Spaces Humanitarian Design Internship Design Journal 1

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From Space to Place: Activiation of Community Spaces Humanitarian Design Internship ABPL30064 January 2020 Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India

Alex Eadie Claudia Mclennan

1091063 993560

Hayley Cottrell

995093

Julia Oleinikov

999027

Mcauley Blair

916665

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Contents Site Context

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Analysis of Site Conditions

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Areas of Intervention

16.

Design Aims

20.

Scope of Problem Investigation

27.

Case Studies & Existing Solutions

32.

The Design Process

36.

Innovation in Design

40.

Usage and Acceptablity

58.

Realisation of Design

60.

References

66.

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Site Context Our chosen site was Tarakarama Nagar, a slum along the river banks of Krishna river in Vijayawada. Vijayawada is a rapidly developing city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.

The result of such urbanisation often being poverty to those who cannot keep up with and adapt to the changes. Slums often develop from these conditions, hence the creation of Tarakarama Nagar slum by the some of the residents of Vijayawada.

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A It is important to understand that the land on which the slum is located is classified under the ‘Vijayawada Zonal Development Plan’ for 2021, as ‘conservation’ land, with the goal of protecting and improving the state of the river. The current space of 400m x 130m is occupied by a population of 7,870 people. The effects of rapid urbanisation in contemporary context has shaped the utilisation of spaces and how these spaces are shaped by the prioritisation of the built environment. Following Tarakarama Nagar slum the context of the site visually presents that spaces within the slums are limited and often prioritised for built use, essentially attempting to maximise space to accommodate for the increasing population density. An analysis taken in Greater Dhaka supports that green spaces are rapidly disappearing incurred by the rapid population growth and density despite providing a number of natural, economic and social benefits.

The causation for such rapid population growth results from the slums orientation and its 1.6km distance from the city of Vijayawada, known as the peripheral urban zone (City of planning Vijayawada). Furthermore, the agglomeration of people within the slum is engendered by individuals wishing to engage in economic activity or for pursuing other interests who are unable to do so due living costs in cities are high. Therefore the intense density of slum dwellers attributable to the aggressive spatial integration within their public realm and built environment requires a greater need for greening in slums, as they can provide an invaluable, inexpensive, sustainable approach to improving the lives in these congested, deprived environments.

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Environmental Context In Andhra Pradesh, monsoon season occurs every year between July and September, sometimes until as late as into October. Tarakarama Nagar slum is located on the banks of the Krishna River, India’s 4th largest river in terms of water-flow. A series of dams and barrages along the river control the flow of fluctuating water levels, regulating the flow through the canal systems through urban spaces.

After heavy rains from the monsoon season, there are often floods through Vijayawada, inundating low-lying built environments. This affects Tarakarama Nagar slum every year to a great extent; residents having to evacuate their homes for as long as 2 months every year.

Socio-Economic Context Tarakarama Nagar has a population of over 7800, approximately 2000 of which are children. On average, each working person in this slum earns 200-300 Indian Rupees per day, most working as vendors. The families of children who attend school receive an allowance from the government to support their education. With the help of World Vision, 76 self-help groups have been established, aiming to help them in their daily life and perhaps lift them out of poverty.

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Analysis of Site Conditions

Tarakarama Nagar slum is located on a sloping site, with the lowest lying land at the level of the Krishna river. It borders a built-up, 2-3 storey buildings that are mostly residential with small shops scattered throughout at ground level.

These attract locals and act as places where conversation takes place during the day. The slum is the most dense at the top of the site as it is away from the water and river bed, therefore making it less flood prone during monsoon season.

The houses are small, often made from cheap and easily available materials that have the ability to provide shelter.

Some houses are made of more substantial materials such as brick or concrete and corrugated asbestos sheeting for walls and roofs, respectively. Upon other buildings, traditional materials of dried coconut leaves as well as tarps are also used to create a house, these suggesting the impermanence of the settlement. Houses are usually only one room, with all cooking, cleaning, and laundry done outside on the street rather than in the main living space.

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The streets are tight, with room for only a couple of people to walk side-by-side. Rubbish from the streets of the slums often becomes caught in the water of the open drainage and eventually into the river water. Open drains, located right up next to the houses, carry waste water into the river that contains along with the aforementioned rubbish, possible pathogens and supplies a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Overflow during floods brings the water up into the houses, filling even the ones high up and away from the river with dirty water.

Community activities take place on the edges of streets, with public centres - these being toilets, places of worship and government facilities) provided but not used. Shops selling snacks along with street vendors are scattered throughout.

Clothes are hung in order to dry on lines set up along the facades of the buildings. Steps act as a threshold between public and private space, with people often gathering around parallel to the walls of the street. Otherwise, if the edges are not being used for socialising, they are places of storage and hanging laundry to dry.

There is sparse greenery scattered throughout the settlement, planted within the slum as fruit bearing trees or bushes and succulents in pots. These provide vibrancy to the space, as well as important shade from the hot sun. In some cases plants even become a part of the architecture, with vines growing over trusses providing veranda spaces for some households.

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Areas of Intervention After the stakeholder consultation and observation of the settlement, we identified serval areas of concern where some sort of design intervention could be implemented.

Some challenges were larger than others, some being at a scale that made it difficult to solve with a small product. We tried to look into these problems with an open mind and analyse them to their full extent.

The list of identified problems that pose a significant factor to lessen livelyhoods of the population are as follows:

1. Water 2. Children 3. Pollution 4. Open Drainage 5. Social Spaces 6. Heat 7. Flooding

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1. Water

2. Children Many issues also surrounded children in the area, with a ratio of 1 adult to 5 to 6 children. Schools are small and inadequately resources for the amount of children enrolled, have located one main school within the slum.

After school, the students would join other children on the street, a place that is not safe to play due to traffic and low lying electrical wires. Another issues observed was the widespread consumption of junk foods as snacks by children.

When asked if they enjoyed fresh fruit that is produced by trees in the slum, they were not excited or interested, instead choosing to buy prepackaged food from stalls such as the one pictured. They all said no when asked if they ate fruit from the few trees growing throughout the slum, scrunching up their faces and laughing.

One of the first issues identified was water, how it is used, obtained, what it contains and where it ends up. The government supplies clean water to numerous taps throughout the site, which residents collect water from everyday. However, this water is disposed of after one day, with the leftovers joining waste water from washing in the open drains.

Moreover, multiple taps were dripping or leaking, suggesting poor maintenance from once they were put in place. Another concern was that water bodies in the slum is often stagnant creating a breeding ground for disease carrying mosquitoes.

Health services in the area do not treat for patients who have contracted diseases such as dengue fever, often leaving these people to treat themselves or, in some cases, pass away.

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3. Pollution

4. Open Drainage

Another issue was pollution within the slum and on the riverbanks at the lowest point on the slum. There is a lack of a waste management system with trash piled up around the slum after collection, re-entering the system of open drains and polluting the river Krishna. Floods wash this rubbish back up into the slum, along with rubbish, toxins and dead bodies.

An issue that effects not only the slum but the wider area is the system of open drainage, which are in close proximity to people’s houses, often being right outside their doors. This is a danger to the health of the community with the water, as mentioned before, is stagnant and attracts mosquitoes.

The drains can also experience stress in the the monsoon season when it floods, with the drainage system being a large factor in the contribution to the flooding of homes. Hard impermeable ground surfaces are unable to absorb the large amount of water in the wet season, placing even more stress on the drains. The water in these drains also ends up directly into the water bodies, without being treated, carrying rubbish and other toxins into the water.

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5. Social S

Social spaces activities are a settlement, with women gatheri streets to engag It must be note no times that three groups children - all so Limited variety be conducted temporary activ built so that the or erased as n areas of free o of which are g often gated sh used by reside they are invite as beneficiary result of this, th off as exclusive inclusive, a wor with community

Spaces

and community also lacking in the h groups of men or ing on the sides of ge with one another. ed that there were we observed all men, women and ocialising together. of activities could d as well, with vities drawn up or ey could be moved need be. The two open spaces, both governmental, are hut and are only ents of the slum if ed to events such meetings. As a these spaces come e, the opposite of rd often associated y.

6. Heat

7. Flooding

Two aspects of the climate also appeared as issues with in the context. The first of these was heat, one that is unrelenting year round. Urban heat island effect only contributes more to this oppressiveness in the hot and humid climate of Tarakarama Nagar slum. It is created by the hard surfaces that have replaced what was once vegetation, which would have provided cooling through transpiration. Houses are hot with limited natural ventilation or other cooling systems. The heat is also a suitable climate for mosquitoes to breed, furthered by the aforementioned issues associated with open drains and stagnant water. Heat stroke and/ or dehydration can occur if any physically demanding work is done in the heat.

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The other climate concern were the floods that occur during monsoon season every year.

During these times, residents have to evacuate and find alternative shelter, with houses often being destroyed. The flood water, as mentioned before, is polluted and exaggerated by the incompetence of open drains to manage large amounts of water. This enters houses and creates further damaging of property.

from Design Aims Problem Statement To address the lack of space for collaborative and social purposes that promote a healthy livelihood.

Design Vision & Brief Through assessing contextual research, evaluation of community needs and the collective analysis of the chosen sites, our group has been provided with the necessary background knowledge to form an appropriate vision to repurpose the existing spaces within Tarakarama Nagar slum. Our aim is to redesign and revitalise the social streetscape of Tarakarama Nagar slum whilst respecting and enhancing the current urban environment it offers. The existing space is inherently active however by implementing our design intervention we aim to transform this space into a socially thriving place. With the opportunity for these spaces to be transformed and redesigned it will engender positive social cohesion through providing a place for an educational outlook on the importance of nutrition for practicing healthier livelihood.

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Transformation of inactive community s socially thriving plac respecting and enha current urban environ

inherently spaces into ces, whilst ancing the nment.

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Redesign and revitalise the social streetscape of Tarakarama Nagar slum whilst respecting and enhancing the current urban environment it offers.

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CATERING TO ALL AGE, GENDER AND OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS WITHIN TARAKARAMA NAGAR SLUM, AS THE BENEFITS OF SOCIAL INCLUSION AND STIMULATION APPLY TO ALL MEMBERS OF THIS SOCIETY.

Target Segment We hope to cater to all age, gender and occupational groups within Tarakarama Nagar slum, as the benefits of social inclusion and stimulation apply to all members of this society. We believe that an interactive community project will serve to create unity through a common interest and goal, while simultaneously promoting health and wellbeing.

Site one will be angled mainly towards the children of the school, to complement their academic curriculum. Sites two to five will be located at different points throughout the slum, where there is both high pedestrian traffic and sufficient horizontal surface area available. These sites are to include the whole community, encouraging widespread and indiscriminate involvement.

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Design Brief Principles

Connectivity - To create a unified and communicative community Inclusivity - To ensure all groups of the society feel welcome and involved Sustainability - To promote a global, future-focused mindset Rejuvenation - To stimulate the space to create a livelier and more productive atmosphere Enhancement - To intensify the use of the existing space Requirements

Affordable - needs to be a low-cost design that effectively

encourages the space to be social, while being able to be replicated and implemented by target audience (residents of the slum) Accessible - must be readily available to the community, with a design structure that is simple and easy to be involved with Durable - must be sustainable in the sourcing of materials, and be able to endure different weather and climate conditions Informative - should promote a clear message to the community about how everyone is welcome to participate Compact - must be able to fit well into a densely formed urban environment without impeding access to existing residences and pathways Engaging - must be attractive to the community to generate enthusiasm and collective enjoyment Responsive to Context - Must suit its surrounding culture and environment in terms of location, materiality, and community needs, while addressing the issue identified of having insufficient space for social places.

Constraints

Materials - Needs to adhere to our principle of sustainability, whilst still being affordable Location - The land occupied by the slum can be reclaimed by the government at any time. The land is also highly susceptible to annual flooding.

Available Surface Area - In an urban slum, unused horizontal space is scarce as the built environment is incredibly dense Climate - intense heat, monsoon rains and the threat of annual floods Budget - Needs to be affordable for the urban poor population Maintenance - The community is to be collectively responsible for this intervention’s upkeep

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Constraints

Requirements

Principles

“COMMUNICATING THROUGH BUILT FORM”

Principle developed by the architect Laurie Baker.

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Scope of Problem Investigation Placemaking Placemaking is a collaborative planning and design approach undertaken at the community level. It is performed in order to form a collective and personal attachment to a specific location.

Placemaking suggests that a ‘place is a process’, meaning that spaces are subject to change and evolve according to the people who inhabit it (Lombard, 2014).

Often the land on which a slum develops is government owned, making it important for slum residents to imbue an otherwise impersonal space with their own meanings and culture.

This practice can expand the capacity for social interactions in a public place by enhancing its atmosphere and appearance to be more appealing (Biswas, 2013).

In comparison to people from a rich or middle-class background, poor people have limited access to spaces for socialising, meaning most of their interpersonal interactions take place on the streets In Tarakarama Nagar slum, the environment is essentially a series of private places. People imbed their own homes and indoor, private spaces with these elements that constitute placemaking, painting their walls bright colours and having beds for their immediate family to sit together on. However there is a lack of a public ‘place’, where neighbours and people from different families can gather. As observed, people were using the street spaces for practical means; walking, storage of vehicles, washing clothes, drying foods, etc. people were not seen on the street socialising outside of their families.

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Community Space as a Means of Reducing Social Isolation Most governing bodies and planners do not recognise slum developments as legitimate spaces, and therefore do not account for their need for infrastructure and spaces to socialise.

Slum upgrading, which is a process of enhancing the current social and economic environment, is the most effective way of improving the standard of living for slum dwellers.

UN Habitat suggests an intervention to encourage social inclusion should involve the “provision of incentives for community management and maintenance” and the “building of social capital and the institutional framework to sustain improvements”. To improve quality of life and create a situation where people can mutually reinforce their practices.

The citywide approach utilises streets as the entry point to slum upgrading. As explained above, the streets are not only thoroughfares and networks along which infrastructure systems are laid but also shared spaces for social, cultural and economic activities. Refurbishing slums with street networks, expanded green spaces, and encouraging social involvement reduces social exclusion and isolation.

According to the World Bank, public spaces provide benefits such as: - “Centres for social interaction and cultural expression” - “Improve urban mobility and connectivity” between people and other amenities - “Enhance safety and security in public places”, such as the eyes on the street concept - “Increased citizen involvement” - Sense of pride in what the community represents/has achieved - Motivator and support for economic innovation - Make the upgradation of the slum responsive to gender and youth priorities - “Optimise density and promote mixed-use development” - Humanise the people living within slums - Creates a “neighbourly environment”

Tarakarama Nagar slum can be upgraded through such means, where a community space for socialising and inclusion would improve the residents’ quality of life and create a stronger social network of support.

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“TO BE PRODUCTIVE AND INCLUSIVE, CITIES ALSO REQUIRE SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE MOBILITIY. THE AVAILABILITY, DISTRIBUTION, ACCESS AND QUALITY OF PUBLIC SPACE IS ALSO RECOGNISED AS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT TO REDUCE INEQUALITY, GENERATE LOCAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES AND PROMOTE SOCIAL COHESION AND A SENSE OF IDENTITY.” A quote taken from a report by the United Nations Habitat (2020).

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Social Dynamcis Between Genders Many people are attracted to urban spaces by the promise of secure jobs and economic prosperity. Many of the poor who migrate, however, are not able to afford formal shelter and are often left with no choice but to settle in an informal, dense urban slum. It is not uncommon for women of young pubescent ages to marry for the potential to raise a family closer to the city, to be able to gain stable employment to better support her family. Often, migrating to the city is also a means of escaping abusive partners or lack of economic opportunity.

The ways in which the gender groups spend their day greatly divides them. Men often leave the slum to work throughout the day, while women will perform household tasks and often other unskilled labor. Culturally, men and women have different expectations of them; the men are expected to earn the larger salary and the women to work to look after the family.

It is still widely accepted that young girls should not pursue academic careers over being carers and will often drop out of school at a young age. A study undertaken by the District Information System for Education showed that 42% of girls in India marry when they are still children, starting families immediately after. This cycle is a fundamental part of how impoverished women are perceived within Indian culture and serves to deeply separate the activities and lives of their male counterparts.

This divide between the genders was clearly evident; the men seen either by themselves or playing gambling games with other men and the women seen doing housework during the day. Children were either seen in school or wandering around on the streets. These observations, supported by the above research on social spaces encouraging social inclusion, inform us that Tarakarama Nagar slum would greatly benefit from the creation of a place of socialising, helping to bring people together, create a more supportive society and prevent groups from being marginalised.

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Case Studies and Existing Solutions Dharavi Slum, Mumbai In Mumbai’s infamous slum Dharavi, almost 900,000 people reside in an urban slum 10 times more dense than the surrounding city. Having been established in 1882 during the British Colonial era, planning of the space has never been attempted. The only physical space for socialisation are the tea stalls, which are only ever utilised by males.

Women and children of Dharavi are excluded from feeling a part of their community as the built environment has not accounted for inclusive and social spaces.

This case study illustrates how spatial planning largely dictates how people will live and interact. The lack of physical layout of Dharavi directly controls how women and children are socially isolated.

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Psychological and Behavioural Studies Study on the psychology behind community garden projects “These are seen as helping to assist a multitude of concerns, including health, increased leisure activities, community engagement, education and sustainability (Kneafsey et al., 2008). In addition, studies undertaken within a leisure context have proven that, besides food-security benefits, the interaction of fellow-minded gardeners has led to increased socialization benefits and the development of new friendships as a result of participation in a community gardening process (Porter & McIlvaine-Newsad, 2014).”

Study by Sharpe et. al.

Communitarianism: “social relationships and the belief that community is needed for personal development and fulfilment... the term ‘community’ is used in two main instances: geographical and social”.

Study on the psychology behind community garden projects Henri Lefebvre’s (french philosopher and sociologist) concept of autogestion: translating directly as ‘selfmanagement’. This marxist phrase was originally describing workers who manage themselves in a spatial context, but is now applied in studies of people who collectively perform tasks for the greater good without direction or leadership.

These studies into how people respond to community space, specifically community gardens, illustrates how people benefit socially from having a collective interest tied to a specific location. The studies on Communitarianism and Autogestion also indicate the way in which people want to become involved and commit to a project. The creation of a place through having a project open to public participation promises positive returns (the benefits detailed in the section on ‘Community as a means of reducing socialisolation) for the people and a chance for inclusion and a feeling of support.

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Racchabanda A old, traditional solution to the creation of a community space is the Racchabanda. This is a local community gathering place to the state of Andhra Pradesh, first presented to our group as a concept last week through a lecture presented here at the School of Planning and Architecture. It is a raised platform found in rural villages, centres around a large tree. The tree provides cooling through shade, as well as being surrounded by nature. It was used as a traditional get-together location for villages to come and discuss social problems. However, these open spaces are becoming extinct through urbanisation and loss of rural villages.

Public Space for Urban Poor Other solutions are the creation of community centres and surrounding gardens to address the need of public spaces in dense built environments. Governments and development agencies are realising the importance and benefits of the creation of a space to enhance community cohesion, with one such example being Paraisopolis favela. Located in SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil, this community centre is was created in the void left by a landslide in the crowded city. To accompany a community centre, a space that can seem quite closed off and exclusive, a garden was created around. This was to attract the local community, who were considered the urban poor, and others to the area. The creation of a space like this promotes the notions for inclusive society, one across economic boundaries.

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The Design Process Design Development The Tarakarama Nagar provided many challenges in determining the best way to address the issue of a lack of an activated social space for the community. Factors such as the density of the slums played a role in the design decisions that lead to the choice to introduce green vertical gardens into the space. As an informal settlement,the slums have tight streets and lanes, as well as packed small houses across the sloping site. This affected the spaces that could be used, as all the available open space had some sort of purpose.

Our vision demands that we turn a space into a place. As found through research on placemaking, for a space to become a place, the location needs to develop collective and personal attachments. To determine the location for placemaking, we looked to the spaces that were already activated in a practical sense but were not activated in a way that encouraged socialisation and interactions.

Options such as rooftops and veranda spaces were considered but dismissed due to them being within private boundaries and the lack of physical accessibility. The obvious solution for us was the streets, as they are already areas of high traffic, are where majority of interpersonal interactions take place and are a space that is activated for a pragmatic use, with the potential to be activated further to become a social place.

For a space to become a place, the community needs to develop a sense of collective attachment and responsibility for a place. To turn a space into a place, there needs to be a reason for people to be attracted to this specific space and a reason for them to continue visiting.

In our design, we decided to use verticality, as the high density of the slum means that any venture into horizontal space would become a road block rather than a ‘place’.

Additionally, through placement of the design on the vertical plane, people will be able to gather on the edges of the streets and in nooks that we will later identify, rather than getting in the way of passing traffic or people’s homes.

The impermanence of the site as well, through both the potential future move and flooding during the monsoon season necessitated the need for an intervention that was portable.

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Location of existing prominent green spaces in Tarakarama Nagar slum.

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Why (Background) To determine whether vertical gardens are an intervention that are worth the time and effort that are required to go into it, we conducted some background research into how communal vertical gardens can benefit the people of Tarakarama Nagar slum. We found that the vertical gardens have benefits beyond being a means of creating social places, such as having cooling effects on attached walls, the versatility and recycling potential of vertical gardens as well as having the capacity to encourage nutritional health and awareness. These additional benefits of vertical gardens all link back to our vision, where we stated that we hope to encourage wellbeing and a healthy livelihood.

Vertical Gardens Effectively utilises available space. Crops can be grown in sacks, bags, flowerpots, bins, cans, tins, bottles, tanks or boxes. Can be placed on yet unused places like on the top off walls or just hanging up. Walls are convenient, as they don’t require extra construction, plants can be grown on the surface.

Are a “simple and sustainable method of enhancing food security for urban communities, slum dwellers and other communities where agricultural production areas are limited. Most solutions can easily be implemented with locally available material at a low cost while it offers a livelihood opportunity at the same time and contributes to the local food security situation.”

Cooling As observed from the Racchabanda, people tend to gather in spaces outside that provide a cooler microclimate in hot weather. Green walls can be used in and on homes to reduce the heat load on the building envelope. A gap is required between the greenery and wall to create shade on the surface with transpiration (passing cooling) plus as a convection gap - reduce surface temperature. Green walls also create a cooler microclimate in the surrounding area outside, not just inside. The cooling effect can be enhanced through use of irrigation and hydroponics (use of water) provide as the water evaporates. Importantly, green walls and vertical gardens don’t absorb heat - thermal mass is not desired in hot and humid climates as it is difficult to respond to cooling breezes and there is little diurnal temperature range.

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Appealing to Target Group It was important that we find some aspect to really draw in and entice the target group as otherwise the design would not be used like the existing greenery. As a result, we looked into the plants and how they could be healthy options for the inhabitants of the slum.

Urban Farming There is growing popularity and support for ‘urban farming’, a practice of repurposing unproductive urban space to be produce fresh crops. This practice not only serves to provide additional produce to local plates, but also helps to educate on the importance of fresh food and sustainability.

Diet Choices Delhi Public School, Bengaluru North has this year introduced a curriculum on healthy and nutritious eating in response to the growing issues of obesity and diabetes.

Teenagers said that they felt inclined to eat fast food due to peer pressure.The program has helped many of the students to shift their diet, even at home. India has 14.4 million obese children (second highest in the world to China), making up approximately 15% of the child population.

Current Eduction on Nutrition Kids enjoy sedentary activities, such as watching TV, in their spare time. As seen in Tarakarama Nagar slum, when people are not performing daily tasks or attending school, most people can be seen lounging on their woven benches in front of their homes.

India has 14.4 million obese children making up approximately 15% of the child population. In response to the growing issues of obesity and diabetes, Delhi Public School has this year introduced a curriculum on healthy and nutritious eating. Results show that students saw a shift in their unhealthy diet to a well balanced and healthy diet inside and outside of school.

The teacher at the slum’s primary school informed us that there is no curriculum on nutrition or the importance of health. This includes no lessons on cooking or gardening.

Instead, these are aspects children learn at home, or learn out of necessity to survive.

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Innovation in Design Design Description The creation of a communal garden/green space creates an attraction for the local community; presenting a reason for people to continually return to the space to maintain and care for their shared garden. Placemaking is a ‘process’ where the place develops over time according to how residents of the slum interact with the area and with each other. The growth and care of a communal garden is also a process that is dependent on both its physical location and the way people interact with it. Thus, a place can be developed through the means of a communal garden, as the process of growing a garden simultaneously cultivates a locational and social process for the community, turning a space into a place.

It is important in placemaking that the culture and identity of the people is present in the place. A communal garden has the capacity to embody the culture and identity of the people of Tarakarama Nagar slum, from planting herbs and other shallow-rooted crops that are staples of their cuisine to the potential to paint the plant pots with traditional designs and patterns (such as Kolam drawings). As communal gardens can represent local culture through both its image and its practical use, the space can represent the local culture and meanings so as to become a place.

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Techn

Side Elevation

Front Elevation

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Plan

nical Drawings

The design consists of a bamboo frame which leans against a wall. Terracotta pots hang from the frame and are secured in place by rope.

Bamboo was chosen as the frame material as it is strong enough to hold up the weight of the pots, whilst still being lightweight enough to be easily handled and assembled in place. It is a sustainable material due to its rapid growth, with an ability to be harvested every three to five years.

It is suitable to be used in this context as locally sourced bamboo is readily available.

Whilst a previous design iteration consisted of recycled plastic bottles as planters, it was decided that this was not a sustainable option. Instead, the design is replicable in a manner which does not rely on plastic and therefore does not promote further consumption of plastic in an area already struggling with pollution.

Terracotta pots have been chosen as they are a more sustainable option which could easily be sourced locally.

As an example of the accessibility and affordability of this material, the pots sourced for the physical prototype were found at a nearby vendor on the side of the road and cost 150 rupees each, directly supporting the local community.

They are durable enough to be left outdoors which is required for the design.

Herbs and vegetables that have shallow roots are best suited to grow in compact terracotta pots. Consideration of the climate is also necessary, as plants suited to temperate climates would not survive in Vijayawada through the hotter months. Basil, Coriander, fenugreek and Mint are all examples of herbs that grow well in India and are suitable for growing in small pots. Green beans, cucumber, lettuce and chilli are some examples of fruits and vegetables that would grow well in potted environments. If the scale of the vertical garden was to be built larger than the prototype detailed in this report, the range of crops suitable to grow would be expanded as deeper roots can be accounted for.

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A hole in the bottom of each terracotta pot allows for drainage so that the roots still have access to adequate air.

Given the large amounts of rainfall received by the area during the wet season, a layer of gravel at the bottom of the pot will further increase the drainage of the soil.

Detailed Section

Section

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Perspective Views

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Generation of Ideas The design evolved from being a series of titled containers stacked and hung on top each other, carrying plants for a communal vegetable patch to terracotta pots hung from a bamboo ladder. Different forms were generated, with this design decided upon due to the truly vertical nature of the ladder as opposed to an A-frame design which would take up more horizontal space. The design can also be adapted to accommodate different sizes and shapes of terracotta pots, more terracotta pots or introducing a truss to support creepers.

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Assembly Process For construction of the bamboo frame, we visited a local craftsman who was able to help select sticks of bamboo with the appropriate thickness to support the design. He then cut these to the required lengths and assembled the frame using nails.

Rope was tied around the connections to ensure greater stability. This was done using the knot learnt during time spent at the Laurie Baker Centre. It was used by trademens to tie rods of steel reinforcement together.

Table of Costs Material

Cost (INR)

Bamboo frame

400

Terracotta pots

600 (150 each)

Rope

30

Soil

10

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After experimenting with multiple methods of securing the pots in place with rope, the best way to do so was narrowed down to two methods. Of these, the method of twisting the rope around the neck of the pot three times (right) was chosen for the prototype. This was due to the ease of assembly and our confidence in the security of the pot.

When it came to attaching the pot to the frame, it was concluded that a double knot was the simplest and most secure option.

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Usage and Acceptability Current Usage of Green Space To support our assumption that residents of the Tarakarama Nagar slum would be interested in using and maintaining the gardens, we have collected some images of existing greenery that is cared for and, as a result, flourishing. The images show some plants being maintained at ground level, however the number of plants could be increased significantly without taking up any extra surface area if they were to implement vertical gardens.

Some of the plants were behind a fence, demonstrating that they are privately maintained and enjoyed rather than being something that is supported, and engaged in, by the community as a whole.

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Finalise Design

Integration

Implement Greater Scale

Phase Three

Implementation

2023

After hearing about the habits and daily routines of Tarakarama Nagar slum’s inhabitants from our community engagement sessions, we were struck by the wastefulness of the throwing away of yesterday’s drinking water. By using left over drinking water to water these plants when they are dry, plants can be maintained whilst reducing the wastage of drinking water.

Phase Two

Design Review

Review Effectiveness

Study of Issues Stakeholder Consultation

Phase One

Generation of Ideas

Stakeholder Consultation

2021 Presentation of Proposal

Maintenance Maintenance of the vertical gardens would be minimal but ongoing; watering throughout drier months and seasonal harvesting. It is this requirement of ongoing care that turns the space into a place, as it ties meaning and purpose to the area. It is our belief that people will be drawn to maintain these gardens, supported through the Communitarianism study, forming a regular meeting place for socialisation, collaboration and education.

Adjustment of Design

Implement Intial Design

Each stage of transforming “space into place” is represented in the timeline and is apart of a ongoing implementation scheme that looks to address implement vertical gardens within the slum. With identifying three key phases categorised as; 1. Stakeholder Consultation Phase, 2.

Design Review Phase and 3. Construction Stage it allows our overall product to be shaped, integrated and adjusted when necessary to ensure the successful of our product.

2020

The open-ended nature of this design solidifies it as a placemaking tool; the seasonal and yearly cycles of crop growth suit the requirement of the place to be an ongoing ‘process’ of development. As the community evolves over time, this place grows, changes and renews with the community, meaning that that the places that are created by these vertical gardens are a part of the evolving community relationships that develop around this Place.

Funding Initially, some financing will be required to purchase materials for construction of the gardens. This will be done by a Non-Governmental Organisation working in the area which has values that align with the benefits of community gardens. After initial costs for setup and construction, the gardens will be self-sufficient and therefore not require any further financial input.

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Realisation of Design

to

Fulfilment of Our Vision The vision we formed based on our observations of Tarakarama nagar Slum’s public space demanded that we design an intervention that would transform the space to attract a socialisation and help knit the community closer together. We decided that we wanted our intervention to encourage a positive, healthy mindset, hopefully leading to a more constructive, unified community.

Our design fulfils this vision, as the vertical gardens are a means through which people of the community can collaborate on a shared project, the space becoming a welcoming and inclusive social place. As explored through background research, physical space that invites socialisation indiscriminately is known to be one of the most effective and essential factors in the betterment of the lives of the urban poor and for the up-gradation of slums.

The growth of vegetables and herbs channels the focus of this social space towards a nutritious, more sustainable mindset. The sense of pride and ownership that would be created through a community project such as this will shed a positive light on vegetables and other fresh produce; things that we have observed to be met with disgust by the youth in this community.

Our vision will be met by this design, as our vertical gardens have the ability to transform a space into a place by acting as an attraction to the physical location, drawing people together with the common interest of overseeing the growth of these gardens.

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Fulfillment of Our Brief Principles

Connectivity - Members of the community can be connected through the common interest of caring for the gardens, acting as a vessel for social connections

Principles

Inclusivity - The public location of this design breaks down physical barriers that prevent unity Sustainability - The use of non-plastic, sustainable materials to grow organic crops promotes a climate-friendly, futurefocused mentality Rejuvenation - A space currently active out of necessity will be transformed to be activated in a lively, inclusive and productive manner

Enhancement - The way in which the current space is used will be intensified and maximised such that it becomes a place.

“COMMUNICATING THROUGH BUILT FORM”

This design adheres to Laurie Baker’s principle of “communicating through the built form”, as our design has the ability to shift the way people communicate with others, which is made possible through placemaking in the built form.

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Requirements

Affordability -- The placement of a vertical garden in the

streetscape as a means for attracting placemaking activities is extremely budget friendly, opposed to alternatives such as constructing a community building or a more permanent structure. Additionally, the materials used to create the vertical gardens themselves are able to be sourced locally and negotiated for a cheap price.

Requirements

Accessible – The openness and public nature of the sites chosen make the places accessible to everyone in the slum. The vertical garden is a simple design that is easy to understand and is by design demanding of people to care for it, serving to create a purpose and a goal for the space.

Durable – The sites are situated in spots that ensures that any gathered people wont become a road block. The main structure of the garden is made from natural bamboo that is grown in the local climate conditions, therefore making it naturally adapted to endure the weather. Additionally, the fact that the gardens are vertical means that they are less accessible to rodents or other animals, compared to horizontal layouts.

Informative – The creation of a place keeps people informed

with each other, encouraging productive and positive activities/mindsets in the context of growing and nurturing a garden.

Compact – The sites are well suited to the dense nature

of the slum, as there are no physical walls or boundaries that restrict the already restricted space. The verticality of the gardens in these sites are designed to take up as little surface area as possible, and can be easily transported if necessary.

Engaging – the interactive nature of the vertical gardens serves to involve people as a group, acting as an enjoyable means of placemaking.

Responsive to Context – plants and herbs are already grown in Tarakarama nagar slum, however this design responds to the context of a lack of physical social places by rethinking the way people grow their pot plants, by relocating it to a socially constructive place.

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Constraints

Materials – We overcame the constraints on materials by sourcing natural, locally made materials that can be bought for low prices when bartered for. The design also achieves the creation of a place through minimal construction, as a small vertical garden is a very efficient and undemanding method of creating a community place, compared to other methods such as the construction of a community building.

Location – The constraint relating to the uncertainty over

land ownership and seasonal monsoon was overcome in this design by making sure that the design is portable.

The places that are created can be easily moved and reestablished elsewhere, simply by transporting the compact and lightweight vertical garden. We believe that the vertical gardens will act as in indicator or symbol of community space and inclusion, no matter where they have to be moved to.

Available Surface Area - In an urban slum, unused horizontal space is scarce as the built environment is incredibly dense

Climate – The choice of natural and cheap materials, as well

as the portability of the vertical gardens gives placemaking locational flexibility.

Budget – As mentioned above, the design choice to create a place through the means of the vertical garden is a solution far more budget friendly than other interventions that might be used to create social places (such as the construction of a community building). Additionally, the materials can be sources cheaply or swapped out for alternative materials if need be. that maintenance is not a constraint, but a key element of the design that helps to create a place. By people helping to overlook and maintain the gardens, a place is created through people regularly visiting and meeting is these community sites.

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Constraints

Maintenance – The very nature of the vertical gardens means

S

W

• Affordable • Easy to construct

• Does require time and some financial input

• Affordable to maintain and construct from easily

to construct with, at this stage, no financial return.

• Permission is required from the owners of any private walls the gardens are placed on.

accessible, locally sourced materials

• Requires minimal ground space by taking advantage of the vertical plane

• Culminates in fresh produce • A simple concept • Encourages activity • Facilitates social cohesion

SWOT ANALYSIS • Yearly flooding

• The vertical garden can

has the potential to damage the gardens if they are not moved to a safer area • Future water limitations could lower the feasibility of sustaining the plants • The gardens may not last if any individuals take too much from them • Government can reclaim land

be implemented across other areas of the slum after initial success

• The design can be scaled to suit the needs of whatever plants are wanting to be grown

• Large scale implementation could lead to a financial return

• Engage community through a

O

collaborative activity, which

T

persists over time (maintenance of plants)

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