Horticulture as Urban Adaptive Development Strategy
Orlando has become a dense urban environment, but some of the surrounding neighborhoods have been lacking the same amount of growth. When the interstate was implemented in the 1960’s, the city’s urban fabric had become fragmented. The neighborhoods closest to the interstate were severely altered which has pushed them onto a path of steady decay. This is apparent in Holden Heights where the amount of vacancy is high, the people are mostly low-income, and access to fresh food is low. This lack of development has caused many socio-economic issues within the community and urban horticulture is a way in which these issues can begin to be resolved. This research project develops criteria for implementing adaptive urban horticulture into a decaying neighborhood. Urban horticulture is the art of producing gardens that create healthy, beautiful, and productive spaces within urban environments. These criteria will act as a catalyst of neighborhood revitalization by creating a territory for positive community collaboration. This territory will create a public commons space that invokes a sense of pride in their community, gives them a place to gather and collaborate, and a place for them to learn about horticulture. This community development plan will revitalize the neighborhood by generating a space that employs growth and collaboration.
Figure 1. Urban Horticulture Therapy in Holden Heights - Orlando, Florida
Fragmented Neighborhood: • Food desert • Low-Income • Vacancy
Activated by Urban Horticulture: • Gardens • Workshops • Community space
Balanced Community: • Healthy food supply • Connections to nature • Neighborhood beautification Figure 2. Diagram of a fragmented neighborhood finding balance by activating the voids with urban horticulture.
Jamie Connell Chair: Nawari Nawari Ph.D, P.E. M.ASCE Co-Chair: Frank M. Bosworth Ph.D, AIA
This research proposes an urban community development plan for the Holden Heights neighborhood in Orlando, Florida. It is based on an evaluation of urban horticulture as an adaptive strategy for grassroots neighborhood revitalization. The urban community development plan explores different criteria in which the horticulture strategy can be implemented into an urban environment.