Andy Failor

Get Big or Get Out: Urban Farming Futures

Creating an Urban Farming Network for the city of Detroit, Michigan

Andy Failor

The current state of farming is neither sustainable nor economical. The economic pressure to produce a surplus of goods stems from the 1970s mantra to “get big or get out”. This strenuous effort to constantly produce “more” has created a monoculture of farming that relies heavily on polluting machinery and forces plant growth through a stream of chemicals and genetic modifications. The environmental implications of this exhaustive mega-farming method results in quick degradation of the soil necessary for growing, and farmers are running out of new places to grow. With a growing population, it can be understood that farming of this scale must be maintained to feed such high numbers, although the industrial farms of the United States are subsidized in a way that promotes the growing of corn, soybean, wheat, and other heavily processed foods. Alternative farming methods should then be considered to allow for a diversification of crops, a more sustainable relationship with natural cycles, and the widespread access to affordable and quality produce. New methods of growing that are gaining popularity include soilless indoor growing, such as aquaponic and aeroponic systems. These indoor systems will replace outdoor seasonal growing, which also will look to be optimized through pixel cropping. These methods of farming achieve great success at the personal level, and require little agricultural knowledge, thus paving the way for families to again become farmers.

With the size of farm field decreasing, and productivity increasing, the farm can move to more dense areas creating a new urban condition that can be explored architecturally. By rejecting the normative approach to modern farming and accepting a localized and collaborative approach to agriculture, the city can function as a productive hub without sacrificing the comforts of modern living or the social benefits of urban proximity. The architectural response looks to cohesively join living, growing, and social spaces into the heart of Detroit, Michigan. This agenda corresponds with the three main issues facing the food system and farms: producing food for a growing population, the liveliness and wellbeing of farmers, and the protection of the environment, all resulting in a new urban farming network.

A new urban condition can be created by modernizing the current approach to farming.

The city can become a productive hub with a localized food system without sacrificing the social benefits of urban proximity. Within this model, food becomes a more secure resource, the environment is better considered, and anyone is capable of producing.

farmers are

Male

The Problem with Farming

The Problem with Farming

Who Farms?

Who Farms? How do they Farm? Problem with Farming

Who Farms?

64% Of farmers are Male

• 64% Of farmers are Male

• 62% Are over age 55

62% Are over age 55

• 95.4% White

95.4% White

• 74% Live on the farm

74% Live on the farm

age 55 the farm are family farms a larger scale earned $32,217 per year live in:

• 86% Of farms are family farms but operate at a larger scale

How do they Farm?

What should

What

86% Of farms are family farms but operate at a larger scale Farmers earned $32,217 per year

• Farmers earned $32,217 per year

• Most farmers live in:

▪ Texas

▪ Missouri

▪ Iowa

▪ Ohio

Most farmers live in: Texas Missouri Iowa Ohio Oklahoma

▪ Oklahoma

Average Farm size

▪ 85,000 Farms out of 2.04 million account for 57% of all farmland

Average Farm size

441 Acres

Acres

Average Farm size

▪ 85,000 Farms out of 2.04 million account for 57% of all farmland

▪ 85,000 Farms out of 2.04 million account for 57% of all farmland

▪ Beef is the most popular farm commodity followed by oils and grains, and hay.

▪ Beef is the most popular farm commodity followed by oils and grains, and hay.

▪ 135,000 Of the 2.04 million farms focus on producing either fruits or vegetables.

Beef is the most popular farm commodity followed by oils and grains, and hay.

▪ 135,000 Of the 2.04 million farms focus on producing either fruits or vegetables.

135,000 Of the 2.04 million farms focus on producing either fruits vegetables.

THREE YEAR CROP ROTATION CYCLE

THREE YEAR CROP ROTATION CYCLE

Wheat may often be removed from this cycle, or planted during every other rotation. In this case, the cover crop or tilling period is reduced, and the cycle becomes a two-year system rather than 3.

Wheat may often be removed from this cycle, or planted during other rotation. In this case, the cover crop or tilling period is reduced, the cycle becomes a two-year system rather than 3.

What do we Eat?

What should we Eat?

What should we Eat?

2.5 CUPS

YEARLY TOTALS:

912.5 CUPS VEGETABLES

730 CUPS FRUIT

2,190

1,095 CUPS

2,008 OUNCES PROTEIN

9,855 GRAMS OILS x1

SEASONAL GROWING

FALL

Apples

Bananas

Beets

Bell peppers

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Collard greens

Cranberries

Garlic

Ginger

Grapes

Green beans

Herbs

Kale

Kiwifruit

Lemons

Lettuce

Limes

Mangos

Mushrooms

Onions

Parsnips

Pears

Peas

Pineapples

Potatoes

Pumpkin

Radishes

Raspberries

Rutabagas

Spinach

Sweet potatoes

Swiss chard

Turnips

Winter squash

SPRING

Apples

Apricots

Asparagus

Avocados

Bananas

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrots

Celery

Collard greens

Garlic

Herbs

Kale

Kiwifruit

Lemons

Lettuce

Limes

Mushrooms

Onions

Peas

SUMMER

Apples

Apricots

Avocados

Bananas

Beets

Bell peppers

Blackberries

Blueberries

Cantaloupe

Carrots

Celery

Cherries

Corn

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Garlic

Green beans

Herbs

Honeydew

Lemons

melon

Pineapples Potatoes

Pumpkin

Rutabagas

Swiss chard Turnips

Winter squash

Yams

Pineapples

Radishes

Rhubarb

Spinach

Strawberries

Swiss chard

Turnips

Lima beans

Limes

Mangos

Okra

Peaches

Plums

Raspberries

Strawberries

Summer squash

Tomatillos

Tomatoes

Watermelon

Zucchini

How did we get Here?

Events Summarized

Innovation in the Field

Traditional Farming Strip Farming

Pixel Farming

Detroit, Michigan

Corresponding with a mass exodus of the countryside and a failing automotive industry Detroit’s population decreased from near 2 million in tihe 1950’s, to under 700,000 presently.

The issue at hand is that Detroit is aging and shrinking, resulting in poorly managed infrastructure and not enough tax dollars to make the improvements necessary.

To feed all of Detroit on a vegetarian diet, 90.75 Square miles would be required with traditional farming methods in mind.

The highlighted area indicates the focus of this thesis as a means of re-imagining the true urban core of the city and attempting to create additional density in a sprawling yet empty city.

The farming network is modeled after natural ecology were species in nature thrive off hub and corridor conditions. This allows access to all resources without exhausting any one location and creates a security blanket in times of drought or other environmental change.

The Network

The Plan

Centered around productive urban farming, the web of program creates opportunity for living, social ammenities, and further distribution beyond the hub to ensure equal accessibility and a continous urban living condition despite the hyper-productivity of the site.

Maximum Productivity

Blanket the Site in 3 Stories of Hydroponics

Height Variants

Allow Roof to become habitable and break-up roof line of the block

Extrude and Subtract Break Up Large Massing with obstacles

Circulate Multi-Leveled Public Space both Interior and exterior

The Form

The norther portion of the site is filled with a continous massing that sybolizes productive indoor farming space. The roof plane is then manipulated to produce picturesque rolling hills reminiscent of the countryside. These hills range from 1 to 3 stories in height to break up the lengthy building facades and also dip to the ground plane to allow for public access. The rooftop becomes productive pixel farming and houses 90 housing units, as well as retail and commercial spaces. A large research tower extrudes through the roof plane while the fish pond necessary for aquaponics is sunken into the roof and is visible from underneath. Along with being productive, the ground floor features a market place that allows for immediate access to the fresh produce grown. This dual circulation feeds into the long, linear parkscape that is both leisurely and productive. The park features the likes of sports courts and open lawn, as well as more farming plots, orchards, and an education center fit with greenhouses.

Roof Plan

Ground Floor

An Urban Condition

This chunk axon begins to show the inter-related conditions that occur within the hub. The ground floor features market space and an upper level food hall. These spaces have direct visual access to the water systems and fish pond, as well as the aquaponic stacks where their food is being grown and produced. This creates a level of intimacy with food and humans that currently does not exist as we don’t give much thought to where our food comes from. These ideas can be explored and later implemented at home through the use of an at-home facade kit.

The roof plane features much of the same elements. A housing block that has ground floor maker-space and is surrounded by pixel farming plots and orchard space. These levels of production and social space overlap and intertwine creating a dense urban context that is still open and green.

Below is a diagram of how the water system operates from start to finish.

Hubs and Corridors

The final design element to this proposal includes the at-home facade kits. These kits look to cash in on the opportunity presented by having a large quantity of housing projects that feature similar or identical facades. By taking these facades and tacking on an at-home growing station it both creates an element of individuality to each facade as well as freshens up a now dated exterior in most instances.

A majority of these housing projects are home to low-income or incomecapped residences so fresh produce is not always available to communities of this economic status. Although the hub and storefronts would be within walking distance, providing an at home solution creates an airtight network of accessibility for all residents. Any produce grown at home is meant to be consumed by the home and based off of the square footage of productive space it is feasible to imagine that 50% of yearly recommended produce intake could be grown on these facades.

The kits are intended to be relatively cheap in cost and easy to install by an average unskilled laborer. The kit includes hydroponic stacks, rainwater catchment capabilities and traditional soil planters. Many of these housing projects have awkward front lawn spaces that would also be a rich ground for pixel farming.

To the left is an exploded axon of the hub which further details the spaces and conditions above and below.

Gutter bridging old and new roofs

Door to replace 2nd floor window

Simple timber structure

Raised Soil Planters with storage

Hydroponic Stacks

Rainwater Collection Barrel

Pixel farming plot

RETAIL CORNER PERSPECTIVE CORNERSTONE ESTATES PERSPECTIVE

MIDTOWN APPROACH PERSPECTIVE