Site Context

from NUS LANDSCAPE: GROW HEBBAL

by NUS Department of Architecture

Physical Conditions

Grow Hebbal

A Community-Based Design Studio in Hebbal, Bangalore, India Envisioning Productive Urban Landscapes

Master of Landscape Architecture Programme Department of Architecture School of Design and Environment National University of Singapore 4 Architecture Drive Singapore 117566

Tel: +65 65163452 www.arch.nus.sg

Editor Jessica Ann Diehl akijac@nus.edu.sg

ISBN: 978-981-11-9079-7 © Individual Contributors, 2018

As a studio product, which is not censored, this publication may contain mistakes or deficiencies. Editor and contributors do not warrant or assume any legal responsibility for the publication’s contents. All opinions expressed in the book are of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National University of Singapore.

Studio Tutor Jessica Ann Diehl

Studio Team Nur Azilla Bte Nazli Gao Chenchen Wang Hanfeng Fan Lei Helen Kong Lingchang, Charlie Xu Linxin Yong Keng-Whye, Raymond Yao Haomu, Ryan Lam Si Yun Swan Kuan Wai Tuck Victor Liu Xiaolei, Carrie Xu Yuexin Wang Zhe, Zoe

Disrupted and disconnected urban ecosystems (water, agriculture, flora and fauna) resulting from rapid urbanization have detrimental impacts on the health and wellbeing of urban citizens; particularly disadvantaged social groups. This studio developed an appreciation for design skills in landscape architecture within the city-scale context of Bangalore, one of the most rapidly urbanizing cities in India. Greater Bangalore is the administrative, cultural, commercial, industrial, and knowledge capital of the state of Karnataka. It is currently the fifth largest metropolis in India with a population of about 7 million, with a population density that increased from 10,732 to 13,392 persons per sq. km between 2001 and 2011. Rapid urbanization pushes urban infrastructure to its limits and often causes increased social inequity, but there is also increasing pressure on rural landscapes to supply the city with resources and food. This studio focused on designing productive urban landscapes—multifunctional landscapes that grow food in the city.

The site selected for the design intervention was a typical, unplanned formal settlement in Hebbal district. A residential and mixeduse neighborhood, Hebbal supports a diverse population in terms of income, education, and religion. The physical environment lacks adequate waste treatment, which has severely polluted the channelized canal that runs through the center of the neighborhood. Students travelled to the site early February to conduct fieldwork. Through a community-engaged process, new design strategies were developed that integrate productive landscapes into the built, ecological and social urban systems with the aim of envisioning better work, live, and play environments.

The students considered interdisciplinary requirements from planning guidelines, architecture design, engineering limitations; and developed an understanding of existing natural land and urban systems. Through the project site, they faced complex urban design issues in order to derive innovative design solutions using principles of ecology and sustainability.

timeline

Project Introduction 15 Jan Precedent Pin-up 22 Jan

Site Investigation Jan-Feb Site Analysis Pin-up 29 Jan

Site Visit 3-12 Feb Community Findings Pin-up 19 Feb

Seminar 01 Urbanization Seminar 02 Urban agriculture Seminar 03 Community-based participatory design (CBPD) CBPD Workshop 29 Jan Visioning & Goalsetting Workshop 19 Feb Concept Pin-Up 12 Mar

Final Design Presentation 23 Apr