Leila lrdrew10@gmail.com

Leila Drew The People’s Courtyard

Cambridge restricts its residents’ potential for connection to the land and to each other. Near the Grafton Centre, this has manifested notably in the effects of the Enclosures Act (1811); a compulsory purchase order of workers’ cottages in the 1970s; and the construction of the Grafton itself in the 1980s, which flattened a blighted neighbourhood of terraced homes called the Kite. In 2008 cows were introduced to Midsummer Common as a way to prevent alleged ‘misuse’ and ‘anti-social behaviour’.

Under capitalism, land and food have become commodities. By making meals and eating together, we can form networks of care, and common the means of growing and eating once again. Like reclaiming land, nourishing our bodies becomes an act of rebellion.

From an existing patchwork of volunteer-run food banks, community kitchens, commons, and allotments, this project seeks to create a network of growing and eating throughout the city.

At its core, a central storage and distribution centre for dry and fresh produce has been created from an existing unit in the Grafton Centre, allowing a city-wide network to emerge. The shop unit’s roof has been reconfigured, allowing a food hub and common growing space to be set within a courtyard, speaking of an inward-looking care.