#1 MOBILITY

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PLACE & SPACE - from visual thesaurus

VALUATION OF LAND AND FUTURE ACCESS TO PRODUCTIVE SOIL

In the local paper BT yesterday we could read an article by Gerd Lithun, cand. agric., at the University in Bergen (UiB).

Here is a short summary in english, whole article can be read here, (norwegian only I´m afraid).

By Norwegian law polititians are committed to see to that productive soil is used to no other purpose (than production of food, fibers etc).
Still 13 000 acres (52,61 km2, 11,3% of the total area of Bergen municipality) of productive soil were re-disposed for other purposes, only last year, an area  equivalent to 1100 football fields.
In the period from 2000-2009 162 504 acres (657,63 km2, 141,22% of the total area of Bergen municipality), has been re-disposed for roads, housing, industrial zones, schools, sports facilities, etc. Only in Hordaland region 7950 acres (32,17km2) were re-disposed.
This area of productive soil can not be replaced after its buildt upon as it takes 100 years to produce 1cm of productive soil. In the same period only 104 187 acres was cultivated, but it cannot replace the soil taken out of production, as it does not hold the same qualities. Every year we reduce our most productive areas.

Compared to other nations we have a lot of area relative to number of citizens, but only small zones capable to produce food or fodder. Only 3% of Norwegian land area is productive, and only one third of this area is of such good quality it is able to produce corn. In 2008 this was equivalent to 2,2 acres pr inhabitant, or 8900 m2 (2,7 acres pr inhab. is the average on world basis). 2,2 acres of good quality can produce 880kg of corn or 1320kg grass. This is enough to feed up 3,5 pigs for slaughter, or about 1/4 of a milk producing cow. But most of the productive fields we hold is best suited to produce fodder or grass due to climatic conditions.

1 million acres of irreplaceable land is lost the last 50 years in Norway. As long as it is happening little by little it does not attract much attention.

With the productive land we have we are able to feed 50% of the population through the year, or all of the inhabitants half the year. The rate of self-supply for Norway in 2008 was calculated 52% on an energy basis (kcal). We are able to produce almost enough milk and meat but we need to import corn. But large numbers of the milk and meat production is based on imported fodder.
Last year the spring was dry and the harvesting season wet so only 15% of the produces corn was of quality for human consumption.

Calculations show that the Norwegian population will increase with 1 mill by 2030. To maintain a self-sufficiency level of 50% we need to increase the production by 20%. Are we able to achieve this?
What happens if we will no longer have access to rent productive fields and cheap labor in other countries? Only 10% of world production is sold on the world market, the rest is regionally or locally consumed.

8th of June this year we heard on the news that Sandnes municipality plan to build on 2000 acres of the best productive land we have in this country. Land should not be managed by the municipalities alone if they can make this decision without national discussion.

LANDSHARE - connecting grower to people with land to share

This is a sharing-program from the UK. Basically it is farmers or others with growable land left over, sharing it with someone who doesn´t, put into system.

check this out : www.landshare.net

PETE DUNGEY - POTHOLE GARDENS

This needs to be shared simply for the beauty of it!
www.petedungey.com

IMAGES FROM la CHAPELLE : COMMUNITY PARK PROJECT IN PARIS

See also my paris experience blog-post from city as biotope

 "....the everyday park between the rail-lines of Gare de l´Est and Rue d´Aubervilliers, Jardins d´Eole that almost lost the 12 year long fight for its right to exist to the plans for extention of a storage hall. Now it is a beautiful addition in peoples life in this aera; people working out, playing, talking, growing vegetables and fruits in the parcel-garden, having coffe and crèpe and talking, and the children experience to see how a sunflower grow, or how a turnip they planted taste when it is finished (school project)."

rue d´Aubervilliers - Jardins d´Éole

Permeable surfaces, natural seeding straws and surface water management

Parcel gardens

Garden produce

MORE IMAGES FROM aaa PROJECT IN PARIS / Le 56 : Eco-interstice

Photos from aaa´s Urban gardening project in Paris : Le 56 / Eco-interstice

"This project explores the possibilities of an urban interstice to be transformed into a collectively self-managed space. Initiated in 2006 in St. Blaise area, in the East of Paris, the project engaged a partnership between local government structures, local organisations, inhabitants of the area and a professional association which run training programmes in eco-construction. The management of the project gives space and time to construction, the construction site becoming itself a social and cultural act.

Parallely with the construction of the physical space, different social and cultural networks and relationships between the users and the actors involved are emerging. The project has an important take on the notion of proximity and active borders. Neighborhood walls transform the boundaries of the site into interactive devices, which rather than separating, multiply exchange and connections. Another strong take is on the ecological aspect: energetic autonomy, recycling, minimal ecological footprint, a compost laboratory."
http://56stblaise.wordpress.com/

Entrance with small office on top.

The neighborhood garden

And sales of harvested products every Wednesday and Saturday

EcoBox by aaa

From the same TIMELINE from design act

EcoBox

by Atelier d’architecture autogérée
(FR) 2001
Self-managed eeo-urban network

The EcoBox is the initial project within a series of self-managed projects in the La Chapelle area of northern Paris which encourages residents to gain access to and critically transform misused or underused spaces. These projects actively involved municipal stakeholders to emphasize a flexible use of space and aim to preserve urban 'biodiversity' by encouraging the co-existence of a wide range of life-styles and living practices. Atelier d'architecture autogeree (aaa) began this process by establishing a temporary garden constructed out of recycled materials. The garden, EcoBox, has progressively extended into a platform for urban criticism and creativity, which is curated by the aaa members, residents and external collaborators and which catalyses activities at a local and trans-Iocallevel. EcoBox's principles of self-management have been furthered developed in the project Le 56/ Eco-Interstice by aaa. –NL

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EcoBox_1.jpg

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Video: Interview 1/10 PreviousNext

Context and Beginning

LINKS
http://www.urbantactics.org/

Atelier d'architecture autogérée (aaa) was founded in 2001 as an inter- and extra- disciplinary network with a multiplicity of viewpoints : architects, artists, students, researchers, politicians, unemployed, activists, retired, inhabitants, and all concerned users. Members of aaa involved in EcoBox were: Constantin Petcou, Doina Petrescu, Denis Favret, Giovanni Piovene, and Giada Mangiameli, in collaboration with Borderphonics, Bordercartographe, artists, activists, students, and inhabitants of the La Chapelle area. aaa projects are embedded in their local contexts, reactivate everyday practices and initiate translocal platforms for cultural production. Other projects include: Le 56 / Eco-interstice (2005-2008), Mobile Geographies of Skills (2004-2005), and Cuisine Urbaine (2003-2004).

URBAN PASTORAL

I found this project in design acts TIMELINE

Urban Pastoral
by eskyiu
(CN) 2008
Architectural proposal for urban farming and garden structure

Urban Pastoral appropriates interstitial urban space to create landscapes and greenery in the city of Hong Kong. These designs lower ambient air temperature while also reducing air and noise pollution. All structure are made with 1OOPERCENT^TM, a material made entirely from discarded milk and detergent packaging, and Ecoglass ^TM, a 40% post-industrial recycled material by 3form materials company. The existing density of Hong Kong relates back to the 1895 British Law that declared control over all local lands except for villages native to the territory. As a result, areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon grew dense and vertical whilst other areas such as Sai Kung and Tai Po remained rural. Urban Pastoral is an attempt to redress the over-development of colonial legacy, and also reclaim the city through agriculture. The project has been developed with support from companies (3form, Hunter Douglas Asia, 3form US, 3form International, 3form Asia), the government (part of the Venice Biennale representing Hong Kong), and academia (Hong Kong University Cultural Humanities Fund). –NL

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Urban-Pastoral_1.jpg Photo credit: eskyiu

LINKS
http://www.eskyiu.com/urbanpastoral/

Eric Schuldenfrei and Marisa Yiu founded eskyiu, a design collaborative integrating culture, community and technology. Their interest lies in examining the ways in which the built environment and constructs of labor shape social relationships by forming connections between civic engagement and sustainable design. Art and technology are utilized to engage the viewer and the larger public. Previous selected projects include: Chinatown WORK 2006 an interactive public arts installation sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, The Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC and 3form material solutions; SINO a video installation shown at the Brooklyn Museum; Nutritious: An Aeroponic Farçade exhibited at the Architectural Association in London funded by 3form and Greenfingers. Based in both Hong Kong and New York, they do research and teach in addition to their design practice. Currently, they are teaching a studio at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation titled On Greater China.

GROWING THINGS PART5

The potato field is developing, soon ready for harvesting!