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| research_report_sanjeev-shankar [2008-05-16 13:18] – sanjeev | research_report_sanjeev-shankar [2008-05-17 10:35] – sanjeev |
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| === Introduction === | === Introduction === |
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| Plants are the centre of the web of life. The growth of urban centres around the globe has had a critical impact on ecology. Some of the questions at the core of this research are: | Plants are the centre of the web of life. The growth of urban centres around the globe has had a critical impact on ecology. Some of the questions at the core of this research are: |
| * How can we imagine a fertile future for our cities? | * How can we imagine a fertile future for our cities? |
| This project explores aspects of human environment, its relation with ecology and our attempt for sustainable growth. The relevant fields of inquiry are urban ecology, sustainability, human plant interaction and biomorphism. It documents the global status of urban permaculture and explores ways in which we can transform our cities into productive, healthy, edible and playful green visions. In recent years there has been a growing public movement to bring ecology out of the bush and into the urban environments where most people spend their time. While, this is important, people are still grappling with the problem of a balance between 'growth' and conservation. And this is not limited to emerging cities. The thrust of this research and thereby this project is to explore methods to initiate collective public action to bridge this gap. | This project explores aspects of human environment, its relation with ecology and our attempt for sustainable growth. The relevant fields of inquiry are urban ecology, sustainability, human plant interaction and biomorphism. It documents the global status of urban permaculture and explores ways in which we can transform our cities into productive, healthy, edible and playful green visions. In recent years there has been a growing public movement to bring ecology out of the bush and into the urban environments where most people spend their time. While, this is important, people are still grappling with the problem of a balance between 'growth' and conservation. And this is not limited to emerging cities. The thrust of this research and thereby this project is to explore methods to initiate collective public action to bridge this gap. |
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| This journey started in Brussels and Amsterdam through informal discussions between the producer, FoAM, represented by Maja Kuzmanovic and the design researcher, Sanjeev Shankar. Thereafter, the base shifted to India where Sanjeev visited New Delhi, Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary in Kerala, the Beulah organic farm in Tamil Nadu, the Rain Forest Retreat and the Krac-A-Dawna biodynamic farm in Karnataka. The project has also been benefitted by discussions with Ms. Suprabha Seshan, director of the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary; Dr. Sujata and Anurag Goel, founders of the rain forest retreat and Juli and Vivek Cariappa, founders of the Krac-A-Dawna farm. Further site visits in New Delhi included Sarai_Centre for Social Development Studies; Tata Energy Research Institute; Khoj_a community of artists and Chandani Chowk_ a 15th century thriving settlement in Old Delhi. In New Delhi, the research was also informed by on-field studies by Sonal Malhotra, a local designer. The research has since proceeded through follow up exchanges with other members of FoAM: Evelina Kusaite, Cocky Eek, Theun Karelse, Steven Pickles and Nik Gaffney and concluded at the GroWorld design session in Brussels on 15th April 2008. The findings of the research were also presented at the Media Ecologies workshop at St. Erme in France. These findings would find use in regions, which have a strong tradition of agriculture: China, Japan, India, Guatemala, Costarica and Peru, to name few of them. And, through a comparative analysis of the urban character, gardening trends and culture of Europe and India, this research strives to bring out aspects which can inform a sustainable growth pattern in these regions. Further, the section on urban permaculture kits, explores a series of design experiments which could act as catalysts for product solutions and initiatives for the future city. | |
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| The objectives of Phase 1 are given below: | The objectives of Phase 1 are given below: |
| * Participation in the groWorld design session in April 2008 | * Participation in the groWorld design session in April 2008 |
| * A written report in the prescribed format | * A written report in the prescribed format |
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| | The findings of this research would find use in regions, which have a strong tradition of agriculture: China, Japan, India, Guatemala, Costarica and Peru, to name a few. And, through a comparative analysis of the urban character, gardening trends and culture of Europe and India, this research aims to bring out aspects which can inform a sustainable growth pattern in these regions. Further, the section on urban permaculture kits, explores a series of design experiments which could act as catalysts for product solutions and initiatives for a sustainble city. |
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| Some of the reasons for this project are as follows: | Some of the reasons for this project are as follows: |
| * Natural and traditional systems are a crucial resource and can offer us remedies. Problems can be seen as opportunities. | * Natural and traditional systems are a crucial resource and can offer us remedies. Problems can be seen as opportunities. |
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| === Methodology === | For details on the methodology of this project please click on [[method]]. |
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| The research started with preliminary discussions between the producer and the design researcher in Brusssels to define the project scope. | |
| For more details on the methodology please click on [[method]]. | |
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| === India === | |
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| India, which has been traditionally known for its diverse culture and strong traditional agricultural methods is today synonymous for rapid growth and transformation both in rural and urban areas. The nation thrives and lives in both rural and urban areas. New Delhi, situated within the metropolis of Delhi, is the capital of India and provides a dynamic and complex urban setting. Though Delhi continues to be the political and administrative capital of the country, it also plays a crucial part of the global political economic scenario. With a population of over 15 million the city is undergoing massive change. A couple of decades ago the area surrounding the city was mostly agricultural. One could drive out of the city, and quickly enter into a very rural countryside. Today, the situation is different. Now the city is increasingly in the midst of a continuous urban sprawl. Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Gurgaon are now ‘extensions’ to the city, even though they are in other states. The pace of change has been so fast that it is strange to find vegetables and flowers being cultivated below high speed flyovers and in front of emerging shopping malls! Delhi has over 40% of it citizens living in slum like conditions. Often these habitations have been inter-seeped amongst the affluent colonies and have formed the informal service sector. However, over the past decade they are being systematically thrown out. The river banks too were till recently a site for the poor. As demand for scarce land rises, there is an ongoing change in the demographics of residential areas. After a concerted city action in early nineties over 7500 hectares of forest are now legally protected in the city, and through another law, tree cutting needs special permission. Similarly Non Governmental Organisations along with the Courts forced the conversion of public transport from diesel to CNG, a cleaner fuel. At the social and physical level, Delhi remains a historical, multi-layered fragmented city, with each fragment contributing in its own way to the city fabric. Over time, these multiple layers of historicity are expressed through multiple identities and realities. Such multi layered city character is very common in India and creates a complex dynamic within the city. | |
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| === Permaculture === | === Permaculture === |
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| Permaculture is an integrated, interdependent, evolving, multidimensional and creative design response to a world of declining energy and resource availability with emphasis on design processes drawn from nature. It is about values and visions, and design and systems of management that are based on holistic understanding, especially of our bio-ecological and pychosocial knowledge and wisdom. Permaculture also reflects the ongoing evolution of our knowledge systems and can be intepreted to any area which might benefit from such holistic design theory and practice. Human settlements, business enterprises, political and economic systems, learning environments, health field and child rearing can be some of these areas. | Permaculture is an integrated, evolving, multidimensional and creative design response to a world of declining energy and resource availability with emphasis on design processes drawn from nature. It is about holistic values, design and systems of management. It also reflects the ongoing evolution of our knowledge systems and can be applied to other areas requiring holistic thinking, for example: human settlements, business enterprises, political and economic systems, learning environments, health field and child rearing. |
| For more on this topic please see [[history of permaculture]] | For more on this topic please see [[history of permaculture]] |
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| ==Urban Permaculture== | ==Urban Permaculture== |
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| In urban situations, space is limited, there may be little or no access to land, and various regulatory restrictions exist when it comes to gardening or having backyard animals.((http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/Urban/)) Some of the concepts that people have used in urban settings which have allowed them to circumnavigate these obstacles are discussed below. They are a mix of approaches, ranging from gardening to co-parenting, going across different aspects of sustainability. Further the character of cities in the western world is extremely different from the eastern world. These differences work at social, political and physical level and have shaped these cities. Hence, the examples discussed below are quiet diverse but the concept of "no loss" and an aspect of "community" links them all. Also, though a permaculture garden might have a configuration like a forest in terms of stability and efficiency, it is infact rich in functional plants which have a strong relationship with each other and result in high yields. | In urban situations, space is limited, there may be little or no access to land, and various regulatory restrictions exist when it comes to gardening or having backyard animals.((http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/Urban/)) Some of the concepts that people have used in urban settings are discussed below. These are a mix of approaches, ranging from gardening to co-parenting, going across different aspects of sustainability. Further the character of cities in the western world is extremely different from the eastern world. These differences work at social, political and physical level and have shaped these cities. The examples discussed here are therefore quiet diverse, but the vision of "no loss" and a practical aspect of "community" links them all. |
| | For more on this topic please see [[urban permaculture concepts]]. |
| * **Rooftop gardens**: Rooftop gardens are a specific urban agriculture niche set within a broader system of city gardens, enjoying their own set of distinctive benefits. Though the idea of roofgardens has become fairly standardized and resolved, rooftops continue to be underutilized and are rarely-considered urban spaces with great potential for creative development. There are essentially [[three options for rooftop gardens]] for rooftop gardens. | |
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| * **Vertical gardens**: Vertical gardening is a comprehensive term referring to any manner in which plants can be grown on, up, or against the wall of a building such as a vine, as part of a window shade, as a balcony garden, or in a vertical hydroponic system. Vertical gardens act as good insulators and a source of food. They also increase the life of the structural wall behind, reduce storm water run-off, reduce the heat island effect of cities and improve the water quality. For more details see [[vertical gardens]]. | |
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| ((www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com)) | |
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| * **Guirella gardening**: Guerrilla gardening is an act of seeding useful plants in public spaces. A form of green pro-activism, primarily practiced by environmentalists, it is related to land rights, land reform, and permaculture. Activists take over ('squat') an abandoned piece of land which they do not own to grow crops or plants. Guerrilla gardeners believe in re-considering land ownership in order to reclaim land from perceived neglect or misuse and assign a new purpose to it. Some guerrilla gardeners carry out their actions at night, in relative secrecy, to sow and tend a new vegetable patch or flower garden. Others work more openly, seeking to engage with members of the local community.((http://weburbanist.com/2007/08/21/urban-ecological-subversion-the-art-of-guerilla-gardening-in-public-spaces/)) Seed-balling is an interesting technique used here. Other pro-active methods include moss-graffitti and mayday actions. Click on [[Guerrilla gardening]] for more details. | |
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| * **Kitchen gardens and local solutions**: A source of vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers, kitchen gardens are one of the most common, easily maintained and personal manifestation of our links with ecology. As an approach, a kitchen gardener finds the shortest and simplest way between the earth, the hands and the mouth !((http://www.kitchengardeners.org/2005/10/what_is_a_kitch_1.html))In both urban and rural areas, people have been found to develop interesting indigenous planting techniques to meet their daily needs. Often in the form of regular miniature gardens, people in highly dense urban realms resort to container gardening to grow their produce. These could also appear in the form of floating gardens in Amsterdam or Kashmir. In Indian kitchens, a mixture of left over egg shells and tea leaves is used to grow garlic and onions. Garlic has other advantages like keeping snails and fleas away. Fruit and vegetable peels are often added to tea leaves to create compost while left over water, after boiling eggs is added to soil as a mineral and protein rich solvent. Often waste plastic cans and bottles play the role of containers which are used to collect left over water from washing vegetables and rice. 'Tulsi', another native Indian plant, also known as holy basil is used for its medicinal properties and worshipped in many Indian homes where it has a special place in the courtyard.((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocimum_tenuiflorum)) Kitchens and kitchen gardens are inspiring places and perform the role of local solution generators which result in essential economic and social benefits. The researcher would like to thank his mother, Meena Shankar for sharing simple home solutions to inform this journey.((http://www.cityfarmer.org/kitchenIndia.html))((http://www.indg.in/agriculture/on-and-off-farm-enterprises/kitchen-garden))Further details of kitchen gardens in Delhi have been discussed later in the section on Delhi under [[site visit and survey notes|Discussion]]. | |
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| * City farms: In New york, numerous vacant plots have been converted into city farms where communities grow there own food. These range from apples to pears. Further, by using grafting techniques, fences can be made entirely out of such plants. In Melbourne, the city farms also play the role of community education centres, which is a brilliant way to introduce kids to aspects of food production. In Davis, California, through the allocation of areas for directing rain water into catchment basins, //swail areas// have been created which over the years have now transformed into productive fruit farms. | |
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| * Cooperative Arrangements: In Santa Fe, a community group is applying for a variance from the city to start using a small open space in their neigborhood for keeping chickens and bees((http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/beekeeping_main/)) and to plant an orchard. Combining their negotiating power helps with getting a variance, and distributing responsibilities as well as financial burden of setting up a productive environment ensures its stability and long-term success. | |
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| * Co-Ownership of Assets: In Albuquerque, a group of people that live near each other decided to downsize and now own one truck, which is shared by several households. | |
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| see [[urban permaculture initiatives]] for other examples. | |
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| === Regional Cultural peculiarities === | === Regional Cultural peculiarities === |
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| === Possibilities for urban permaculture kits === | === Possibilities for urban permaculture kits === |
| | This section explores a series of initiatives which could trigger independent green worlds. |
| An important question considered by the researcher was, what are the growth symbols/patterns in urban areas? Can the challenges in cities be seen as opportunities? How can we come up with design responses which directly impact the situation? This could be related to real estate, construction, mass production, transportation and architecture. As per recent statistics the planet adds 73 million humans to its tally every year!((http://www.worldometers.info)) How can we add 73 trillion plants every year ? | |
| see [[urban permaculture kits]] | see [[urban permaculture kits]] |
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sanjeev