Unit 3 Action Project

Hi Visitor! This project was for the class called “Urban Planning” . This is our 3rd and final unit of the class and during this time we learned about Ancient cities and structures, City planning ideas, current problems in cities and solutions or hypothetical solutions, and how cities evolved differently like New York and Amsterdam. In this Project we were asked to pick an area that we wanted to improve and make at least 5 improvements to the selected area. The general area I chose was South Shore due to my previous knowledge of knowing that South Shore was disinvested in; and the specific address I chose was 2507 E 79th St since it has no current use and it has a lot of potential to be repurposed so I went with it.

    The main purpose I had for this area was to create a community farm because according to data in 2019; 57% of residents in the South Shore area live in a food desert. So I thought this would be very beneficial for the South Shore neighborhood since this would provide food security in the area. In maintaining the community farm it would obviously require people to learn more about the agricultural strategies that'll be put to use which would be beneficial as this teaches the youth, young adults, or anybody else in the area to learn how to grow sustainable foods. This was inspired by the ancient city Mohenjo Daro where their centralized income was the crops they grew; they had many efficient waterway systems due to them being on predominately dry land so they had to make efficient water way systems in order to grow crops.

    The improvements I made in were adding a community farm, repurposing the building on the right side of the area, adding trees to the left hand side of the area, and fixing the fence all around. I struggled with finding a way to repurpose the boarded up house due to any rehousing practice I thought of wouldn't really benefit the area in a significant way as much as the community farm would so I decided to leave it alone.

 

    I think my idea connects to SDG 11 because the community farm provides food security, Gives education on sustainable farming practices, giving people self sufficient strategies on growing food. The farm also helps with green space in urban areas by adding trees and improving air quality. This will also be a form of supporting a small business as possible markets in the area can buy from the community farm adding more value into the area, adding more resilience. 

    Throughout the project, I encountered challenges, particularly in creating the physical model. While everything else progressed smoothly, I found myself dissatisfied with the outcome of the physical model. To address this issue, I contemplated a solution by digitally remaking the model using software like Blender or a building-based game. This experience taught me that architectural modeling is more complex than it may initially appear. I thought "It's only a small building and a small farm; it can't be hard." However, I realized the importance of having a rough draft of the model and using sturdy materials that wouldn't fray with each cut, such as thin cardboard. Working with a hot glue gun would've  made the construction process significantly easier. Additionally, I learned that finding repurposing ideas for abandoned houses is challenging, especially when dealing with deserted concrete areas. Despite these hurdles, I take pride in the foundational idea and the effort I put into the project. If I were to undertake this project again, I would opt for the digital route. However, if I were to do the physical model approach, I would ensure to only use thin cardboard to get clean cuts.