Designing For Urban Green Space Elizabeth Goodman University

Designing For Urban Green Space Elizabeth Goodman University of California, Berkeley School of Information

Urban green space is not “natural” San Francisco Historical Photo Collection - San Francisco Public Library

Design is a form of politics What we want for green space can tell us a lot about what we want and fear for our cities. What public visits the park? Whose community is in the garden? Library of Congress

Urban green spaces are a technology …for what end? Air Trees Eco Boulevard

The benefits of city green space Public health Opportunity for exercise Asthma mitigation Psychological well-being Neighborhood stability Building social cohesion to address local concerns Early education, adult job training Environmental remediation Storm runoff reduction Pollution absorption Wildlife protection Noise buffering

Defining urban green space

Defining urban green space “Urban jewels” Celebrated spaces Publicly owned and accessible

Defining urban green space Neighborhood spaces Ordinary small places Accessed mostly by “the locals”

Defining urban green space Privately owned street places The public can see (and often touch), but doesn’t own them

Defining urban green space Privately owned private places Things and places that cannot be seen without invitation

Challenges Awareness Complexity Maintenance Costs Virginia Department of Forestry

Technologies for urban green spaces

Sensing

Botanicalls Sensors speak “for the plant” Data feeds distribute responsibility

Easy Bloom Soil sensor accesses expertise in database Assisting reasoning about environmental conditions

Social networks of cultivation

Myfolia. com Building a database of local knowledge Sharing plant varieties

Landshare. net Making unused land available Creating connections between neighbors

Local mapping

fallenfruit. org “Every day there is food somewhere going to waste. We encourage you to find it, tend and harvest it. If you own property, plant food on your perimeter. ” Fallenfruit. org

Park. Scan. org Enlisting local volunteers Working towards accountability and transparency

Journey North Reporting small events to map climate change http: //www. learner. org/jnorth

Imaging regions

Remote imaging A tool for making charismatic images americanforests. org

“The $50 Million Photos”

Framework: Green spaces as a network

Of distributed food production Farmadelphia - Front Studio

Of ecosystem intervention Plant. SF. com

Of institutions and groups City of Seattle Food Bank garden plot

Of new modes of sharing, ownership, and access Guerillagardening. org

In conclusion: Back to the future? Railroad worker cultivating the small victory garden in the Proviso yard, Chicago Jack Delano, 1943. flickr. com/photos/library_of_congress/2179195976

Elizabeth Goodman www. confectious. net egoodman@confectious. net Thanks!