The most beautiful, and green, street in the world: Rua Goncalo de Carvalho

Sustainable diary has found another amazing green tunnel, so let's go in Brasil.

RuaGoncalo de Carvalho is a street located in bairro Independência in the city of Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Flanked by trees on either side, the street became internationally known after a campaign for its preservation spread on the Internet leading it to be dubbed "the most beautiful street in the world", and today it is considered "environmental heritage" by the city.

It is a forest. Over a span of 500 meters the sidewalks are lined with more than one hundred trees of the genus Tipuana, going up to the seventh floor of the buildings in some cases. These trees were planted in the 1930s by employees of German origin who worked in a local brewery.

In 2005, the construction of a mall nearby brought the risk of changes to this beautiful street, prompting residents to mobilize. The campaign was successful, and on June 5, 2006 the then mayor José Fogaça signed a decree making the street Gonçalo de Carvalho "historical, cultural and environmental development of the city."

The writer Pedro Nuno Teixeira Santos wrote: "Goncalo de Carvalho in Porto Alegre, Brazil, is not only the most beautiful street in the world because of the stunning visual effect of its immense Tipuana green tunnel. It is the most beautiful street in the world for this, but mainly because these trees were planted cherished by its residents, over several decades, that is, the green tunnel is the result of love, the love of the trees! It was from this love and this struggle of the residents of Goncalo de Carvalho, that the political power of the city found itself forced to recognize the importance of cultural heritage, landscape and environment, classifying and protecting it with the force of law".

More info

website Rua Goncalo de Carvalho

facebookpage

Photo credit © here

 

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NLE architects and Makoko community in Lagos: floats idea for life on the water

Today is a rainy day here in Milano and maybe for inspiration, Sustainable Diary speaks of a water story. As you know on our planet water levels are steadily rising, and along west Africa's densely populated coast many waterfront communities are finding themselves inundated with the problem of adaptive housing solutions that withstand swelling tides and swift currents.

NLÉArchitects has been working on a three-phase plan for the waterfront community of Makoko in Lagos, in Nigeria. An estimated 250,000 people live here, they trade, shop and build aquafarms on the lagoon's waters. This slum was said to be created in the 18th century as a fishing village, but has ballooned as others have sought to find a home.

Each year, the tropical rains that lash Lagos, overwhelm the colonial-era drainage system. The NLÉ's project will transform the already buoyant city into a contemporary community on the water's surface with independent floating structures made of local materials applied in new ways.

First step of the project is the realization of the Makoko Floating School, a triangular form in section constructed with timber on a platform supported by empty blue plastic drums. The 3-storey structure contains a common area for children to play on as its base, with two floors for classrooms above it. The energy supply is based on renewable technology, this with the water catchment systems make the dynamic educational facility partially self sustainable.

The school is expected to serve the urgent needs of educating children in the community, and also as a floating building pilot project for African water communities.

"Particularly in view of climate change, there's a need to adapt buildings. We decided to use this as a prototype for developing something whether the water level rises or goes down, the building responds to that," said architect Kunle Adeyemi from NLÉ.

The school was completed in the end of February, the floating houses being finished in September of this year and the Lagos Water Community project by the end of 2014 which will herald a new era for coastal developments in Africa.

More info

website NLÉ Architects

Facebook page

Photo credit © NLÉ Architects

 

 

 

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A local solution for the next generation of global food supply

A common thread between the post of Sunday and the one of today. Another story about food, a topic that Sustainable diary love.

Sourcing food that is grown locally and sustainably is integral to solving the environmental problems we face today. The innovative minds at FreightFarms create access to food in areas of the world where the climate or the urban condition cannot support traditional farming methods.

They retrofit used shipping containers into little modular farms that can be strategically placed to supply the needs of communities.

By employing a vertical farming system, they can maximize the the growing space within the container and is possible have year-round growing season. This system brings a high volume of fresh, quality and affordable food within reach of everyone along the food supply chain.

The Freight Farms method uses less water and energy than traditional farming methods and can be done without pesticides or herbicides.

 

Freight Farms offer an immediate foundation to grow a local food economy and sustainable food system.

By enabling high-yield crop production in any climate, Freight Farms offer an immediate foundation to grow a local food economy and sustainable food system.

More info

website Freight Farms

Facebookpage

Photo credit © Freight Farms

 

 

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Sunday's Tale: Mandela Foods Cooperative take care of food system of West Oakland, California

Sunday's Tale: a post from the past

Just three days ago on Sustainable diary we wrote of the cool song FoodFight, by Earth Amplified and with today's story we really recognize how people need for being more conscious about our food and food systems.

Until a few years ago West Oakland, a neighborhood situated in the northwestern corner of Oakland - California, had 53 liquor stores and no grocery stores at all. The community had the nearest supermarket, with a full produce section, at one hour's walk away.

In the video we can see James Berk, a local inhabitant, explain that for this lack is diet used to consist of Fritos, Cheetos, and Doritos, and not much more.

But in june 2009 with the opening of Mandela Foods Cooperative the thing started to change. It is a worker owned grocery store (Berk is became one of them!) and nutrition education center that brings healthy, local produce to the neighborhood, and even delivers healthy food to local corner stores. 

Mandela Foods Cooperative is one component of Mandela Marketplace's FoodEnterprise Network that builds a local food system and entrepreneurship opportunity for residents in West Oakland, and establishes a model to catalyze a local food economy within the inner-city.

They purchase from and support small scale farmers, local and cooperative businesses, non-GMO growers, organic producers and fair trade organizations. They carry an array of pesticide free, organic whole foods and grocery items.

So if food kill more people then guns for the moment the situation here is save.

More info

website Mandela Foods Cooperative

website Mandela Market Place

Facebook page

Photo credit © Mandela Foods Cooperative

 

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Bring butterflies back into the city, with Ettore Favini

Today, until Friday 5 April 2013, the Pastificio Cerere Foundation in Rome will present the exhibition project by Ettore Favini Verdecuratoda…voi (which forms part of the vaster project Verdecuratoda begun in 2005) curated by Marcello Smarrelli.

Favini’s research explores man’s relationship to nature and time, reading the social context in all of its complexity. For this new project, the artist rereads the subject of ecology from a contemporary perspective, involving spectators in a “game” that binds them to an act of responsibility toward themselves and the environment.

Verdecuratoda…voi, presents an opportunity to trigger a real environmental metamorphosis. In addition to prompting the urban forestation of green species, this phase of the project aims to bring butterflies back into the city, thus restoring an important marker of air quality to urban areas.

The show is structured around several intercommunicating devices.

The space will contain a vending-sculpture from which attendees will be able to withdraw, using a €1 coin, spheres containing the seeds of plants, bushes and flowers useful to the sustenance and reproduction of butterflies. Users will have the opportunity to become actively involved in the artistic process by following the instructions contained inside the spheres, and planting the seeds. The aim is to build the world’s largest vegetable sculpture. This intervention the first in a series of similar events that will be organized across a number of countries.

In the courtyard, the artist will build a display using the various plant species whose seeds are contained in the vending-sculpture spheres.

 

The ex-silos space will feature a projection of La Verde Utopia, a conversation between Ettore Favini, Alessandra Sandrolini and Gilles Clément – gardener, landscapist, theorist of the Third Landscape and the Plantary Garden, and supporter of biodiversity. This video addresses the main issues at the heart of Clément’s research: from the analysis of diversity in economic, ecological and social terms, to his project for a “realizable” utopia.

The project further anticipates the launch of a website where participants will be able to point out the exact location of the seeds they have planted, and upload the photos of the plants, thus contributing to the mapping of the vegetable sculpture.

In addition to purchasing seeds, participants will also be able to contribute to the development of the project by making a donation to the Banca Etica, in return for which they will receive a limited edition object created by the artist in collaboration with Canedicoda.

At the inauguration of the project will be presented in collaboration with the Roman study of architecture IaN +, invited by Emilia Giorgi, has designed the concept for the vending machines that will be located in the following areas of institutions, foundations, museums interested in joining the initiative Verdecuratoda.

An individual action can produce substantial changes only if it is repeated countless times, while countless micro-changes on a local scale can, if united, give life to large-scale transformation.

It would be great that the next spring, Rome is invaded by clouds of butterflies!

More info

website verdecuratoda

website Ettore Favini

Facebookpage

Photo credit © Ettore Favini

 

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Urban agriculture on ship in Antwerp, by art collective Time Circus

In this day of snow in Milan, is back again to talk about urban garden, this time the project enters (or leaving?) directly from the art world.

We know that urban gardens can bloom in the weirdest of places, also on an old unused ship crane docked at Bonapartedok, the Belgian port city of Antwerp. Here the Belgian art collective Time Circus, built their great green space, and outfitted with a tree-house made out of recycled materials and a chicken coop. Another cute feature from the floating garden is a glazed greenhouse.

Commissioned by the Antwerp’s MAS Museum, the floating Welvaert Welton garden is designed to engage locals and visitors with sustainable urban farming practices, through community workshops on composting and homemade cider parties. Not only is there a vegetable garden, there's also a kitchen where food can be prepared using ingredients straight from the garden. Urban agriculture is not just about producing one’s own vegetables but more about creating an urban living, working and meeting place.

This experimental garden project is temporary, intended to go on until 2014. It is one cool example of taking back abandoned city spaces, and they can become green and productive.

Time Circus said that is ready to travel to far off places to spread the idea...

More info

website Time Circus
Facebook page

Photo credit © Time Circus

 

 

 

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Walkonomics mobile app, walking forward in the 21st Century

After talking for two days of food sustainability (monday, tuesday) now it's time to go for a nice walk. The quality and amount of walking as an everyday activity, in any given area, is an established and unique primary indicator of the quality of life. And when I read yesterday of the launch of the new Walkonomics app for iPhone and iPad I thought that was a fantastic development after the Android version. The free Walkonomics mobile app maps and rates the pedestrian-friendliness of every street in San Francisco, New York and England, yes we miss Milan and the rest of the world but let's hope it will arrive in the soon future.

Walkonomics provides 5 star ratings for each street in the following 8 main criteria:

Road safety: How safe do you feel from traffic on this street? It is influenced by actual road accident statistics (where available), street type, traffic speeds and activity.

Easy to cross: How easy it is to cross the street at regular points along the street? It is influenced by the traffic activity on the street, street width, physical barriers and provision of pedestrian crossings.

Pavements /Sidewalks: Are pavements/sidewalks provided along the street? Are they high quality? Are they wide enough? Do they have a lot of unnecessary clutter/furniture on them? Are they overcrowded?

Hilliness: Is the street flat or on a hill? How steep is any slope? If the street is steep, then are any hand-rails or seats provided?

Navigation: How easy is it to find your way around in this street and area? Is it easy to become lost here? Are any street names, pedestrian signs or maps provided?

Fear of crime: How safe do you feel from crime on this street? It is influenced by actual crime statistics (where available) as well as perceived fear or crime. Other factors include lighting, vandalism, graffiti and presence of police.

Smart and beautiful: How clean is the street? Is there much litter or vandalism? Is it regularly cleaned? Does the street have any trees or other green vegetation? Are the buildings attractive and in good condition?

Fun and relaxing: Is this a fun, interesting and popular place to be? Are there things to do in this street? Would you choose to spend time and hang-out here? Does the street have a relaxing atmosphere? Is it noisy or stressful? Can you play in this street?

Walkonomics app shows promise, we have just to wait until they expand coverage!

For the moment if you are a luck one based in New York City, San Francisco or in the UK you can get the new Walkonomics iPhone app here and for Android here.

More info

website Walkonomics

Photo credit © Walkonomics

 

 

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UFU (Urban Farming Unit) by Damien Chivialle, for re-thinking cities

Yesterday on the diary there was the fabulous story of Todmorden, a town in UK where inhabitants grow in the green public area almost all the vegetables that need. Today we write on another project of re-thinking cities, food production and consumption, UFU (UrbanFarming Unit) a solution for who that don't have a adapted places and conditions.

UFU is a farming experiment inside shipping containers created by French designer Damien Chivialle. Organic fish, fruits and vegetables are produced in the street, avoiding unnecessary travels and providing meaning to food consumption in downtown cities. All prototypes are based on circular agriculture techniques.

Normally, such a container is found in industry, but with UFU it is used to test new applications in a city context. Cycle cultures are central in the research on biological farming without land. Objectives of UFU are to find solutions for growing food under polluted and reduced ground.

Damien Chivialle places a greenery on top of a container in which a aquarium with fish is housed. The fish’s water and excrements feed the greenery plants, who in turn purify the water that flows back to the aquarium. The result: UFU (Urban Farming Unit), a self-regulating city farm the size of a parking spot.

2011’s UFU is one of many container projects in Paris, Lissabon and Zürich, and was recently shown at Brussels’ Kaaitheater. Now, until the end of February, UFU is exhibit in On Leuven’s Grote Markt as part of the Artefact Festival program. 

The last amazing thing is that this project is developed as Open Source. Download the Sketchup 3D model to make your own greenhouse >>go here

More info

website Damien Chivialle

website UFU (Urban Farming Unit)

Facebookpage

photo credit courtesy Urban Farm Units

 

 

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Incredible Edible in Todmorden: the town that grows all its vegetables

 

In England, in the county of West Yorkshire there is a small town whose people decided they were worried about climate change, food security in Africa and their children's future . It is Todmorden, a town of 14.000 inhabitants, which in 2008 started what has become the "Incredible Edible" movement.

They started growing vegetables and herbs in flower beds, the aims are to make use of 
underused areas of the community and public spaces to grow food for all to eat. The people wants “to get closer to the food we eat, education and community involvement”.

Their growing around town is organized by their community growers’ group, they are all volunteers. Most of their growing around town is done in raised beds. That means they can use fresh uncontaminated soil and avoid messing surrounding areas. Many of the beds are adopted by groups of people, who do much of the planting and maintenance themselves and may benefit from the produce too. But what is very important is: gifts from the garden to the public is allowed free access.

Last year in Todmorden were counted 70 green areas turned into urban gardens. Along the streets of the town there are plenty of fruit trees, that in the right seasons offer cherries and apricots. They are also bushes with blackberries and strawberries and the point where you can collect legumes, including beans and peas.

The project to make Todmorden the first self-sufficient city of England is expected to reach its peak in 2018.

Today there are nearly 40 independent groups across the UK and more than hundred globally flying the Incredible Edible flag. For this motive they have realize new website, due for for formal launch in April, aims to bring together all the wondrous people who have taken on the "Incredible Edible" framework across the world, as well as to inspire new members.

More info:

IncredibleEdible Todmorden

Facebook page

photo credit: courtesy of Incredible Edible

 

 

 

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Sunday's Tale - Nature integration into urban culture: Flower cushion in Bucheon City, Korea

Sunday's Tale: a post from the past

"Flower cushion" was presented in October 2012 after 2 months of work, for "Artistic Factory", a public art project by Kyonggi Art Foundation. It was initially planned as two separate commissions, one by seoul-based interdisciplinary artist Jeong Hwa Choi and the other by Korean architecture Mass Studies but, following the site visit, both decided to collaborate on single project to have a stronger impact with relatively small means.

"Flower Cushion" is located at the Piloti space at block 1 of Technopark, in Bucheon City, Korea. The existing Piloti space with an high ceiling was not well used despite of its generous size and prominent location in this highrise factory block. Therefore, they propose a gathering space that accommodates factory workers' various activities such as resting, meeting and outdoor performances, etc. At the same time, it works as a pedestal for the Choi's sculpture "You are Flower" that was created from recycled monochromatic hardware part, continuing a series of floral-form works that use the artifacts of everyday life and Korean kitsch to honor the intangible beauty of nature while understanding it's variously successful integration into urban culture.

"Flower Cushion" rises above ground, as if the blossoming of Choi's flower created the eruption. This small hill like eruption follows the existing pavement's checkerboard pattern and colors which are made of typical interlocking cement paving blocks. These "cushions" rise around the flower sculpture in an elliptical concentric form that covers around 10m X 7m in plan and 1.2m in height. The height of each "Flower Cushion" provides optimum seating conditions with various height and viewing directions. While maintaining the same colors and shape as existing cement blocks, the material for "Flower Cushion" is made of rubber chips in order to accommodate a comfortable seating condition, also they calling attention to the over-saturation of consumable and ultimately disposable objects in the digital age.

More info:

www.massstudies.com

www.choijeonghwa.com

Photo credit Kyungsub Shin, draws from Mass Studies

 

 

 

 

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