The lawn is the epitome of suburban waste. It has roots in a desire to bring man closer to nature at the comfort of his home, however, over time it has become yet another site of conspicuous consumption, requiring never ending amounts of maintenance and an outpouring of natural resources, spending and time. We propose reclaiming the suburban yard for growing food!
As people have gradually retreated indoors the lawn has become abandoned by many, left only to be enjoyed by the eye of the passerby. This proposal aims to utilize the lawn to create sustainable communities by transforming the yard itself into a hybrid space-a farmable site of production, interaction and recreation. Instead of working as a collection of disconnected private households, suburbia will become a collective fabric of households woven together by a belt of green farmland, converting lawns into a park system for enjoyment while activating an emergent co-operative business model from the suburban infrastructure.
Using a system of components: aeroponic stems (which maximize space through vertical nutrient distribution, equipped with bundled services-robotic movement capabilities, lighting, misting, and solar power hookups), ground-based elements (seating, table space, hydroponic growth trays, soil-based production sites), a flexible, regulating grid (which all components plug into) and home integration (rain water collection via roof), the system is overlaid upon existing suburban conditions to create new flexible zones of active production, market and recreation.
This is a very beautiful and elegant solution.
How much money does this cost?
Hi, I heard about this on the radio today. FIMBY stands for Food In My Back Yard
http://www.fimby.com.au/
In truth, this system could potentially be somewhat costly, given the sensory capabilities and the required technology. In theory, however, the system would eventually pay for itself, in the sense that not only does it provide food for the residents who manage it, but if incorporated into a neighborhood cooperative, revenue could be generated to pay for and maintain the components.