Inglewood Grange: Infrastructure to catalyze an urban community food system

Abstract

Inglewood Grange proposes adapting the idea of the rural agricultural community space of the Grange Hall to the modern city in support of the incremental development of a community food system. The urban site of Inglewood, California, is part of a "food desert," representing a larger issue of the increasing distance between consumers and food in urban environments. The Inglewood Grange is public place that brings community together around food, introducing a strategy to catalyze the conversion of the Market Street District in downtown Inglewood, into an urban food district. The complex topic of urban food is presented in this thesis through the intersection of local food infrastructure, community space, and urban agriculture. The Inglewood Grange creates a destination focused around healthy food, thus improving local health, creating economic opportunities, and enhancing the identity of Inglewood as a city.