Our Grass Groweth Over: A Built Network to Reclaim the American Lawn

Abstract

The future promises to be rife with ecological change. Ultimately, climate change - coupled with population growth, will require the development of new strategies regarding food production and urban space; there will be less arable land, and more people feed. This thesis addresses a problem of cultural values, how urban space is wastefully used in spite of the problems facing society. Why do Americans choose to grow grass instead of food? Architecture has always been involved in the construction of the city. As a profession, architecture has an opportunity to gain new importance as one directly responsible for environmental strategies and questions. Architecture is the language to integrate the food system into built environment and build local, sustainable loops. This thesis proposes uses architectural programming and built intervention to develop and support a network of small urban farms, together forming a viable and significant piece of a local food system. The design of this project is threefold, and includes a network, a shed, and a central hub, that work together as a cohesive system.