Abstract
Plate 4.3.7: Plate 4.3.7: Functioning Vertical Farm in Singapore
Figure 4.3.1: Multi functional ability of a vertical farm to grow food.
Source: D Despommier, 2010: 180
How then does vertical farming fit into lost and wasted space? The answer is quite simple;
buildings which are dilapidated or abandoned could easily be converted into vertical gardens. Every city has buildings which go unserviced / unmaintained for years and, as a result, become unfit for human occupation; however, the building remains structurally sound. The internal walls and finishes, fittings and fixtures of the building can all be removed, so that all that is left are the basic elements of the building (floors and columns).
The building can then be retrofitted with floor to ceiling glazing to form the walls. This will create a greenhouse-like structure which can now be used as a vertical farm.
Case study 3, which is seen as a wasted space, is located in The Point. The Point has recently been upgraded; however the urban renewal programme in this area never fully caught on. The majority of the properties in this area remain unoccupied. Some blocks of flats have been occupied with a few apartments remaining empty. The streets in this area are hardly used, even after being revamped. Even the recreational facilities are not used despite the upgrade and obvious presence of private security companies. An interview with one of the private security companies’ staff members revealed that the upgrade to the area has not been successful as many of the apartments in the area are holiday homes or were purchased as rental properties; however, it is difficult to find tenants (Sipho, 2012 Point Waterfront). The rentals are far too high and the area is still thought of as a high crime zone. This is due to the fact that Point Road (now Mahatma Gandhi Road) use to have a high crime rate. During the 1980s and 1990s, Point Road was known as Durban’s red-light district. It was also known to have high levels of drug dealing.
The economic downturn46 of the past few years, and declining property values have had a negative effect on the built environment. Some buildings are yet to be completed while others have been abandoned altogether. The building of interest for this component of the case study (case study 3), is an abandoned structure which lies uncompleted on the Point (refer to Map 1 and Figure 4.1.1, p 85). The building only has concrete slabs, columns and one set of walls. This and similar buildings, have the potential to become food providers to the city. The building of interest can easily be retrofitted to become vertical farms. This type of space offers the designer flexibility to make the best decisions for the building’s use.
46 The economic woes of the Point development began with the economic downturn in 1997-98 which impacted dramatically on South East Asian countries, including Malaysia. The Malaysian based company
Figure 4.3.2 below graphically illustrates the potential of this lost and wasted space.
Before Retrofit / Renova.on into ver.cal farm
A4er retrofit / renova.on into ver.cal farm with green house on alternate
Source: Author and L. Moonsamy
Figure 4.3.2: Abandoned building at the Point Waterfront development project
The land which exists on either side of freeways and along the path of train lines is also considered to be lost spaces. These spaces are present throughout the city of Durban.
They consist of “No-man’s land at the edge of freeways, abandoned waterfronts, train yards, vacated military sites, and industrial complexes” (Trancik 1986). These areas have great potential to be used as spaces of urban agriculture. As the highways leading into the city are rather dangerous, due to speeding vehicles, the first item to consider would be the addition of concrete barriers between the land and the road.
Making use of this land for urban agriculture will have other positive outcomes, including job creation and food security. The various strips of land leading to and from the city will add up to hundreds of hectares if used for agriculture (refer to Map 3 - Spaghetti Junction).
As the land on the sides of the roads is the property of the municipalities, and it is their responsibility to maintain this land, using it for urban agriculture could help lower the cost of maintenance.
An alternative way in which these urban gardens could help the citizens of Durban is if they were given over as community gardens. Informal housing is a major problem in Durban. Many of the people moving from the rural areas to the city in search of jobs and services end up living in informal housing. In most cases, even after finding employment they cannot afford proper housing. To assist such communities, the municipality could create community gardens and give them over to these communities; they will maintain and use them for farming. This will obviously require some sort of control and regulations to ensure that all community members benefit. Regulation and agreements are also required with regards to road expansion; the community needs to be clearly informed that this land remains the property of the municipality and can be taken back at any time.
Finally, with regard to this type of urban agriculture, one could also look at using land around railway lines. Abandoned railway yards and train tracks would also make good spaces for urban agriculture (refer to Map 2, p 78). In some cases, even railway bridges which are no longer in use could be used for urban agriculture or spaces for recreation.
The Highline project in New York (refer to Plate 4.3.8) is an excellent example of how a lost and wasted space was put to good use and is now a found and well used space.
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N3 T o Durban CBD
MAP 3 OF MAIN INTERCHANGE INTO DURBAN CBD (SPAGHETTI JUNCTION) OUT OF CITY INTO CITY URBAN AGRICULTURE
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Durban has many kilometers of abandoned railway lines and although it is hoped that they could be put to use again soon, these areas are currently wasted spaces and could be put to better use as places for growing of food or places of recreation as illustrated in the images above.