Research on Urban Farm Precedents

In order to best prepare for designing the Ellis Urban Village, we began by researching many existing and planned urban farm projects. Urban farming is not an untested idea; in recent years, many groups throughout America and overseas have launched programs to bring high-intensity food production into close proximity with city-dwellers. These projects have ranged in scale from gardens atop the rooftop of one small building to studies of the possibility of planting crops throughout an entire city.

Throughout our research, several unifying principles of urban farming stand out. First, it is essential that a farm fit into the historical and social framework of the city in which it is built. Much like Cultivate Hope, every successful example of the urban farming movement has worked to achieve its goals by engaging the wider community and teaching farming techniques that are of lasting use to visitors. For example, the Lenape Edible Estate (right) is an urban farm attached to a children's center in the neighborhood of Chelsea in Manhattan. By partnering with school events, the project has drawn the lasting interest and support of local parents and community organizations. Originally based on the farming practices of the Lenape people who inhabited Manhattan centuries ago, the garden's programs teach both old and new methods of practical gardening. While not meant as a profit-making venture, the Lenape Edible Estate is successful in that it teaches visitors how to apply its lessons at home.

Such educated and sustainable 'Permaculture' practices are another guiding principle of urban farming. Plant species interaction, planting placement, growing cycles and composting must be made to work together for maximum yield and renewed soil. One example of these principles at work is Growing Power, Inc. (left), a very large-scale urban farm in Milwaukee. Growing Power has used a network of greenhouses to extend their growing season far beyond the normal range for produce-yielding plants in the Midwest.They also make use of efficient capture and storage of rainwater from their farm site to supply the water needs of their crops without having to pay to pump in water from outside. Both of these strategies will be put to use in the Ellis Urban Village.

Precedents large and small have demonstrated that urban farms can make a difference in the education and nutrition of cities and neighborhoods. We continue to research successful projects and explore the art and science behind urban farms as we work to help make Ellis Urban Village a reality.

About the Bridge Studio

 Welcome to the blog of the 2012 Cedar Rapids Bridge Studio! Over the course of the coming months, we'll use this space to post updates on our work and share research on related projects, practices and technology. Most importantly, we want to hear from you, whether you're a part of the studio, partnering with us, or live down the block from our projects. This blog is here as a forum for your input on our design decisions, so that we can work together for neighborhood growth and vitality in Cedar Rapids.

Our Studio

The Bridge Studio is an collaborative design program created to apply the learning experiences of student designers to aid in developing real solutions for Iowa communities. Our work brings together a diverse range of design professions, including graduate and undergraduate students in Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape Architecture. The Bridge Studio is planned and led by Assistant Professor Nadia Anderson of Iowa State University, who can be reached at nanderso@iastate.edu.

An energy-efficient home designed by the 2010 Corning Bridge Studio

Past iterations of the Bridge Studio have dealt with such issues as affordable housing, water management, gardening and green buildings created for and by Iowans. Since 2007, we've worked to bring together the latest developments in sustainable design and the needs of Iowa communities to help improve our state's quality of life while better educating a new generation of designers.

Our Projects and Partners

For our first project of 2012, we'll be working with Matthew 25 Ministries' Cultivate Hope program to design an urban farm to produce fresh produce in the heart of the Time Check neighborhood, as the first phase of the coming Ellis Urban Village. Like Cultivate Hope's existing farm (below right) the new farm will be based on shared ownership through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares, dividing support and harvests among many participants in the neighborhood. Our design will be completed in late January and early February, with construction to begin in March.

Urban farm at the former Cedar Rapids Boys and Girls Club

In later months, we hope to expand our studio's goals to develop ideas for other needs and areas of opportunity in Cedar Rapids, including economic development, sustainable energy, and floodwater management. Your input is welcome and greatly desired to help us focus our work in the right direction.

We are grateful to OPN Architects for their assistance in providing expert advice and critique on the design challenges ahead. Likewise, we are glad for the ongoing help of the Northwest Neighborhood Association in teaching us about and connecting us with the neighborhood.

Thanks for tuning in - you'll find more news here on what we're doing and how you can be a part of it very soon!