Cultivating Urbanism: Transforming the Existing City Through Agrarian Interventions

Abstract

The aim of this investigation is to develop a new urban scheme for Cultivating Urbanism. The research will focus on adapting agricultural practices into the existing urban fabric and argue for the reason to do so. The objective is to develop existing cities into pedestrian friendly, mix-use and high-density, which are filled with agriculture. The argument for Cultivating Urbanism is based on both New Urbanism and Agricultural Urbanism. People around the globe are showing remarkable interests in agriculture, food securities, community deficiency, nature-deficit disorder, carbon footprints, heat island effect, stormwater management and peak oil. I believe it is timely to pursue new practices of agriculture in urban areas and condition. The research studies the history of the relationship between the urban system and agriculture practices. Until recently, agriculture and the city were generally regarded as two distinctively separate classes, even antithetical. By analyzing and extracting the advantages of both New Urbanism and Agricultural Urbanism, this study propose new urban typologies. It envisions a new city that transcends and mediates the history and opportunities between the city and agriculture practices. The paradigm of ecology, lifestyle, food products, and physical and psychological benefits are investigated. Shinjuku, Tokyo is chosen to investigate and install the principles of Cultivating Urbanism. The research of the site covers broadly in food habits, food safety, food independence and spacial analysis. (The general demographic, landuse and climate analysis are introduced in Appendix A.) Various urban agriculture methodologies were adapted to certain buildings as prototypes; they include low and high-rise residences, hotels, public parks, schools, restaurants, commercial and public high-rise buildings and underground walkways.