Urban productive landscapes: Design strategies for creating self-sustaining communities

A sustainable landscape thrives when resources are sourced from and returned to the community, creating a reciprocal relationship. This thesis explores whether the establishment of a closed-loop system sustains urban landscapes. As cities face transformative challenges from population growth and shifting demographics, the need for high-quality green spaces becomes increasingly important. This thesis investigates the integration of these essential functions into everyday landscapes as a potential solution to urban sustainability challenges. Focusing on urban agriculture as a key component, the study proposes a design for cultivating specialty food crops within a closed-loop system. This system repurposes compost and waste, remediates soil, reduces impervious surfaces to regulate temperature, and enhances air and water quality, ultimately contributing to an improved quality of life for underserved neighborhoods. The Hunter’s Point neighborhood in San Francisco, California, serves as the testing ground for this proposal. Characterized by a predominantly low-income population and limited access to supermarkets, this community also benefits from existing recycling laws, providing an ideal environment to evaluate the viability and impact of closed-loop systems. By addressing environmental, social, and economic dimensions, this thesis demonstrates how integrating urban agriculture into multifunctional landscapes can promote resilience and equity in urban settings.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.L.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Landscape Architecture

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Murugesan, Visalakshi

Contributors dc:contributor

• Lemon, Kelley Denise
• Hays, David Lyle
• McCoy, Jack

• Landscape Architecture
• Agriculture
• Sustainability
• Productive Landscapes
• Water
• Food
• Closed Loops
• Circular Economy
• Resilience
• Ecology
• Productivity

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Visalakshi Murugesan

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127296

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F127296