Queen City to Green City: The Future of Farming in an Urban Ecology

Project Narrative

This project assessed common waste materials from homes and designed a close loop strategy to increase food access while reducing residential food waste, the third largest producer of methane gas, from landfills. This system uses food waste in the Camp Washington, Clifton, and CUF areas to produce biogas that will reduce energy use within the vertical farm while also making compost as a byproduct. The compost, rich in nutrients, is used in a vertical farm system for growing food as well as to amend the soil on reclaimed land next to interstate 75. In addition, native plants are grown in a public park that seeks to heal the land and feed the ecosystem while food for people is grown indoors year-round using minimal land and resources. Public and private, ecological and economic meet in the middle at a market and farm-to-table café. These amenities are located in an above ground abandoned subway that connects to the farm via newly built underground tunnels linking two sections of the existing tunnels. These tunnels provide an efficient built-in transportation system for on-site goods and serve as a collection point for residential food waste. This project supports the Green Cincinnati Plan to become zero waste by 2035 because it diverts 52.3% of the city's waste from the landfill. Our site design is an example of how future Cincinnati neighborhoods can become more sustainable turning our Queen City into a Green City.

                                           

Project Details

Submission Category

Landscape Architecture & Community Planning - Planning & Analysis Projects

Date of Completion

April, 2022