ROOF terrace growing. part of the watch dalston grow series

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1 Produced by Chris Hall in relation to MA Urban Design Project Watch Dalston Grow for studio Facilitating Resilience Sheffield School of Architecture ROOF terrace growing part of the watch dalston grow series

why grow in the city? 04 Traditional Food Production 05 Contemporary Food Production 06 Food Poverty 08 what is terrace growing? 10 The Concept 12 The Potential 14 how will it work?

3 why grow in the city? 04 Traditional Food Production 05 Contemporary Food Production 06 Food Poverty 08 what is terrace growing? 10 The Concept 12 The Potential 14 how will it work? 16 Policy and Ownership 16 Scaling the Project 18 what you need 20 how it is managed 22 Small Scale Management 24 Self-Governance 24 Managing a Network 25 visualising 26 what can be grown? 30 Community growing plots Agrocité - Paris the instructions insert

ROOF terrace growing a watch dalston grow prototype This manual aims to provide the information required to facilitate a terrace growing project in the UK.

4 ROOF terrace growing a watch dalston grow prototype This manual aims to provide the information required to facilitate a terrace growing project in the UK. This guidance has been formed in relation to Watch Dalston Grow, a wide reaching urban agriculture project in Hackney which aims to empower locals to reclaim their neighbourhoods alongside addressing the pressing issues such as deprivation and food poverty. Growing plots at Camley Street Nature Reserve - London

5 why grow in the city? When fully considered, the question why we don t commonly grow food in urban areas is relatively unanwered. The precedents attached to this project (see Watch Dalston Grow Precedents) show there is an interest and numerous examples of where it has been done well both in the UK and all over of globe. The more direct question of why grow in the city is easily answered therefore. Growing in the city links supply to demand of food, however the modern food demand, expects all foods irregardless of season. Urban agriculture is a great use of dead spaces in our cities. As well as providing produce, they also brighten the grey address modern comsumption and aid community cohesion. Traditional Food Production Traditionally, humans have always existed alongside food production. However industrialisation of the western world began to seperate this as food became transportable and able to retain freshness through new technology. The separation of people and production has led to expectations of exotic foods all year round. This project attempts to reintroduce the production within the people to unlock the benefits that this brings.

6 FOOD MILES *miles approximated. based off produce from tesco stores - sheffield contemporary Food Production 300miles MUSHROOMS PEPPERS Only recently has a widespread interest appeared around the production of their food. Arguably this started with GM crops which boosted sales in organic foods. An increase in the fair trade movement could also be attributed to this. More recently, this concern focussed around food miles. Whilst the distance food has been transported is now vast, it is still often more energy efficient for this to occur rather than growing exotic foods in the UK. The issue therefore surrounds again the expectation of exotic and out of season produce. This modern day expectation could arguably be attributed to the separation of production and people. ORANGES TOMATOES GARLIC AUBERGINE COURGETTE BROCCOLI LETTUCE 800miles 2300miles PEACHES GRAPES 6000miles BLUEBERRIES Food miles of a selection of winter produce of a Tesco supermarket 7500miles

Food Poverty Whilst urban argiculture does not have to be a reactionary means (such as the victory gardens during the world wars), an important argument for projects such as this is to increase

7 Food Poverty Whilst urban argiculture does not have to be a reactionary means (such as the victory gardens during the world wars), an important argument for projects such as this is to increase access to nutrious food. Those who lack access (either spatially or financially) to healthy food are described as being in food poverty. Areas of the UK with concentrations of deprivation and social housing (i.e. a high percentage of inner city areas) see large numbers of people in food poverty. Poor diet is now attributed to a third of premature deaths in the UK which the Faculty of Public Health blames on food poverty forcing lower income groups to eat processed foods. Growing healthy, nutrious food in the city can have a huge impact on these groups therefore. How this can be done through terrace growing will now be explained. Community food production Agrocité - Paris

Roof terraces are one of these spaces, and are especially effective for communal growing if

8 what is terrace growing? Urban areas, however dense, almost always contain dead or underutilised spaces. Roof terraces are one of these spaces, and are especially effective for communal growing if they exist along a terrace. This manual explains how an efficient growing space can be established at a number of scales along roof terraces, as a form of active urban agriculture.

9 the concept Roof terrace growing is based around common roof terraces which can exist at any height, which often have the benefits of greater sun exposure than at ground level in a city. If underutilised, these terraces are easily gardened, even if they are owned by another party. These spaces have the potential to be gardened individually, as part of a growing association or for the benefit of the community, depending on the network of actors involved. Growing projects such as these benefit from a network of similar projects around it to provide knowledge, skills, volunteers as well as the physical resources to maintain function.

10 How will it work? In the UK, residents do not have a right to development, hence the need for planning permission. However agriculture does not constitute development, therefore gardening of any sort, can be carried out without permission. Roof terrace growing however does require consideration of a few other forms of policy, depending on ownership of the site. In Dalston, where this project was devised, the roof terraces exist on the first floor, facing the road, above commerical units (labelled A1 or A3, refering to their use class). The buildings also contained residential use (C3) in the form of privately rented flats. In every situation, the use below the terrace will always be the legal owner of it. When they are rented, the landlords need to be considered as the main actor. To garden on a roof terrace, permission is needed from the landlord and the use below the terrace (in this case the commercial unit). If it is being gardened by someone who does not have access to the building, an easement will need to be granted by the landlord to anyone wishing to access. This is simply done and can be informal. Physical access onto the terrace may be more difficult. In the case of Dalston, access was found at the end of the row and it was this landlord who needed to grant the easement to use their access onto the roof terrace. Once access has been granted and a space is ready to use, it is worth considering how this space will be gardened, and how it could be expanded if others come into the project. Increasing the scale of this project is a great way to garden more efficiently, as well as having more varied produce, expertise and people to benefit from it. a1, a3 or a5 conservation area Controls the external alterations to properties in the area. This includes the right to remove trees. Alterations concerning gardening are not considered however. Governance between flats It is important that any alterations are agreed between all users of the building to ensure community cohesion. terrace ownership In law, the owner of a roof terrace is solely placed into the owner (or renter) of the use below it. Therefore the commerical unit will always need to be consulted for gardening to occur on their roof terrace. Residential Access Access to the residential units is secured via a separate door to the rest of the building. If this is the only access up to the terrace, an easement would need to be granted by the landlord to anyone who doesn t currently have access in.

11 the potential

12 How is it managed? gardening agreement landlord permisson easement commercial unit decides to use resident in the same building landlord grants formal permission neighbouring commercial and residential interest. terrace above to grow. Informal joins in after commerical unit for commercial unit and resident landlord gra ants easements to allow neighbours access used to reach the space informally allows access to garden the space. landlord to access th he terrace via the street through provides formal access to the space landlord s pr roperty. Also requires neighbouring landlord to allow gardening to occur in the space. 05 original landlord required to grant easements to all new participants. once participants increase, the need for formal self-governance increases. As with Prototype #01, participants are subject to external pressure. The number of central landlords are determined by the number of access points to the terrace. A growing association is formed to oversee the collective use of the space. This insures the space is gardened efficiently. landlord commerical resident gardening network non-participant prototype #03 prototype #03 conservation officer NETWORK trustee original commercial prototype #01 conservationofficer NETWORK trustee original commercial prototype #01 easement resident with original access easement resident with original access growing association landlord controlling access growing association landlord controlling access NETWORK trustee NETWORK trustee NETWORK trustee NETWORK trustee planning officer external pressure dalston eastern curve garden planning g officer self-governing a network dalston eastern curve garden Here we see a typical Actor Network of how growing projects such as these start to grow 06

13 Scaling the Project disused individual COLLECTIVE gardening space gardening space gardening space COMMUNAL gardening space SPRAWLING gardening space Road what needs to occur? informal agreement to garden the space Extension of the agreement Possible need for formal access Easements from landlord with access to allow others to enter terrace Collective agreement from all landlords and tenants Governance of Use Communal meeting space for decision making activism who is involved? Individual commercial units individual commerical users individual residents landlord commerical unit residents landlord collective commercial and residential ternants landlord collective commercial and residential ternants landlord neighbouring residents neighbouring commerical units neighbouring landlords commerical users collective commercial and residential ternants landlord neighbouring residents neighbouring commerical units neighbouring landlords commerical users conservation officers planning authority highways agency wider activists local gardening groups other prototypes other prototypes what is it challenging? challenging reliance on supermarket food taking control of food production testing the governance of a building challenging the underutilisation of space in cities removing barriers preventing community engagement challenging privatisation of modern lives testing the flexibility of planning policies challengin concepts of ownership challenging boundaries of occupying public space challenging rigidity of high quality public space actively taking contol of the community challenging need to source products outside the local

14 what you need network As the project grows, you will start to discifer the best way in which to work. One way which is particularly resilient is by using reusable and recycled materials and share these in a network of other gardening spaces nearby. Elements such as seeds and compost as well as invaluable knowledge are easily shared amongst gardening groups/projects which exist almost everywhere. In the early stages, this network can quickly help the project become self sustaining once compost and seeds are being generated. Only minimal inputs such as recycled palettes to create planters will then need to be inputting into the system, while your project becomes a catalyst in the network to help newer ones. 1 Attracted to start a gardening project in Dalston area new individual gardening project recycled wood compost seeds 2 new project new project growth of garden guidance 3 new project 4 front garden collective project 5 contributing back into the network As projects start to develop, new techniques will undoubtably form such as seed upcycling, a free way to introduce new seeds into the system using wasted food. Sharing these skills and knowledge is imperitive for the network to grow and adapt to remain function into the future. local collection external source network external source supermarket upcycling seeds compost skills knowledge LOCALLY CLOSED LOOPS OF PROTOTYPE 01

15 Small scale management Starting a project and managing it whilst it is small requires simple agreements between the gardener, the landlord and the tenant under the terrace to use the space which may stretch as far as an easement and potentially a share of the produce (01-03). It is important that a good relationship between these groups are maintained as these projects are visual, they attract attention and if they were to grow, it is only these individuals who can allow it. self-governance managing a network The management of these projects exist in a self-governing form. This is important to be inclusive and it allow those involved to use the gardening spaces how they wish. Strong dialogue between gardeners as projects grow and reaching collective decisions is important to allow a communal growing space to involve, and not a series of individual spaces. Communal growing prevents neglection, allows greater yeilds as well as a range of expertise for decisions such as crop rotation. A successful project which has grown in size and which has applied the ideas of creating a network outside the project, also needs to consider a network within it. Diagram 06 shows how a growing association may be managed. With a space for the association to meet, a collective decision making process can occur which is a benefit of the self-governing process.

16 visualising sunrise kingsland road 1pm N

18 what can be grown? Try anything! If it can be grown in the UK, theres no reason why it can t be grown on a roof terrace. Considering the exposure to shade and wind is important, as is the soil type/compost and drainage used in planters. Beyond this however, the sky is the limit. A list of relatively simple and commonly grown crops are listed below: Aubergine Beetroot Broad Beans Brocolli Brussel Sprouts Carrots Courgettes Cucumbers Garlic Green beans Leeks Peas Potatoes Raspberries Rhuburb Spinach Strawberries Tomatoes Winter Salad the INSTRUCTIONS The insert provides instructions towards the physical aspects of creating a Watch Dalston Grow garden. This includes building garden infrastructure from recycled palettes and sourcing seeds. Sharing, updating and adding new knowledge and information is essential for this manual and the attached instructions to retain relevance moving forward. Below is a link to the Facilitating Resilience blog (for which this project belongs to), where information can be shared in a discussion board, which allows this guidance material to stay as relevant as possibly. Any information you feel is relevant for others to know, whether it concerns technical set up, gardening knowledge or anything else, please feel free to share this information using the link below. Thank you! com/student-projects-christopherhall

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