CONJECTURE FOOD AND CITIES The flow of food has a fundamental impact on how urban territories expand and grow. Large distribution centers and transportation infrastructures are required to feed the evergrowing population of contemporary cities. Historically a city’s growth was tied to its capacities to produce or import food from adjacent lands. With the advancement of transportation technologies, “foodsheds” became globalized and the geographic bonds between cities and their sources of food were broken.
This research explored the food network of the Greater Boston area in relation to the larger food infrastructure of the United States. Food distribution, its historical context, and the impact of politics and culture were studied. The research revealed that in the dense urban fabric of Boston, much like its suburbs, the “ big box” typology, which offers “ one-stop shopping,” is the thriving typology for food markets. The thesis proposed to bring back the idea of market plazas in city centers, which are currently occupied by skyscrapers and shopping malls. Our civic centers, which symbolize our civic pride, should once again become a hub of interaction between the producers of food and its consumers. Community gardens and small farms can exist within these hubs to promote agritourism and provoke interest in how food is produced. Today, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, located above the buried Central Artery Highway, can provide an
food in boston Thesis Advisors: Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron opportunity for the city of Boston to not only revive such principles but go beyond them.
ACTIVISM
Maria Galustian
The thesis suggested layers of varied programs for this site that will bring public involvement to another level. The project defined a place of common ground for people to engage in the production of food as well as provide leisure and recreational activities. The public’s involvement and a congestion of varied programs will define a new public space. Farms covering the highway ramps will reclaim the land for uses such as markets, bars, restaurants, and research centers. Such common ground will bring together people of different political and social backgrounds and will create a new understanding of physical togetherness.
MARIA GALUSTIAN ARCHITECTURE THESIS
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