L-Jacques Abelman

Jacques Abelman Urban LACE Infrastructures of abundance in urban Brazil Hoogte Kadijk 235 Amsterdam, the Netherlands +31 (0)6 2928 2512 info@groundcondition.com www.groundcondition.com nl.linkedin.com/in/jacquesabelman landscape architect @groundconditon

Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Graduation Projects 2014-2015 Landscape Architecture

Landscape Architecture

Jacques Abelman Urban L.A.C.E. Infrastructures of abundance in urban Brazil

Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody. —Jane Jacobs

The Urban L.A.C.E. project explores the potential of agroforestry to create a new type of infrastructure in rapidly developing urban areas in Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul at the southern tip of Brazil. The L.A.C.E. acronym stands for Local Agroforestry Collective Engagement. This strategy proposes adding a network of different scales and typologies of urban agriculture to the city. This multifunctional green infrastructure creates new economic opportunities, social networks and educational experiences, new modes of recreation and an additional urban food network based on native-species agroforestry.

The project proposes colonizing public parks, private land, public land, urban fringe spaces and fallow land with indigenous food bearing tree species from the Atlantic temperate rainforest ecosystem. The trees are planted as orchards for intensive production, or in multi-species associations mimicking a natural forest. There are hundreds of fruit bearing and medicinal species in this region which are all part of the living cultural heritage of Brazil. The process of building a network of productive urban agroforestry begins with a look into traditional and nascent practices in the area, from farmer’s markets and the agroecology movement to guerrilla gardening and a growing interest in urban agriculture. Based on the actions, interests, and needs of stakeholders in the city, the project augments these actions into a large scale urban network.

The design and visualization process of Urban L.A.C.E. asks if a new landscape infrastructure can be added to the city; in order to do so, many assemblages and alliances of stakeholders could potentially take place in the spectrum between bottom up and top down processes. Different scenarios are illustrated along this continuum, from individual actions multiplied into closely knit neighbourhood alliances to city wide transformation of public spaces initiated by the mayor’s office, changing the identity of the city.

The Urban L.A.C.E. project has the potential to catalyze parallel processes of urban evolution with the landscape architect acting as a mediator. Based on dialogue, design, and the democratic ideal of inclusion, Urban L.A.C.E. works toward this vision for change as one piece of a complex process in creating the cities of tomorrow.

This project was made possible by the generous contributions of the NHBOS Foundation for landscape architecture and the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Internationalization fund.

Graduation date 19 12 2014

Commission members Jana Crepon (mentor) Marieke Timmermans Han Wiskerke Rogier van den Berg

Additional members for the examination John Lonsdale Mirjam Koevoet

Jacques Abelman

Landscape Architecture 1

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canopy / tall tree layer sub-canopy / large shrub layer shrub layer herbaceous layer groundcover / creeper layer

6. underground layer 7. vertical / climber layer

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creating food forests: multi-layer agroforestry section using a palette of native food-bearing species

who produces?

who

distributes?

who consumes and where?

street beach park festival

street sellers

neighborhood coalition

$ neighborhood families and volunteers

individual consumers families

distribution network wholesalers

farmers co-operative restaurants foodbanks caterers small scale artisanal products

local store farmer’s market

municipal work program

urban agriculture: networks made of people

organizing stakeholders: short food production chains in the city short food supply chain (sfscs) is a term that describes a broad range of food production-distribution-consumption short food production chain: the network in action

configurations, such as farmers’ markets, farm shops, collective farmers’ shops, community-supported agriculture, solidarity purchase groups. more in general, a food supply chain can be defined as “short” when it is characterized by short distance or few intermediaries between producers and consumers.

5 major ecosystems within the urban fabric each with specific food-bearing species

tructure potential

ty logy al typology

ses nts buildings

sity logy

ses ial spaces n

e systems ned grassland/lawn

ture

systems forest r agroforestry

shrubland

grassland

forest soil / rock

new green infrastructure potential high density urban typology current spatial typology

mountainside forest favela mata dos morros medium density urban typology housing

N

new green infrastructure potential

high steppe favela campo high rises typology apartments buildings

1: 20.000

2000m

high density urban typology current spatial typology

new green infrastructure potential

high steppe favela campo typology high rises apartments buildings

lowland forest and swamp mosaic mountainside forest mosaico favela medium density mata dos morros urban typology

warehouses industrial spaces urban green lowland shady forest mata com figueira park

aluvial plains forest agriculture systems mata aluvial maintained grassland/lawn

aluvial plains mata aluvial agriculture

housing

high density urbanspatial typology current typology high steppe favela high rises campo typology apartments buildings

mountainside forest lowland forest and swamp mosaic favela mata dos morros mosaico medium density urban typology

warehouses industrial spaces lowland shady forest urban green mata com figueira

park lowland shady forest aluvial plains forest mata com figueira agriculture systems mata aluvial maintained grassland/lawn

housing

new green infrastructure potential high density urban typology favela typology

high steppe campo

lowland forest and swamp mosaic mountainside forest mosaico mata dos morros medium density urban typology

high steppe campo

mata com figueira

mosaico

mata dos morros

lowland shady forest mata com figueira

lowland forest and swamp mosaic mosaico

warehouses lowland forest and swamp industrial spaces mosaico urban green lowland shady forest

mountainside forest high steppe mountainside forest lowland forest and swamp mosaic mata dos morros campo

park native native forest ecosystems managed for agroforestry native shrubland

native grassland

agriculture

native ecosystems native forest managed for agroforestry native shrubland

aluvial plains forest agriculture systems mata aluvial maintained grassland/lawn

agriculture

urban green

aluvial plains forest agriculture systems mata aluvial

lowland shady forest mata com figueira

aluvial plains forest

ale es

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hood squares et aleparks

lots ids

squares d/lawn plazas

Jacques Abelman

current spatial typology

new green infrastructure potential

high rises apartments buildings

high density urban typology

favela

favela typology

housing warehouses new green infrastructure potential industrial spaces

current spatial typology high rises apartments buildings

high density park urban typology

urban typologies

housing high density urban typology

high rises apartments buildings

new green infrastructure potential warehouses favela spaces industrial favela typology high rises high density urban lace newtwork potential map of new green infrastructure potential in porto new green infrastructure typologies urban typologies apartments buildings urban typology urban typologies large-scale park neighborhood squares neighborhood squares roads parks housing infrastructure hardscapes parks pocket parks pocket parks high density density high favela urban typology urban typology

favela housing typology warehouses industrial spaces large-scale medium density roads neighborhood squares parks hardscapes infrastructure parks parkways urban squares plazas urban typology pocket green avenues small plazas

linear urban spaces

medium density urban typology urban typology maintained grassland/lawn

medium density park urban typology

agriculture

parking lots urban interstices urban voids

maintained grassland/lawn urban green large-scale parking lots urban voids

informal settlements urban interstices

urban squares small plazas

agriculture systems native forest

native shrubland

native forest native grassland

urban squareshardscapes pocket parks small plazas plazas

infrastructure

urban urbangreen green

mountainside forest roads mata dos morros parks informalinfrastructure settlements

squares parks parks greenpocket avenues

linear urban spaces

urban interstices

existing parks

high steppe campo

native ecosystems lowland fores native for ecosystems managed agroforestry mosaico

lowland forest and swamp mosaic mosaico roads infrastructure

mountainside forest lowland shady forest agriculture shrubland systems lowland forest and swamp mosaic mata dos native morros mata com figueira native ecosystems mosaico managed for agroforestry

native and grassland lowland forest swamp mosaic native forest mosaico lowland shady forest agriculture systems mata com figueira parkways degraded forest large-scaleinformal settlements parkways green avenues urban squares informal settlements urban interstices parking lots green avenues linear urban spaces large-scale parkways small plazas exposed soil / rock urban interstices urban squares linear urban spaces native shrubland urban voids lowland parking lots green avenues shady forest small plazas urban voids linear urban spaces native ecosystems mata com figueira aluvial plains forest managed for agroforestry mata aluvial native grassland aluvial plains forest mata aluvial native ecosystems degraded forest managed for agroforestry exposed soil / rock

native ecosystems managed for agroforestry degraded forest augmenting the green infrastructure exposed soil / rock

current green spaces

plazas

mountainside mata dos morr

native grassland mountainside forest high steppe mata dos morros agriculture degraded forest systems campo exposed soil / rock

high steppe urban green campo roads parks nativesquares forest neighborhood large-scale infrastructure neighborhood large-scale maintained grassland/lawn large-scale parkways informal settlements hardscapes

agriculture urban green

parkways

roadsshrubland native

favela favela typology typology warehouses industrial spaces

structural elements of lace network park

green avenues agriculture linear urban spaces

native forest

alegre’s urban core

medium density

plazas

agriculture systems high steppe campo

agriculture medium density urban typology

current spatial typology

urban

urban green

favela favela maintained grassland/lawn typology new green infrastructure potential

current spatial typology

medium density urban typology

urban voids

linear infrastructure

aluvial plains forest mata aluvial informal settlements urban interstices

semiprivate green areas

of porto alegre

full potential of the augmented network

lowland shady mata com figu

aluvial plain mata aluvial

praça dos açorianos: social context

Landscape Architecture

procergs: office for processing of official government data

cidade baixa: alternative cultural neighborhood of poa. many students, shops, stores, restaurants, cafes, etc.

monumento aos açorianos: iconic sculpture of the identity of first settlers of poa

ESCOLA

$ centro administrativo do estado do rio grande do sul: main government administration building

concept: creating a showcase for the lace network

educar: school organization many schools in downtown centro area justice tribunal + Tribunal de Mediação e Arbitragem do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul

people take shelter / sleep on plaza during day

Escola La Salle Pão dos Pobres: social and educational projects for the poor

starting point: analysis of the site’s social and economic context

botanical plaza legend praça açorianos seedling banks

SOURCE

on plaza schools hospitals

maintenance done by municipal workers and work program

15m

12m

10m

8.5m

5m

PREPARE CONSUME

praça dos açorianos botanical plaza central kiosk PRODUCE DISTRIBUTE

municipal workers and work program

outdoor market food banks

TRANSFORM

municipal seedling center kiosk

native ecosystem plantings

ephemeral fruit market

small stands in market plaza local co-ops

site-specific narrative of urban agroforestry

c

c’ section through five ecosystem botanical gardens

illustration of agroforestry through the various zones of the city

Jacques Abelman praça dos açorianos: botanical flagship plaza for the urban core of porto alegre

municipal seedling center work program headquarters

b’

azorean monument lowland forest swamp mosaic

botanical circles

c’ fountain

fruit market

mountainside forest

b botanical gardens

lowland shady forest

aluvial plains

c

high steppe

Amsterdam Academy of Architecture

Architects, urbanists and landscape architects learn the profession at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture through an intensive combination of work and study. They work in small, partly interdisciplinary groups and are supervised by a select group of practising fellow professionals.

There is a wide range of options within the programme so that students can put together their own trajectory and specialisation.

With the inclusion of the course in Urbanism in 1957 and Landscape Architecture in 1972, the Academy is the only architecture school in the Netherlands to bring together the three spatial design disciplines under one roof.

Some 350 guest tutors are involved in teaching every year. Each of them is a practising designer or a specific expert in his or her particular subject. The three heads of department also have design practices of their own in addition to their work for the Academy. This structure yields an enormous dynamism and energy and ensures that the courses remain closely linked to the current state of the discipline.

The courses consist of projects, exercises and lectures. First-year and second-year students also engage in morphological studies. Students work on their own or in small groups. The design

projects form the backbone of the syllabus.

On the basis of a specific design assignment, students develop knowledge, insight and skills.

The exercises are focused on training in those skills that are essential for recognising and solving design problems, such as analytical techniques, knowledge of the repertoire, the use of materials, text analysis, and writing. Many of the exercises are linked to the design projects.

The morphological studies concentrate on the making of spatial objects, with the emphasis on creative process and implementation. Students experiment with materials and media forms and gain experience in converting an idea into a creation.

During the periods between the terms there are workshops, study trips in the Netherlands and abroad, and other activities. This is also the preferred moment for international exchange projects. The Academy regularly invites foreign students for the workshops and recruits wellknown designers from the Netherlands and further afield as tutors.

Graduates from the Academy of Architecture are entitled to the following titles: Architect, Master of Science; Urbanist, Master of Science and Landscape Architect, Master of Science.