Villam in Horto

Urban Farm That Removes Contaminants

Grant Park, Chicago, IL individual academic work 2018

Acknowledging that the soil was damaged by railroad toxins as a result of human impact, the park will become an urban farm centered around phytoremediation. This project evaluates the ecological and social factors that will influence Grant Park in the future. The methodical planting attracts an abundance of birds and butterflies on their journey migrating along Lake Michigan.

The phytoremediation plant selection will remove lead, arsenic, and creosote found in the soil in a phasing process over the next 50 years. The creation of new habitats in this under-utilized environment will be dense with wildlife in the many layers of vegetation.