What is it?
The Smart Garden City (also called GCoT Model) is a modular, scaled, scalable, spatio-temporal, settlement planning, implementation and adaptation tool.
As an holistic, regenerative, development model, it represents the synergy and progression of the three spheres of sustainable development resulting in ecological, social and economic recovery, growth and regeneration.
As a planning aid, it provides a supportive framework to facilitate the management and implementation of rapid and also, long-term settlement needs and scenarios.
In both instances, it is accordant and facilitates all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The GCoT model provides a spatio-temporal strategy capable of accommodating short to long-term settlement, adapted to both temporary and permanent integration and settlement planning.
“Shared space, shared future”
Employing this model will result in an organised but diverse settlement, with open space for green space and transit routes. Green spaces enable ecological restoration, community gardening and farming at a variety of scales. Transit routes initially tracks and pathways, hierarchically ordered, form the basis for a fully-developed and integrated modern transport system, again opening up more advanced employment opportunities.
The design expands easily, with simple techniques without detriment to the established whole. The nature of the pattern, which is fractal, allows the design and implementation of the settlement to be undertaken at varied scales and time-frames. This allows for a variety of scales of management and operation.
The spatial pattern is about the space that is not built, as much as the built space. Land use is intensified, diversified and integrated, meaning more happens within the same space, a greater diversity of interrelated activities and functions provides greater system stability, economically, socially and ecologically.
Its complexity is based upon that of nature, where the whole is more than the sum of its component parts. The model is gestalt in principle and fractal in structure and enables successional growth by emergence.
Sector design, green space and transit are multilevelled, multifaceted and integrative, accommodating and combining various cultural, social and economic needs and activities.
This is a framework for a wholistic settlement which can operate sustainably and restoratively at all time and space scales in any location, in any culture. It can go from “emergency” to establishment by a process of strategic transition and emergence, employing a temporal development plan. The age of the settlement determines the degree of development.
Employment is created, community roles recognised and developed, skills are expressed, community can function, responsibility is shared, normal relationships can grow in a safe and nurturing environment.
This proposal is the result of 12 years independent study around the research question “How to ensure the future vitality and viability of a settlement centre?” The proposal takes into account and mitigates potential pitfalls and obstacles observed in established and advanced settlements in developed economies, as well as facilitating remediation and economic development models in operation for the developing world.
A model at the leading edge of urban design, complex systems, ecology and spatial complexity in Europe, America and Asia.
A synergy of complimentary mixed-use zoning, unity in infrastructure, and diversity in socio-economic and cultural activities, it embodies the drivers for successful population centres.
As a stand alone development, surpluses can supply markets outside of the settlement; gradually integrating into the wider economy. As an urban extension, it is an innovation district for the evolution of skills, products and services, supporting the adaptation and amelioration of existing population centres. Jobs and community roles are created and developed, making use of existing and local skills and furthering their application by acting as a centre for opportunity and education.
The model has initially been presented at city-scale. The concept operates at all scales, ranging from 7-50 residents, to city-scale; anything over 120,000 residents and beyond. The framework is intended for receiving large numbers of migrants, to be received and settled as members of a functioning community within a short time-frame.
Links to more images and further reading:
Online forum and related links: http://bit.ly/RefForum
Garden City of Today (GCoT) Version 2.0: http://bit.ly/GCoT20
More images: http://bit.ly/GCoTpics
Twitter: www.twitter.com/fractalcities
GCoT Model Literature review and v2.2: http://bit.ly/LitRevGCoT Blog: www.circlesdesign.blogspot.com
Why this?
Global population displacement is considered at an all time high,
while the average stay for a displaced person in a refugee camp has been estimated at being between 12 to 17 years. Some refugee camp populations exceed the populations of established cities. The fourth largest settlement in Kenya, after the cities of Nairobi, Mombassa and Kisumu is Dadaab, a refugee camp with nearly 330,000 residents, exceeding the population of the largest municipalities of Nakuru (308k) and Eldoref (290k). Funding and other types of resources and support for refugees are also considered to be highly stressed throughout the world. “A Global Challenge Too Big for Governments and NGOs Alone.” Therefore a sustainable and sustaining strategic response is of high importance, locally and globally. This coupled with other environmental, social and economic challenges on a global scale, means “We Need Bold Ideas.”
The objective is to provide an accessible and workable holistic settlement planning and delivery model, which employs complexity and systems theory as a basis, but avoids complex language and complex modelling, making it easier to implement in the field with available tools. Whilst any modern development must avert challenges caused by over-industrialisation, consumption, resource depletion, climatic change etc., and act as both a “seed” for a new economy and a “reboot” for existing economies – going beyond sustainability, to facilitate rehabilitation and regeneration.
The three spheres of sustainable development are thoroughly considered, and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals may be exemplified using this model, which is verifiable and founded upon an extensive body of sound and peer-reviewed academic scientific publications.
The aim of this approach is three fold; based upon Caring for the Earth, Caring for People and the restoration of ecosystem services and natural capital as a foundation for socio-economic and environmental stability and resilience, in order to facilitate the ascension of the needs hierarchy (Maslow, 1943 & Koltko-Rivera, 2006) for the realisation of community resilience, economic sustainability, environmental stability and continued community development.
As the health of the ecological system in and around a settlement improve, the resultant effects are improved human health and well-being and improved prosperity (Sandifer et al. 2015). Integration is realised by providing for both the displaced community, and also the wider community, by generating sustainable and regenerative resource supplies through added value, and restoration agriculture within the included green spaces, increasing skill sets and employment opportunities in the local area through education and training, and generating a surplus of these, thereby contributing positively to local and national resilience.
Longer term economic impacts can be growth of emergent sectors in technology, transportation, hardware and software, communications, materials science, and energy provisioning. Social impacts can be the existence of the first collaboratively designed settlements in the modern age, embodying the values of democracy and community; unity and diversity, symbolising a common heritage (“Shared Space” vis-a-vis planet Earth) and a “Shared Future.” These ideals manifested by recognising this future represent the unification of understanding, as many cultures and backgrounds converge in realisation of interconnectedness, with each other and Earth as a capable global family.
Environmental impacts can be the catalysis of transitional growth towards repair of, and symbiosis with the natural capital of the planet for a return of surplus. Employing ecological approaches to landscape management and restoration, as creators of biodiversity and stability, harnessing natural equilibrium, sequestering carbon into the soils and vegetation, proven by example already by many stabilisation and restoration agriculture projects.
Feelings of displacement, loss, exhaustion, sorrow are somewhat maintained by emergency environments. Planting seeds, tending a garden, growing something and connecting with the earth is hugely symbolic and settling. UNHCR Environmental Demonstration Manuel 2000 states:
"Field experience demonstrates that programs, which empower refugee populations to develop sustainable farming, housing, and energy producing practices help avoid expensive environmental rehabilitation projects and can produce local employment. Such programs foster feelings of self-worth among traumatized exiles and transform a chaotic settlement into a community that possesses knowledge and skills that will benefit both refugees and environment."
This method of community and landscape restoration creates collaboration, resources and revenue – bringing stability. It encourages the reemployment of expertise in respective fields. Restoration of natural equilibrium increases return (per calorie) of energy invested, cutting energetic and resource deficits and scarcities responsible for so much global conflict.
Transferable skills and experience are gained for both displaced persons and also personnel, whilst natural capital and ecosystem service provision increase in the project area, reducing running costs and increasing the number of potential field operatives, allowing for an exponential diffusion of the currently expanding, global population displacement.
Why support this hypothesis? Expert support, guidance and co-design collaboration is necessary and sought to further develop and, most importantly, demonstrate specifically in a variety of social and geographical landscapes how this model can be applied in UNHCR operations. This model builds upon the systems, processes and infrastructure already in place, with the potential to further improve operational sustainability, efficacy and economic viability; To make valuable resources go further and to increase support for both established, and developing, experience and expertise.
Employing this model has positive implications for migration, integration, the economy and international relations. It also addresses other major peacetime concerns, such as urban sprawl, slums and poverty, energy transition, future prosperity, resilience to climate change, human development and well-being.
Creating opportunity, economic returns and growth for the host country, it also equips refugees with the knowledge, connections and skills that will be vital on returning home for post conflict recovery.
References:
Koltko-Rivera, M.E. (2006) Rediscovering the Later Version of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Self-Transcendence and Opportunities for Theory, Research and Unification. Review of General Psychology Vol. 10, No. 4, pp302-317. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.10.4.302 PDF link here
- Maslow, A.H. (1943) A Theory of Human Motivation . Psychological Review, 50, 370-396.
Sandifer, P.A, Sutton-Grier, A.E. & Ward, B.P (2015) Exploring connections among nature, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human health and well-being: Opportunities to enhance health and biodiversity conservation. Ecosystem Services 12 (2015) pp.1-15. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041614001648
How?
The attached video shows implementation process and phases. This is described in more detail in at city-scale in Busby, 2014 pp50-53 and at neighbourhood scale in Busby, 2016, and in an online forum, post #105 here
Marking out can be as simple as using a peg-and-rope technique, creating circles with a 25m radius, used to form a “flower of life” geometric pattern from which the settlement grows. This allows for simple tools and processes to be employed in site planning and marking out.
In the post-emergency planning phase, it is strongly advised to use Participatory Urban Planning (PUP), see PUP guides MUEC (2015) and Practical Action (2008) to establish how the spaces are to be used.
The image right shows the building blocks for the urban fabric, with the 19 different “street configurations” and 4 major landscape zones. It may be that in the initial stages, canvases or tents are marked with one of the 6 colour codes to allow for easy recognition for function and navigability.
Online knowledgebases such as http://knowledgebase.permaculture.org.uk and http://answers.practicalaction.org and http://resources.cawst.org/ provide videos and documentation for workshops and training relating to around 200 different practical solution subjects, from how to make compost toilets and rainwater harvesting, to slow sand filters, lime plasters and organising group meetings.
For the Green spaces the Commonland Foundation “4 Returns and 3 Zones” model (Brasser & Ferwenda et al. 2015) can be employed. This model is based upon the successes of the World Bank Loess Valley Watershed Restoration Project (World Bank, 2003). More detail can be added by using examples such as The Methodology of Ferme du Bec Halloiun, Normandy France (Hervé-Gruyer & Hervé-Gruyer, 2011 and Guégan & 2015).
Buildings and built space follow a temporal progression. Starting with temporary shelters, such as the MoreThanShelters Domo, which provides a sound canvas covered aluminium structure, which can later be modified into more permanent dwellings. More permanent and low cost, low impact buildings such as sand bag and straw bale housing can be the next step, followed by buildings constructed from natural materials such as Hempcrete and timber frames as the plantations begin producing the materials.
Infrastructure in the form of transit routed begin as tracks and paths, for pedestrian, cycles and animal-led transport. This allocation of space using the GCoT model allows for later phases of public transport systems to be installed. The idea is that the settlement goes through a series of successive phases, depending upon how long it is established. Energy infrastructure commences with localised production from renewables, with community salt water battery storage. For buildings and operations with large energy requirements micro-turbines can be employed. Energy provision again, follows a temporal successive development strategy. Waste water and faecal outputs can be directed into constructed WET systems (see www.biologicdesign.co.uk for examples), a series of humanure and composting processes. And also standard response techniques, dependent upon site-specific criteria.
Complexity is employed as a Methodology, to create mixed-use diversity with systemic unity achieved through spatial planning for optimality. A temporary to permanent temporal strategy creates a life cycle akin to organic settlements, initiating employment and opportunity. Using these approaches allows many smaller decisions to act in synergy resulting in the emergence of an intentional community.
Socially, a shared vision, “goal” or process brings cohesion, community roles and solidarity. Environmentally there is a restoration and renaissance ethic toward cultivating a productive landscape that is agriculturally productive and biologically diverse. Economically, this results in an increase in ecosystems services, providing tangible materials to supply growth and future prosperity in an post-industrial economy.
As a master-planning tool, it can attend with the real possibilities opened at the attained level of intellectual and material culture, resources and capabilities. It offers the prospect of preserving and improving the productive achievements of civilisation, offering a greater chance for the pacification of existence within the framework of institutions which offer the greater chance for the free development of human needs and faculties.
This approach conveys a holistic sense of perspective regarding current social, economic and environmental challenges. It entails an ecological ethic coupled with a self-realisation ethic, in that participants have direct access to resources and services enabling satisfaction of material and psychological needs within an ecologically balanced environment.
The model fosters a balancing and coordination of satisfactions along many dimensions rather than maximising concerns along one narrowly defined dimension (e.g. economic), and the spatial design allows for experimentation; it is open ended and evolutionary whilst being modular, allowing stage by stage completion, local stewardship and future growth without detriment to the established whole.
The nature of the design pattern allows for multiple projects to run simultaneously – to follow a non-linear, but organised growth pattern, as found in a biological organism, often described as the process of 'emergence'.
Land use in and around the settlement is defined by patch zoning. In total there are 13 different types of land use. Six types for built spaces, and six types for green spaces within the settlement, with an additional type, being the surrounding lands.
Land use types are arranged into Zones, briefly defined as:
Zone 0 Buildings and homes, transit orientated and mixed-use structures, with “home gardens”
Zone 1 Community Gardens, and allotments “localised food production” plant nurseries
Zone 2 Market Gardens, commercial orchards, poly tunnels, small livestock, tree and plant nurseries “commercial food production”
Zone 3 Farm-scale production, agroecology, orchards, herd animals, apiculture, main crops
Zone 4 Large-scale Agriculture/Agroforestry materials and energy crops
Zone 5 Wilderness/non-associated/natural environment
Employment opportunities and entrepreneurial skills exist within every community. For Transit-orientated, mixed used zoning, general socio-economic and cultural activities are generalised into categories, ranging from very localised to global markets; provisions are made for all levels of market operation. An embedded commercial supply system, also used for waste removal; mirroring the veins in a leaf or flower, drawing resources from the land into the productive areas of the settlement, enable settlement-wide availability and distribution/export for materials and goods, facilitating home-working operations and a modern cottage industry, forming micro-localeconomic foundation for rich culture and continued temporal development accordant with Kondratief cycles, which can be reiterated and continued, ensuring sound economic autonomy and strategic temporal development by succession towards realising a green-bluecircular economy of proximity for the post-industrial future.
A prototype settlement can be computer-modelled before going operational and assessed by experienced professionals. An appropriate scale for this can be a test-bed for around 340 people. This can involve modelling a settlement comprised of 49 MoreThanShelters Domo shelters. The evolution of this camp can be modelled, including long-term effects.
Due to the adaptability of the model it depends upon specific criteria as to how it is employed. The full benefits of the model may not be comparable until it supports a population exceeding around 2,400 persons – comparable to an established village.
This Smart Garden City approach was designed specifically for scaling – hence the spatial design is based upon recursion and fractal geometry - potentially infinite in nature. Modularity facilitates planning and expansion by allowing spatial extensions to be budgeted long-before implementation. The materials and quantities for implementation can be standardised; facilitating costs-forecasting and materials sourcing.
Interest and sustainability is achieved through maintaining a festival mentality. A mentality of celebration – celebrating the productive achievements of humanity in combining the arts and sciences.
Planning and construction undertaken with professionalism and dedication, complimented by a celebratory atmosphere, maintained by entertainments, group activities and participatory projects; creating social life and cohesion found in successful settlements –restaurants, cafes, music and theatre, childrens' activities and events. Many examples exist in places which have received refugees, often by refugees themselves.
The build objectives, defined by participatory urban planning processes, familiarise people with collaborative processes and construction undertaken through a series of workshops and demonstrations, training people on-the-job.
Celebration is integral to festivals and can share many properties with renewed approaches to integration. Festivals and emergency settlements share many other properties also, such as the coming together of many people from diverse backgrounds in extraordinary circumstances, the provision of food, water and sanitation for a large influx of people. Some of he similarities are discussed in the online forum, post #1 found at http://bit.ly/RefForum
References
Brasser, A. & Ferwenda, W., with de Man, Schut, Brouwer, Joosse, Noome, ten Brink & Augenstein (2015) 4 Returns from Landscape Restoration: A systemic and practical approach to restor degraded landscapes. Version 1.0, Commonland Foundation. Commonland Publication. www.commonland.com Accessed 10/10/15.
Busby, M. (2014) A Garden City of Today v2.0. Published online available here: http://bit.ly/GCoT20
Busby, M. (2016) The GCoT Model – A Complex Systems Model for Spatio-temporal Settlement Design, Planning and Adaptation. Published online available here: http://bit.ly/LitRevGCoT
Guégan S.& Léger, F. (2015) Maraîchaige biologique permaculturel et performance économique – Rapport final de l'étude. Institute Sylva, AgroParisTech, UMR SADAPT. Available from www.fermedubec.com
Hervé-Gruyer, C & Hervé-Gruyer, P (2011) Maraîchaige biologique diversifié et arboriculture. La méthode de la Ferme du Bec Hallouin. Available from www.fermedubec.com Accessed 10/03/2015 English version available here:
MUEC Montreal Urban Ecology Centre (2015) PARTICIPATORY URBAN PLANNING – Planning the city with and for its citizens. ISBN 978-2924108-13-0. Published by MUEC available online.
Practical Action (2008) Participatory Urban Planning Toolkit Based On The Kitale Experience: A Guide to Community-Based Planning for Effective Infrastructure and Services Delivery by Matthew Okello, Isaak Oenenga & Paul Chege. Published by Practical Action. Available online.
World Bank (2003) China – Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project Phase 1. Accessed 15/4/15. http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2007/03/15/restoring-chinas-loess-plateau?cid=EXT_WBSocialShare_EXT
Who?
Very brief listing... to be further developed. More organisations/links etc. are listed on the knowledgebase.permaculture.org.uk website N.B. None of the persons/organisations listed below have been officially contacted.
UNHCR and IKEA Foundation
UNHabitat, UNEP, UNCCD, etc.
Practical Action http://practicalaction.org/ Ashoka Community etc. www.ashoka.org
Kilian Kleinschmidt www.switxboard.org AUSTRIA and www.refugeecities.org USA
Geoff Lawton; Rhamis Kent www.permacultureconsultants.com AUSTRALIA
Dr. John D Liu; Willhem Ferweda www.commonland.com NETHERLANDS
Urban Planning and Design
UNHCR, UNHabitat
Professor Michael Batty CASA/Bartlett School of Planning/UCL, UNITED KINGDOM / MIT USA.
Professor Pierre Frankhauser ThéMA, FRANCE)
Professor Nikos Salingaros P4P Urbanism, International Society for Biourbanism, University of Texas in SA USA
Professor Massimo Tadi IMM Design Lab, ABC University Politecnico di Milano, ITALY
Ecosystem Services
Scientists and Organisations listed in Sandifer et al. 2015. e.g. www.noaa.gov USA Plus others...
Water and Sanitation
CAWST / Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology www.cawst.org CANADA
SamSam Water Foundation www.samsamwater.com NETHERLANDS
IRC www.ircwash.org NETHERLNDS
Creating Water Foundation http://creatingwater.nl NETHERLANDS
WARKA Water http://www.warkawater.org ITALY
Jay Abrahams www.biologicdesign.co.uk UNITED KINGDOM
Joseph C. Jenkins http://humanurehandbook.com/about.html USA
Food, Agriculture and Forestry
FAO etc.
Geoff Lawton & Rhamis Kent et al. www.permacultureconsultants.com AUSTRALIA
John D. Liu & Willhem www.commonland.com NETHERLANDS, CHINA, USA
Shelter, Architecture and Engineering
MoreThanShelters / Daniel Kerber www.morethanshelters.org GERMANY
Jae Sabol / replicable city centre design / http://www.onecommunityglobal.org/ USA
Mr Teun van Sambeek www.peace-factory.org NETHERLANDS (adapt concept for naturally, locally sourced Hempcrete)
Michael Reynolds et al www.earthship.com USA
Mazlin Ghazali – Honeycomb housing http://tessellarhoneycomb.blogspot.de/ MALAYSIA
Architecture Sans Frontières International http://www.asfint.org/ FRANCE
Engineers Without Borders http://www.ingenieure-ohne-grenzen.org/ GERMANY
Energy Generation and Storage
Aquion Energy – Scalable (Home-Grid) Saltwater Battery Storage www.aquionenergy.com USA
Capstone Turbine – High electricity output micro-turbines, runs on Biogas/Methane www.capstoneturbine.com USA
Earthship Biotecture / long-life, wide-range vertical axis turbine www.earthship.com/vertical-axis-wind-power-generation-prototype USA
Other Renewable Energy Specialists, solar, hydro, geothermal etc.
People and Community Structures
Rosemary Morrow www.bluemountainspermacultureinstitute.com.au/about-us AUSTRALIA
Julia Bachler www.usepotential.com GERMANY
Other social innovators – e.g. see Ashoka Lists here.
Plus the entrants and designs resulting from UNHCR IKEA Foundation WDCD 2016 Refugee Challenge.
Where?
Sites that have been selected for refugee camps, formal / informal. Any suitable site, anywhere in the world. Existing refugee camps, and slums that can benefit from adaptation and amelioration.
Locations with high populations of displaced persons, e.g. areas of Kenya, Somalia, Jordan and Levant, Afghanistan etc. Post-Conflict zones where native population is returning / rebuilding.
