produce (mushrooms and root vegetables)
permaculture park and water basin
district administration COMMUNITY FORUM
green playground & exchange platform
decisions about urban development and investment
pedestrianized roads 40% energy sourced from renewable sources
investment fund reduced energy bills and environmental impact
Any sustainable development should consider all social, economy and environmental subtle balances and that is why a holistic approach is needed: one in which all systems are considered. Furthermore, sustainability is not a matter of fact, a stable scheme, but a dynamic and always changing set of relationships between different agents, interests and developments. Sustainability is a forum, a collective parliament. That is why this last project, a kind of summary collage of students’ ideas, places an hypothetical community forum at its center. A community forum able to take and lead decisions out of a close dialogue with district administration on the following array of parameters: Energy. The promotion of the active use of rooftops through the installation of solar panels and ventilation turbines would decrease the dependency of external energy sources and improve the thermal behavior of Buenavista’s built environment. Food. Green spaces can be productive. The implementation of permaculture activities in all green spaces would not only provide for the production of local food and local economy (local produce being sold at local markets), but it would improve also the ecological awareness and the sense of belonging. Water. A distributed network of water basins for rain collection at each block and an artificial lake for the
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60% cooling controlled by air flow from vertical axis turbine
permaculture park would not only feed the food cycle but also improve Buenavista’s microclimate (reducing the heat island effect) and increase biodiversity. Matter. Local upcycling and repurpusing, rather than waste disposal, would reinforce community links. Public space equipped with furniture made out of repurposed materials would promote these set of strategies and could act as a local urban brand. Mobility. Transforming the inner spaces into gardened and pedestrianized roads, combined with a parking ring border and with the promotion of electric bikes and public transportation networks (Carabanchel Alto metro and bus lines) would help to reactivate the relation between housing and public spaces. Safe-space for children, all-age playgrounds and gymnasiums could be installed promoting a healthy life. Community. An exchange platform for goods and services, the management of a collective fund for slow but steady block improvements, the collectivization of permaculture activities and its relation with local markets, all these activities reinforce and promote the creation of new jobs for maintenance and management. But they also improve the sense of community, affect the way we relate with each other and with the environment we inhabit and, at last, improve the sense of place and the quality of life.
