UW LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE | LARCH 404 STUDIO | AUTUMN 2024 | GOULD 312 | MWF 1:30-5:20 PM
growing food + community: youth urban agriculture as resilience faculty: Associate Professor Julie Johnson, PLA, ASLA
CLEAN GREENS YOUTH GARDEN VISIONS | AUTUMN 2024 This UWLA 404 studio addressed design of urban agriculture that centers youth learning and agency to advance food justice and resilience in a changing climate. Landscape Architecture undergraduate and graduate students worked with two nonprofits that engage BIPOC youth in growing food and learning in community—Clean Greens, with their youth garden at Amy Yee Tennis Center; and iUrban Teen, with their youth garden at Rainier Community Center—both of which hold potentials to expand their gardens. The Landscape Architecture students’ diverse visions serve as catalysts for community conversations towards what may be next steps in the Clean Greens Youth Garden.
This document contains the students’ proposals for Clean Greens Youth Garden at Amy Yee Tennis Center. Clean Greens’ interest in expanding their current garden at this site framed the studio’s design focus—imagining alternative futures broadly and boldly as well as more immediate, incremental changes that groups can undertake themselves. The studio’s iterative process included: visiting the sites and meeting with Youth Garden and UFS leaders; exploring local precedent gardens with leaders of those gardens; design charrette; design workshop with garden leaders and others; mid-review presentations with faculty, design professionals, and site leaders; and December 4 open house/final presentations at Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands Classroom Building that engaged design professionals, gardeners, and youth with the students’ ideas. Our December 4 project presentations afforded us the opportunity to share design ideas with and learn from youth from the Rainier Beach High School Garden Club and children from Emerald City Commons. Youth Garden leaders, RBUFW and Bradner Gardens Park leaders, and design professionals also joined in conversations and feedback. This exuberant, energized afternoon with children, youth, and others provided diverse insights on the ideas shown on the students’ posters and videos, and how design can engage all in the possibilities of more just and resilient futures. We appreciate all who shared insights and feedback in our Clean Greens’ Youth Garden design process, including: Christina Chambers, Clean Greens Farm & Market Brione Scott, Clean Greens Farm & Market Paris Yates, Seattle Parks & Recreation Urban Food Systems (UFS) Manager Montez McGee, Seattle Parks & Recreation Urban Food Systems (UFS) staff Jess Chandler, 21 Acres Farm Sasha Crawford, UW MLA student, UW Farm staff rich desanto, Haddad|Drugan and UW Landscape Architecture affiliate faculty Joyce Moty, Bradner Gardens Park Aaron Parker, HBB Landscape Architecture Maggie Rickman, Tilth Alliance James Wohlers, Traction Design + Action + Research Vincent Javet, UW Landscape Architecture Assistant Teaching Professor Eli Wheat, UW Program on the Environment Associate Teaching Professor + UW Farm Advisory Committee co-chair