New Zealand architect, Tim Stephens, shared his Huntington Urban Farm design with us. The farm responds to the lack of support for the sustainable practice of growing and cultivating one’s own food source, an important issue Stephens sees as becoming more prevalent as our population increases. The farm provides convenient access to individualized plots of land where users can produce their own food right in the middle of the town.
Located close to the town’s public library, church and nursery, the Urban Farm project is comprised of farmable plots of different sizes to suit individual users/small families. ”In providing these farming plots for the community to use, the precinct will become a hub for social activity and interaction, something sorely missing in many existing communities,” explained Stephens.
This farm is viewed as a model that can be integrated into existing communities on other sites in different Long Island townships. Within this particular design, the farm includes winding paths and changing levels to provide a “sense of adventure and discovery as one moves through the precinct.” Stephens sees the design as promoting social interaction, especially with its converging paths which can lead users to happen upon one another while walking through the garden.
“The Huntington Urban Farm is to pave the way for fresh thinking in terms of how communities interact with each other and how a common, productive bond can be achieved through sustainable practices,” added Stephens.
