Rethink-Reuse Series: The Recession’s Secret Garden

The following post comes courtesy of Global Site Plans' The Grid. CNU and Global Site Plans recently teamed up to syndicate Grid content, as its contingent of writers presents a view on the opportunities and issues of urbanization all across the world. CNU will carry select posts from the Grid direct on the CNU Salons.

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As a child in elementary school, you become subjected to such plays on words as rethink, reuse, and recycle. To you, as a child, it is fascinating and mind-numbing how the words work together. As the years fade though, so does the fascination with this play on words. Your once favorite buzz word recess has been replaced with recession. Faulted by the recession, property owners, commercial and residential, are abandoning their properties in striking numbers. Is it possible that channeling our inner child could help urban planners rethink and reuse these standing creatures?

Rethink: How Do We See Deserted Buildings?

In 2003, artist Anna Schuleit completed Project Bloom for the public in which she planted 28,000 flowers in an abandoned mental hospital. As with most artists, there was a message soaked within the subject of her exhibition. Art is meant to be thought provoking and challenge the core of us all, to present new and great ideas.

Could there possibly be a longer lasting use for Project Bloom? Like many other towns in the United Kingdom, Nottingham is riddled with abandoned buildings.When considering the benefits of greenhouses, the idea of converting abandoned buildings in Nottingham should not be overlooked.

ReUse: Putting Nottingham’s Abandoned Buildings To Greater Use

Benefits:

• Become self-sustaining: Self-sufficient food markets will began to take prominence in the community, leading to a healthier society, leading to a reduced cost for health care;

• Educate the public: Public greenhouses can serve as places for green education; residents will quickly adjust to environmental changes andsustainability mandates;

• Hire the homeless: The greenhouses will need laborers. By hiring the homeless, Nottingham would be taking a firm stance on homelessness.

By introducing such a movement, Nottingham would make strong strides in its push for sustainability. Doing so will also give the community greater resources.Highly informed residents will help accelerate the city’s plans to reach itssustainability goals, because of their increased knowledge and interest in environmental issues.

How could a concept such as this transform your city?

To read the original post, written by Michael Jenkins, visit Global Site Plans.