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Simona Uzunova: Food City

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Food City envisions a new model for plant-based food production integrated within London’s green space network

Masterplan strategy of Clissold Park – a new model of food production, integrated in local ecologies and rooted in local communities
Ground level plan of the proposed educational facilities of Clissold Park, where various stages of the growing process are integrated with community facilities
Long section through education facilities, revealing the courtyard as a hidden garden
Cross-section through educational facilities. Aquaponics and greenhouse growing facilities, located internally to the walled garden [DOES THIS MEAN: facilities in the walled garden, ?JD] are surrounded by supporting facilities
Approach towards educational facilities. Green spaces turn into local hubs of various activities
The community kitchen turns into a social hub, where new interactions are promoted in the act of sharing a meal
Cross-section following the process of growing (right to left) – from seeds grown in workshops to fully grown greenhouse produce, and later – stored on site [NOT SURE OF MEANING HERE, THE TWO DASHES MAKE IT SEEM A SUBCLAUSE, IS IT?JD]
The courtyard turns into a hidden garden, where aquaponics, greenhouse and traditional growing take place and encourage curiosity

Goal & objective
Food City envisions a new model for plant-based food production integrated in London’s green space network. It aims to provide 30 per cent of London’s produce – enough to achieve self-sustainability.  The project develops as a closed-loop edible ecosystem, which respectfully intervenes with existing functions, supports the local community and is locally driven. 

Strategy
While the overall strategy anticipates turning London’s park spaces into fruitful landscapes, the project only focuses on Clissold Park as a testing ground for its theory. 

Clissold Park is established as a Food Forest – a concept driven by permaculture principles, which enable the symbiosis between nature and person-driven plant growth, while retaining the park’s existing functions as recreational ground. The proposal targets the educational prospect of the project by focusing on a contemporary approach to walled garden design, incorporating high-tech and traditional growing principles. These, supported by various facilities, create an enclosed food system, where products and by-products are distributed locally or reused in the process of food production. 

Impact
The project is a testing ground which has a global impact by potentially turning cities like London into self-sustainable establishments where people and nature exist in synchrony with the seasons. In addition, the new model could challenge the existing social fragmentation by bringing people together in pursuit of a common goal. 

Site location
Clissold Park, London Borough of Hackney, N16 9HJ 

Project size
24,760 sqft / 2,300sqm 

Client
Hackney Council

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