EDIBLE PLACES: AGRICULTURE, CITIES AND DEVELOPMENT | EDEN, UK | 2009
This year for the annual summer school we looked at ‘greening’ the city using edible roofs and walls. We explored the strategic agenda around the development of sustainable built environments. We debated the possible nature of agricultural landscapes within urban contexts, and what these mean for architecture, urban design and planning for the future. We discussed green spaces, and how they should contribute towards productive landscapes into a framework of agendas including: economic, political and environmental, and their ramifications on each and every one of us, both at an individual and a societal level.
We had an inspiring talk from Howard Jones (Eden) about the many excellent programmes they run, lectures by Carolyn Steel (author of Hungry City), Adriana Allen (Senior Lecturer and Director of the MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development at the Development Planning Unit), Nadia Hillman (GROFUN), Sarah Ernst, Caroline Dewast and Mina Samagooei (ASF-UK). Jodie Giles (Eden) taught the principles of growing food in containers, explored participatory techniques to grow our own communities and learned about the main principles of green walls and roofs.
Participants then split into groups for the next two and a half days and after deciding on their ‘client’ from within the group they set about designing and building their perfect edible wall / roof. The groups planted frantically on the last day and then presented their final solutions to everybody at the Building Plot in the pouring rain. It was a great workshop with the whole team actively engaged and enthusiastic throughout, despite the crazy Cornish weather.
edible places 2: urban innovations for a food cycle 
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