thesis final pres short

Megan Braley and Victoria PerezThe University of the ArtsMasters of Industrial DesignGraduate Thesis

Growlots PhiladelphiaIntegrative Development for Philadelphia’s Urban Agriculture Movement

This thesis proposes that the design process of observation, research, and interviewing, can be used to prototype and implement a system that enables communication and transparency for members of the urban agriculture movement.

Thesis Statement

Context Research Proposal & Development

Addressing A Wicked Problem

Agri-Food System

Farmers, Processors, Packagers, Distributors, Vendors, Consumers

Philadelphia’s Urban Agriculture Movement

Nonprofits, Growers, Local Government

Context Research

- Philadelphia Healthy Food Network, Joanna Holsten RN, MS< http://www.philadelphiahealthyfoodnetwork.org/>

-Issues on Evaluating Food Crisis Warning Systems, Bruce Currey-The Flinders University of South Australia < http://www.unu.edu/unupress/food/8F062e/8F062E06.GIF>

Proposal & Development

Wicked Problems

Concept Developed by Horst Rittel - 1973,Building Shared Understanding of Wicked Problems. 2006. CogNexus, 9 Apr 2010. <http://cognexus.org/id42.htm>

Any problem, “for which each attempt to create a solution changes the understanding of the problem.” Wicked problems, or complex problems, often affect systems because they are made up of many intertwined components.


Context Research

Observing a Problem

Researching History

Working withStakeholders

Re-Analyzing the Problem

Applying Key Concepts

Examining Models

Verifying with Stakeholders Strategizing

a Plan

Developing the Proposal

Thesis ProcessProposal & Development

1. The Treaty of Penn with the Indians, Benjamin West, Oil on Canvas, 1771-72< http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Treaty_of_Penn_with_Indians_by_Benjamin_West.jpg>2. A View in the Kensington Mill District, Public Ledger Photo, c. 1870 - 1920< http://www.workshopoftheworld.com/kensington/kensington_files/page3_1.jpg>3. Southwest Philadelphia, 20th Street, < http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/428757794_690ca5048e.jpg>

“A Country Green Towne”

Workshops of the World

Deindustrialization Food Access Points Minimized

Local Food Movement Rises

Philadelphia’s Food HistoryContext Research

1673 1880 - 1920 1950 1960 1970


EERG NSGROWF A R M S

Saul Agricultural High School

N G A

H

H

H

H

2000 2010Mariposa

FoodCo-op73

74PHILADEPHIA

GREEN

PENN T TEAS1 8 5 576

83

86

87N G A

S AREH

84

88

PHI LA BUNDAN EC

FOX CHASEFARM

92

94

98

weaverswaycoop-FARM

SPI NF A R M I N G R

01

THEMILLCREEKTHEMILLCREEKFARMFARM05

10

09

08

WYCKHOMEFARM

FairmountPark

GROWERSALLIANCE

500

99

Farm to City

common market

1970 1980

73weaverswaycoop-

1990White Dog

Cafe

MostGardens 00

00

07

1960 60

CoopExtensionProgram50

CommunityGardensDevelop

53

19504319401800 27

08

PUFN

MAYOR’S OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

07

Grower Education BusinessFood Shed Government Collaboration

Constant Growth With Limited ResourcesContext Research Proposal & Development

How do I sell food?

No grantsthis month.

Can I growfood here?

People slowme down.

Money is tight.

I can’t finishanything!

I alwaysneed money.

How can Ido my work?

Who do I talk to?

Consolidateeveryone.

Must write new policies.

I’m tired of this process.

SellMore Food!

Food Security!

GrowMore Food!

Food Access!

Food Culture!

NutritionEducation!

HealthyEating!

HealthierCity!

EatMore Food!

Vacant land use!

Beautify the City!

HealthierCity!

Realities of Sustaining Your EffortsInitial Excitement

Competition Over Limited ResourcesContext Research Proposal & Development

Participatory design is a process that involves all stakeholders to create the most relevant solution.

“It assumes that workers (the user/client) themselves are in the best position to determine how to improve their work and their work life.”

Participatory Design: Principles and Practices by Douglas Schuler and Aki Namioka

Interviewing: Participatory DesignContext Research Proposal & Development

NonProfits Growers Government

“There are turf wars between nonprofitsbecause missions overlap.”

“It would be nice to know what people are doing, to share resources, get physical help, and share ideas.”

“The food system is very complicated, it’s a multidisciplinary problem so it needs a multidisciplinary solution.”

Interviewing The Stakeholders


1. The system is not seen as a whole.

2. Present efforts are not coordinated between organizations.

3. Progress is slow because the future plans of the stakeholder groups do not align.

Synthesizing Data: Key ProblemsContext Research Proposal & Development

• “2,010 gardens by 2010” slogan

• Government, Nonprofits, and Growers actively developing “growing guidelines” together

• 44% of residents grow a portion of their own food

Seattle: Model of CommunicationVancouver: Model of Collaboration

• Clear categories

• Information builds through exploring the website

• Distinct identity for the movement

Studying Other CitiesContext Research Proposal & Development

Shaping Strategy, To redefine the terms of competition ... through a positive galvanizing message that promises to benefits to all who adopt the new terms.

Communicative Action, Communicating free of manipulation so that the conversation is open and transparent

Organizational Effectiveness, The extent to which an organization has met its stated goals and objectives ... how well it performed in the process.

Coordinated Action, The action of agents involved are not egocentric but based on the reaching an understanding.

1. Shaping Strategy in a World of Constant Disruption. Harvard Business Review. Hagel, John III, et. al. Oct. 20082. A Challenge to Traditional Economic Assumptions: Applying the Social Theory of Communicative Action to Governance in the Third Sector”. Millar, M. E. and Abraham, A . 2006.3. The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation. Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness, Research Brief. 20074.A Challenge to Traditional Economic Assumptions: Applying the Social Theory of Communicative Action to Governance in the Third Sector”. Millar, M. E. and Abraham, A . 2006.

Key Findings From Literature ReviewsContext Research Proposal & Development

Power of Coordinated EffortContext Research

• The ability to put WHAT is being accomplished before WHO is contributing the work.

• Acknowledging all tools and resources presently available to a group so that future steps are not redundant.


• Mapping according to organizational alliances

• Mapping funding relationships from national, state, and city providers.

Mapping RelationshipsContext Research Proposal & Development

White DogCafe Farm to City


THEMILLCREEKTHEMILLCREEKFARMFARM

weaverswaycoop-FARM

MariposaFood

Co-op

Greening Education and Resources

Farmer’s MarketSupport

Food Distribution

Support

Nutrition Education

Campaigning

GrowingWith

Youths

Farm Start-UpSupport

Equal Market

Opportunity

Farmer Skill

Development

SustainableFarming Model

Current Organizational Hierarchy

Setting Reputations Aside

White DogCafe Farm to City


THEMILLCREEKTHEMILLCREEKFARMFARM

weaverswaycoop-FARM

MariposaFood

Co-op

Greening Education and Resources

Farmer’s MarketSupport

Food Distribution

Support

Nutrition Education

Campaigning

GrowingWith

Youths

Farm Start-UpSupport

Equal Market

Opportunity

Farmer Skill

Development

SustainableFarming Model

Start-Up Support

GreeningEducation and

Resources

NutritionEducation

Campaigning

SkillDevelopment

Networking

FoodDistribution

Support

SustainableModels

GrowingWith

Youths

Market Support

Equilibriumcreating a need-based system

Equalizing the ResourcesRemoving Names

Strategic Plan of ActionContext Research Proposal & Development

Cataloging Philadelphia’s ResourcesContext Research Proposal & Development

Investigative ActivitiesContext Research

NEWS

I N T E G R A T I V EDEVELOPMENT

We started our graduate thesis three weeks ago, and have been focused on defining the connections between non-for-profits, businesses and municipal departments involved in urban agriculture initiatives. Our process for defining these relationships has been to interview many of you. We have asked you what you think needs to happen to transform the urban agricultural movement into a cohesive, effective system.

Many opinions have been voiced. Some of you believe that with more public interest, the local government would be forced to change the zoning codes and land ownership laws necessary to expand the available farmland in the city. Others believe that there is a lack of defined leadership, which is needed to organize all of the individual efforts. While the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Office of Sustainability are now in charge of enforcing the food equity goals of GreenWorks Plan, many feel that it has been difficult for the government to take on these responsibilities because non-for-profits and community-based businesses have been addressing them for so long. Some of you believe that it would help the movement if there were a better-established meeting place for collaboration and the exchange of ideas to take place. Others have voiced a need for a general inventory of the available resources including: land, people, tools, events, etc, while there also seems to be a bit of confusion about the ability to garden/farm on park lands and if money can or should be made from public property.

We are processing all of your perspectives in an attempt to reconcile your needs. We hope to align them with our goal of using design to “make sense of things” in order to help the urban agriculture movement develop into a cohesive, effective system, that will enable the production of more affordable, healthy food for all of Philadelphia.

Making Sense of Things

We have enjoyed working with all of you and would like to thank you for all of the information and feedback you have given us to this point, and we hope that you will continue to voice your opinions.

Please be on the look out for our next newsletter coming February 26th and for up-to-the-minute activity visit our blog:

www.lovephillylocalfood.wordpress.com

Newsletter & Blog

Broadcasting Information to Large Groups

Collaborative Forum

Face to Face Meetings with Stakeholders

Urban Agri-Finder Book

A How-To Instructional Guide on Various Urban

Agricultural Actions


DesigningGrowlots Philadelphia


Choosing A Basic TemplateContext Research Proposal & Development

Editing CSS Code


Measuring Visual DevelopmentsContext Research Proposal & Development

Growlots PhiladelphiaContext Research Proposal & Development

Context Research

Choosing a CategoryProposal & Development

Choosing a CategoryContext Research Proposal & Development

Choosing a Resource


Connecting to External WebsitesContext Research Proposal & Development

Context Research

Connecting to External WebsitesProposal & Development

Context Research

Becoming a MemberProposal & Development

Context Research

Adding New ResourcesProposal & Development

Context Research

Connecting With PeersProposal & Development

Tool for Growers

Tool for Nonprofitsand Government

Connects gardeners and farmers to resources that are available to help them work more efficiently.

• Maps• Guides• Classes• Supplies

Connects nonprofits and government to themselves and each other by showing what resources they are offering city growers.

• Reduces Redundancy• Emphasizes Missing Resources

Context Research

Growlots PhiladelphiaProposal & Development

Context Research

The Roles of AdministratorsProposal & Development

• Act as contacts for each stakeholder group.

• Approve New Members based on the New Membership Form.

• Monitor the addition of resources.

Sarah WuThe Office of Sustainability

Nic EspositoPhiladelphia Urban Farm

Network

Paul GloverPhiladelphia Orchard

Project

Context Research

Tracking Website VisitorsProposal & Development

Context Research

Monitoring Registered UsersProposal & Development

Context Research

Garden Party, Website LaunchProposal & Development

• Keep in contact with stakeholder groups to receive feedback on the website’s usability.

• Propose that the Food Policy Council be responsible for acting as administrators for the website.

• Continue to refine the content management system to further communication in Philadelphia’s urban agriculture movement.

Context Research

Directions for Future ResearchProposal & Development

thesis final pres short

Design

vacant food

food crisis

growmore food

knowthe food system

limited resources food

eatwho domore food

wicked problem issues

ms http