The Lombardy region of Italy contains one sixth of all the Italian population and is responsible for one third of the nation’s agricultural output, which makes it critical that the region continue to pump out food for the rest of the country without sacrificing land for residential, commercial or industrial uses. Taking this into account, the Architectural and Urban Forum challenged 12 designers to create a development that can support 25,000 inhabitants in a self-sustaining community that integrates agriculture into the layout of the city.
In Studio Shift’s proposal the arable land is raised up and bent towards the southern sky to improve solar gain, and a patchwork of crops are planted according to their solar and water needs. Plants that need drier soil are located up on the slope so that the extra water drains towards the bottom. Underneath the new ground plane exists a residential network of various-sized apartments, and beneath that is a commercial network with pathways that connect to the nearby transit lines. In the remaining spaces, gardens and public parks open up the area for pleasure and recreation.
As populations expand cities will have to increase their density, and farmland will need to increase output to adequately provide food for everyone. A sponsored exhibition by the Architectural and Urban Forum (AUFO) of Milan asked 12 firms to imagine how increased density could be achieved while providing more public space and agriculture to support a growing Milan. Studio Shift’s proposal, Milano Stadt Krone, suggests that residences and an urban farm can be layered on top of each other, working…
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The residential and agricultural system allows for a self-sustaining community of 25,000 people where food can be produced within the dense urban fabric.
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Studio Shift’s proposal is one of twelve proposals that seek to find a way to fit a total of 300,000 people into the city and still provide enough food for them.
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A side elevation of the residential/agricultural system, which consists of apartments, an agricultural plane, a commercial area and a network of paths connecting to transit lines.
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The agricultural plane is raised up to create a new ground plane and sloped towards the south for better solar gain and water control.
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Plants are arranged in a patchwork grid based on how much sun and water they need. Plants that need drier, more drained soil are located up the slope, so the excess water drains away towards plants that need more.
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A diagram depicting the various programs and their hierarchy in the development.
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The location of the project with relationship to nearby transit lines.
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The new project would take up a larger area and significantly increase the city’s density.
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Interior paths, strands and nodes for access to transit lines and commerce.
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