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During WWI and WWII, a government propaganda strategy became a moral buster during these harsh years for the communities of the allied countries. Under the name “Victory Gardens”, the plan Aimed to alleviate the shortage of vegetables supplies in the urban areas- since big part of the production was being destined for the soldiers across the Atlantic- by encouraging the residents of urban areas to plant their on vegetables in their front gardens. With the slogan “Our food is fighting”, this represented the citizen’s involvement in the war and the program was originally referred to as War Gardens. The strategy was highly effective and gained great popularity in the US, Canada and Great Britain. In fact, at the highest production period, the Victory Gardens produced 40% of the vegetables consumed nationally. By the end of WWII, the interest in the gardens and the production declined dramatically, even though there was still a shortage of vegetable supplies in the urban areas.

Today, our necessities are different, and the war we are fighting is not against a totalitarian regime threatening our freedom and forcing us to make collective sacrifices. Today’s fight is about statistics and the struggle to adjust to our future reality. The cold numbers tell us that by 2050 75% of the world population will be living in the cities, and we must take the statistics seriously when we read in the papers that every day 100,000 Chinese migrate from rural areas to urban centers. This situation is a disproportion which will threaten our food supply in a near future. It is essential that we start planning the infrastructure of the future in order to restore the balance and to truly make these megalopolises sustainable in all aspects. Part of the solution might very well be to fully integrate the old idea of the Victory Gardens into the urban fabric.

Some steps are already being taken. Not only are the Victory Gardens coming back in all different forms and shapes across America, but also the urban farm is transcending the front yard scale to transform itself into parks and public spaces of great influence in the communities were they are located. This is the case of Shelby Farms in Memphis, Tennessee in the US. In this proposal, Field Operations juxtaposes contemporary amenities over the site’s agricultural history to create an urban park 5 times the size of New York’s Central Park with a rural backdrop.

Across the Ocean, the urban farm takes an even more influential stand. Valencia is one of the fasters growing cities in Spain and it has already expanded well beyond its medieval walls. Even though this growth has brought along progress and has definitely placed Valencia on the map, it has also created social problems that required immediate attention. The region surrounding the old Valencia was land of work for small farmers whose crops represented a large part of the local food production. The local government became conscious of the situation and began to seek for solutions. This inspired the emergence of Sociopolis. Currently under construction, this project aiming to insert farming in an urban context as part of green space and also as part of an urban strategy to integrate a lost tradition providing work in a sustainable community.

Whether the Victory Gardens will transform the landscape of our cities remains to be seen, but perhaps what is clear is that the problems caused by the massive transformation the urban centers are undergoing, due in part to mass migration, can be resolved through innovative solution. And these solutions are contributing to reach social sustainability above all.

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© 2008 we have NO VISION.