UrbanBuds ©

Design Academy Eindhoven Graduation Project

Todayʼs world cities are experiencing demographic changes with increased local populations. This demographic change includes the increase of different cultural backgrounds as well as the increased presence of foreigners in specific city areas.

The presence of numerous multiethnic groups brings very often to the constitution of neighborhoods and quarters characterized by a variegated identity. The formation of

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urban areas where different cultures are used to cohabit, collaborate and dialogue together, contributes to the affirmation of new communities.

As consequence, those communities very often become more active, present, and autonomous in these territories.

For this reason, aspects such as the conformation of an urban area, the activities proposed in its spaces, the involvement of citizens in its develop, and the reevaluation

of unused grounds, can massively contribute to the quality of relations between residents and their cultures. ‘UrbanBuds’ uses the concept of food as a sign of cultural identity.

In fact every person has his own taste and preferences in choosing the seeds to plant, but the very interesting thing about food concerns the aspect of personalization, since all the people involved in this type of activity visualize their personality through gardening.

The design of the project involves the metaphor of a suitcase as a symbol of cultural background. We all are use to say that wherever we move we bring with us our backpack of culture, background, our bag of experiences. The design takes influence from this picture and it transforms the products in movable suitcases, filled up with soil. Families can grow vegetables and fruit on each side of the bags: each one of them allows growing about thirty-six different plants, which can grow vertically along the fabric.

Unloved, left over, transit spaces, can become excellent opportunities to introduce this project to the inhabitants. People can transform those unused spaces in areas

completely dedicate to the socialization, where they can cultivate their own vegetable garden and contemporary meet new neighborhoods and create relationships.