NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology Faculty of Architecture and Design Department of Design
Nora Karita BakkeRedesigning urban wasted spaces for sustainable food activities in T
Nora Karita Bakke
Redesigning urban wasted spaces for sustainable food activities in
Trondheim
Master’s thesis in Industrial Design Supervisor: Ida Nilstad Pettersen Co-supervisor: Ferne Edwards June 2021
Master ’s thesis
Nora Karita Bakke
Redesigning urban wasted spaces for sustainable food activities in
Trondheim
Master’s thesis in Industrial Design Supervisor: Ida Nilstad Pettersen Co-supervisor: Ferne Edwards June 2021
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Redesigning urban wasted spaces for sustainable food
activities in Trondheim
2
4th of June, 2021
Nora K. Bakke
PREFACE
This master thesis was written at the Department of Design at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Spring 2021. The thesis is for anyone interested in topics related to design and urban development.
At first, I would like to thank my two supervisors, Ida Nilstad Pettersen and Ferne Edwards, for guidance consisting of thorough feedback and pieces of advice throughout the semester. Furthermore, I would like to thank everyone who participated in interviews, workshops, and discussions and shared their experiences and views.
User involvement has been an essential part of this master thesis. At last, I would like to thank family, friends, and fellow students for motivation, inspiration, and support throughout the project.
Thank you!
4
ABSTRACT
Background
Cities are becoming more urbanized, crowded, and overpopulated, increasing the importance of reconceptualizing and making use of the limited space in innovative ways that can benefit the environment and society. Wasted spaces can be defined as a space in a city that appears meaningless as it has no attributed function (Doron, 2000). Highlighting and identifying the potential and opportunities of wasted spaces in cities can open up the range of possible sustainable activities in underused city spaces. Establishing sustainable activities can add value to the city and citizens, promote a better economy, and preserve the environment for future generations.
AimThe master thesis aims to identify a wasted urban space in Trondheim and explore how to transform it into a space for valuable, sustainable food activities that can help support a more sustainable city.
Methods and process
The master thesis follows a human- centered process following the Double Diamond design model and principles from Service Design Thinking and the Place diagram. In the initial part of the thesis, human-centered design methods combined with literature and desk research contributed to obtain insight and examine wasted spaces and sustainable food activities in Trondheim.
To structure the information gained in the Discover phase, I identified key aspects and developed models in an analysis. The analysis resulted in
defining and deciding the wasted space.
I conducted methods, such as desk research, observations, workshops, a survey, and interviews, to form a thorough understanding and analysis of the selected space and the users.
The findings lay the basis for the defined vision, constraints, and the generated ideas. The users' input, views, and perspectives and the physical environment and qualities of the urban wasted space resulted in a final concept.
Result
The final result is a sustainable concept for the wasted space underneath the Elgeseter bridge in Trondheim. The concept aims to influence or change people's negative associations to the space, add value for the city and citizens and bring people together and closer to Nidelva after nightfall and in bad weather.
The concept is developed as a suggestion for Trondheim municipality to redesign and transform a public urban wasted space for sustainable activities. The findings, approach, and suggestions presented can also be used for other wasted spaces in Trondheim and other cities. In addition, as an inspiration for city planners and other people finding the topic interesting. As urbanization has made cities denser and created a lack of public spaces, it is essential to highlight the potential and opportunities of wasted spaces (Vandecasteele et.al., 2019).
ABSTRACT
6
SAMMENDRAG
Bakgrunn
Byer blir stadig tettere befolket på grunn av urbanisering, og dermed øker viktigheten av å rekonseptualisere og bruke de urbane områdene på innovative måter som gagner miljøet og samfunnet. Lite brukte byrom kan defineres som byrom som ikke har noen tilskrevet funksjon og mening (Doron, 2000). Å fremheve og identifisere potensialet til byrom som er ubrukt og glemt bort kan åpne for muligheten for bærekraftige aktiviteter i urbane områder. Etablering av bærekraftige aktiviteter kan øke levestandaren til innbyggerne, fremme en bedre økonomi og bevare miljøet for fremtidige generasjoner.
MålMålet med masteroppgaven er å identifisere et lite brukt byrom i Trondheim. Videre å utforske hvordan det gjennom etablering av bærekraftige mataktiviteter kan gi større verdi for byen og befolkningen, og bidra til et mer bærekraftig Trondheim.
Metoder og prosess
Masteroppgaven følger en menneskesentrert prosess og baserer
seg på designmodellen, "Double
fokuserer på.
Jeg gjennomførte metoder som litteratursøk, observasjoner, workshops, en spørreundersøkelse og intervjuer for å danne en grundig forståelse og analyse av det valgte rommet og brukerne. Funnene la grunnlaget for utvikling av en visjon, begrensninger for oppgaven og idémyldringen. Brukernes innspill, synspunkter, perspektiver, samt begrensingene satt av det fysiske miljøet, resulterte i et endelig konsept til det valgte byrommet.
Resultat
Det endelige resultatet er et bærekraftig konsept for området under Elgeseter bru i Trondheim. Målet med konseptet er å påvirke eller endre folks negative assosiasjoner til områder under broer, øke livskvaliteten til Trondheims innbyggere og å bringe folket sammen og nærmere Nidelva når det er mørkt og i dårlig vær.
Konseptet er et forslag til Trondheim kommune for hvordan redesigne et offentlig urbant rom til bærekraftige aktiviteter. Funnene, prosessen og forslagene som presenteres kan også brukes til andre lite brukte byrom i
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CONTENT
3 Preface 4 Abstract 7 Sammendrag 10 INTRODUCTION 12 Project description 14 Background 16 Sustainability 18 Timeline
20 Ethical considerations
22 METHODOLOGY & METHODS 24 Introduction
32 My process 34 DISCOVER 1 36 Introduction
38 Sustainable food activities
40 Sustainable food activities in Trondheim
42 Exploited wasted spaces 44 Svartlamoen - Guided tour 46 Free Fridge - Interview 48 Housing cooperative - Interview & observation 50 Kneiken - Observation 52 Reflection
54 Conclusion 56 Urban wasted spaces 58 Underground
60 Above ground 62 Vertical
64 Interstitial spaces 66 Ground level
68 Trondheim municipality 70 Conclusion
72 ANALYSIS - DISCOVER 1 74 Introduction
76 Overview 78 Mapping
80 Future goals of Trondheim municipality
82 DEFINE - WASTED SPACE 84 Introduction
88 Underneath the Elgeseter bridge 90 Mapping as analysis
92 Conclusion
94 DISCOVER 2 - ASSESSING THE SPACE
96 Introduction
98 What makes a successful public space?
101 Research
104 Physical environment 106 Technical drawings 108 Climate
110 Facilities around the space 114 Nidelva
116 Meeting point 118 The history 120 Observation 122 Lights 124 The people
126 Survey
132 Workshop - Students 134 Workshop - Neighbors 136 Asynchronous workshop - Neighbors
138 Interview - NTNUI rowing
and paddling
140 Interview - Parish priest 142 On the street
146 ANALYSIS - DISCOVER 2 148 Introduction
150 Evaluating the space 152 Elements
154 Key takeaways 158 Conclusion
160 DEFINE - FOCUS AREA
162 Introduction 164 Elements 168 Conclusion 170 Reflection 172 DEVELOP 174 Introduction 176 Collect ideas 178 Categorize ideas 180 Visualize ideas
182 Connect ideas to analysis 184 Selection
186 EVALUATING IDEAS 188 Intoduction
190 New material 192 Examples 194 Elements 196 Conclusion 198 Outdoor cinema
200 Elvelangs 2015 - Interview 202 Kosmorama - interview 204 Elements
206 Conclusion 208 Public barbeque
210 Map 212 Elements 214 Conclusion 216 DELIVER
218 Introduction 220 The concept
222 Seasons and climatic conditions 224 Implementation
226 Why redesign the space?
244 REFERENCES 252 APPENDIX
10
INTRODUCTION
12
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Motivation
I chose this project because I am interested in sustainable design and wish to work with this when I finish my studies. I also found the topic of the project interesting as it highlights a growing problem in overpopulated and urbanized cities worldwide. The master thesis focuses on wasted urban spaces in Trondheim. Nevertheless, the results can be transformed and implemented to other cities. The impact a solution could have on society, and the environment, and the magnitude of the problem inspired me to pursue this project.
Plan
At the beginning of the project, I decided on my design methodology. The principles, practices, and procedures of the design methodology was used as the basis for the timeline that was followed throughout the project. The timeline worked as guidance to set milestones and deadlines along the way (p. 18).
Supervision
Throughout the project, I had two supervisors. Dr. Ferne Edwards with a background in cultural anthropology and other disciplines such as geography, design, health, and planning. Additionally, she has specialized in research regarding sustainable cities, food systems, and social change. My second supervisor was Dr. Ida Nilstad Pettersen. She has a Ph.D. in Industrial Design, specializing in sustainable design. I had supervision with both of them throughout the semester (approximately every two
weeks).
First project description
In the initial project description, the focus was to establish a sustainable food activity in a wasted space in Trondheim. After the Discover phase of my thesis work, I decided to define the wasted space, and further assess the selected space to investigate suitable sustainable food activities.
Here I first examined the user and physical limitations and qualities of the space before setting constraints and determining the activities that might succeed. Through this assessment phase, I discovered that food activities were not compatible with the chosen wasted space. That conclusion resulted in a change of focus. Instead of evaluating the narrow target to use the room for sustainable food activities, I decided to evaluate all sustainable activities that could be suited for this wasted space. That broadened the range of opportunities and alternatives for the space. It is essential to first examine the user, physical limitations and qualities of a space before setting constraints and determining the activities that might succeed.
One aspect of the initial project description was not included in the master thesis. In the analysis, I mention the question, "How does social media affect urban food activities?"
This aspect of the project was not emphasized as I do not consider it relevant for my stakeholder, Trondheim municipality. Other than that, the rest of the aspects of the project description are included in the thesis.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
14
BACKGROUND
The original master thesis' aim was to redesign a wasted space for sustainable food activities. Why redesign urban wasted spaces and why do it for sustainable food? And why activities?
The following paragraphs explain the background of the chosen topics of the master thesis.
Why redesign urban wasted spaces?
Urban wasted spaces are all around and a part of people's everyday urban life. The term is referred to in various ways, such as 'dead zones', 'urban voids' 'nothingness' 'terrain vagues' 'wastelands' 'parafunctional space' 'non-places' and so on (Augé, 1995;
Doron, 2000; Shaw & Hudson, 2009).
The terms all refer to a space in the city that appears meaningless as it has no attributed function (Doron, 2000).
Humans are social beings. Therefore, it is essential to design urban spaces, so they add value to the city and citizens.
It can be a place where people meet, form friendships, or share an activity.
As cities become more urbanized and crowded, the need for making use of the wasted, unnoticed, and forgotten spaces in the city increases.
If that is done according to the views and perspectives of the people and community, it is more likely to succeed and improve the quality and well-being of the citizens and to become an asset in the city (Jagannath, 2016).
Why sustainable food?
'Sustainable food' means that one covers the current need for food without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their needs (Øvstebø, 2020). Furthermore, sustainable food production methods do not pollute, are economically friendly, safe for society, and conserve natural resources (Eufic, 2015).
It is estimated that the world population will increase to 9.1 billion by 2050, and food production has to increase accordingly (up to 70 %) (Eufic, 2015). Consequently, it is necessary to use more land for food production and produce more using less land (Eufic, 2015). In this context, the aim is to use wasted urban spaces for sustainable food activities. That will contribute to keeping up with the growing need for more sustainable food production.
Why activities?
The term 'activities' is used in the context, 'sustainable food.' An activity is defined as "the situation in which a lot of things are happening or people are moving around." (Cambridge dictionary, n.p.). Sustainable food does not occur by itself. There has to be a happening or someone acting. By introducing a sustainable food activity in an urban area, many people may observe, surround, or participate in the activity. As a result, the citizens might become more aware of sustainable food, how it can be done, and maybe find themself getting involved and engaged in the activity.
Conclusion
Making use of urban wasted spaces for sustainable food activities is necessary to keep up with the growing need for more food production. In addition,
BACKGROUND
introducing sustainable food activities in an urban space may also create awareness and engage citizens regarding the necessity of improving food production.
16
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is a broad discipline and a contested term (Giddings et al., 2002).
The understanding and use of the term sustainability differs according to a persons' and organizations' worldview and perception of the concept. In this section, I will explain the term and how it is used in this master thesis.
That is to clarify and create a shared understanding of the term.
Sustainability is often explained through the use of three pillars - 'economy,' 'society' and 'nature' (Keyserlingk et al., 2013). The first pillar, 'nature,' includes preserving natural resources and the environment for future generations.
The second pillar, 'society,' involves the social well-being and the welfare of the community and individuals. It focuses on balancing the needs of individuals with the needs of the community. To fulfill the last pillar, 'economy,' it requires resources to be managed efficiently, cost-effectively, and responsibly to be used on a long-term basis.
There are two common conceptions for sustainability, 'weak sustainability' and 'strong sustainability.' Weak sustainability supports "the idea that as long as natural capital is manufactured into something with the equivalent capital value, it can be used without constraint." (Ecosystemsunited, 2015, n.p.). Thus, human-made capital can be replaced with natural capital. The view also supports that new technology will generate solutions to the environmental issues caused by consumption and production (Ekins et al., 2003). On the contrary, strong sustainability believes in preserving and protecting existing
natural capital, which cannot be replaced by any other capital (Barua &
Khataniar, 2016). Strong sustainability emphasizes nature over the economy and society (see figure on the right).
In this master thesis, the final concept must cover all three pillars to classify as sustainable. Weak sustainability does not account for that not all natural capital can be replaced (for example, the ozone layer) (Ecosystemsunited, 2015). Hence, I have chosen to follow the aspects of strong sustainability - human-made and natural capital are complementary and cannot be substituted (Huang, 2018). Even though the final concept results in the total amount of capital stock not decreasing, it will not be sustainable if the environment is not assured.
To operationalize the final concept, I have included some principles in the methodology focusing on creating sustainable solutions (p. 24).
SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
NATURE ECONOMY
SOCIETY
Weak sustainability (Ahuerma et.al., 2019, p. 7)
NATURE
SOCIETY
18
JANUARY
Decide and define project.
Discover: Literature and desk research.
Discover: Contact relevant stakeholders. Interviews, visits,
observation. Analyse. Map.
Define: Workshops. Surveys.
Interviews. Analyse. Map.
TIMELINE
FEBRUARY
MARCH
Define: Workshops. Surveys.
Interviews. Analyse. Map.
APRIL
Develop: Brainstorming.
Idea generation.
MAY
JUNE
Elaborate and iterate concept.
Finalize concept.
Deliver.
Reflection and contribution.
20
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
The master thesis involved examining and interviewing people. Therefore, it was essential to have explicit consent and communication with the part- icipants of the project. Additionally, the corona situation in Spring 2021 created some ethical considerations, which are essential to consider when arranging meetings.
Consent form - NSD
The master thesis project was notified to The Norwegian Centre for Research Data AS (NSD) following an agreement with NTNU, NSD has validated that the personal data in this thesis is in accordance with the data protection legislation. All the participants of the research signed a consent form.
The consent form informed the participants regarding the topic, what the participation involves, project outputs, benefits, data storage, and the participant's rights. Also, the participants confirmed statements that appear in the thesis.
The corona situation
This master was written in the times of corona. As with every part of society, the pandemic affected the project.
Interviews and workshops that I usually would do physically were conducted online. There have also been some ethical considerations regarding whether it is appropriate to initiate physical meetings. I decided that it would be most justifiable to arrange physical meetings either outdoors or interact with people from my cohort.
Even though the pandemic created constraints that affected the way I
would typically conduct the project, it made me try new approaches to gain insight and information. In addition, learning new design methods and tools. In a world that is getting more digitalized, that will be valuable experience for the future.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
22
METHODOLOGY & METHODS
METHODOLOGY & METHODS
24
INTRODUCTION
Methodology and methods
'Methodology' is the methods and techniques used to identify, examine and collect information in a project or about a topic (Cote, 2019). In design, there are plenty of methods to apply to form the project's methodology.
The topic, stakeholders, and aim must be taken into consideration when deciding the methodology.
The methodology is chosen according to the topic and focus of the master thesis. Overall, the traditional Double Diamond design model is followed to create innovative solutions. In April 2021, the Design Council built on the Double Diamond design model to "help designers work more sustainably and systemically." (Design Council, 2021, p.
42). This master thesis aims to create sustainable solutions (as should all design projects). Therefore, in addition to follow the traditional model, the additional aspects presented by the Design Council (2021) are included.
Furthermore, the original aim of the master thesis was to redesign wasted urban spaces for sustainable food activities. To reach that goal involved the inclusion of people, their views, and perspectives, and to try to create an activity in an urban space. For that reason, I have chosen to follow principles from Service Design Thinking and to use the Place diagram.
The Double Diamond design model The Double Diamond design model is a divergent and convergent way of thinking. It gives space to examine and understand the topic before narrowing the focus (Just In Mind, 2018). The
Design Council (2021) built on the existing model to create more sustainable solutions. Each phase is elaborated and built on to recognize
"the interconnected, complex nature of challenges and prioritizing the planet as well as its people."
The first phase of the Double Design model is Discover (named 'Explore' by the Design Council). The Discover phase aims to gather all relevant data and information regarding the topic and organize, map, and analyze it. In addition, the Design council (2021, p. 50) highlights the importance of understanding the "root cause of the issue, consider what ideas and resources exist already that we can re- use and build from, and develop a bold and hopeful vision of what the future might look like."
The results from the Discover phase are used to perform phase two, Define (named 'Reframe' by the Design Council). The Define phase includes narrowing down the topic and filtering the data from the Discover phase. In this phase, there is room for reframing the issues and ways of thinking (Design Council, 2021).
The third phase, Develop (named 'Create' by the Design Council), involves idea generation, and evaluating the ideas. The Design Council (2012, p. 51) encourages designers to think big in this phase and "move towards a bigger goal."
At last, the Deliver phase (named 'Catalyze' by the Design Council). The
PROBLEM SOLUTION Problem
definition
Double Diamond design model
phase includes showing people the results and testing them to see the value it adds to people.
The Double Diamond design model is not followed linearly. On some occasions, the design process requires going back and forth between the phases. The four phases work as a map to structure the process. Moreover, by applying the aspects from the Design Council, the process can result in innovative solutions that contribute to a more sustainable future.
DISCOVER
('Explore')
DEFINE
('Reframe')
DEVELOP
('Create')
DELIVER
('Catalyze')
26
Service Design Thinking
Service Design Thinking is defined as
"an extension of design thinking." (Rao, 2017, n.p.). Design Thinking is a human- centered methodology and approach to generate and solve complex challenges. Service Design Thinking uses Design Thinking methods and mindset to create user-friendly, feasible, and tangible services and is often used by designers (Oeveren, 2021; Rao, 2017). In this context, Service Design Thinking will be applied to create an activity. Since the master thesis aims for people in an urban area to use the activity, it is suitable with a human-centered approach focusing on developing a service. The approach includes five central principles used in my process (see the principles on the right) (Schleibs, 2016).
In this thesis, I will use a human- centered approach. In the principles of Service Design Thinking, Schleibs (2016) uses the term 'user-centered.' Some might argue that the two terms and approaches have more in common than differences (Voltage Control, 2019). Both approaches focus on the user and their needs and aim to create an intuitive and desirable service for the user. However, Yalanska (n.d.) argues that there is a slight difference between the approaches. She defines the human-centered approach as "the process of creating things deeply based on general natural characteristics and peculiarities of human psychology and perception." In comparison, user- centered is defined as "a more focused and concise version of human-centered design with a deeper analysis of the target audience." (Yalanska, n.d.). Since I will investigate a public place that people with diverse backgrounds will use, and there will not be one specific target audience, I have chosen the term 'human-centered' in this master thesis.
Five principles of Service Design Thinking
User-Centered
The developed service should be based on the perspectives of the users. Understanding the user and their needs and challenges are crucial to designing a successful service.
1
Co-Creative
Include all the relevant stakeholders in the design process, not only the users. Involvement can occur in different parts of the process, and there exist all kinds of tools and methods to involve the stakeholders. The more the project includes the stakeholders, the more they feel ownership of the idea, which may make the implementation of the service easier.
2
Sequencing
A service takes place over a period of time, and the customer journey is essential to take into account when designing a service. The service must be seen as sequences.
What happens before, during, and after using the service, is essential sequences to analyze.
3
Evidencing
Evidencing is to visualize the intangible elements of the service. Physical representations of the service can create positive associations and make the user aware of the intangible elements in the service.
4
Holistic
Holistic is the entire service environment. Considering every aspect of the service is essential to get a sufficient understanding of the users' needs.
5
28
Methods
Several methods were used in the master thesis. Throughout the project, icons will indicate the type of methods used (see on the right). The methods are conducted to gather qualitative and quantitative data regarding the topics of the thesis. Qualitative data was collected through interviews, asynchronous and synchronous workshops, and by observing the users.
The quantitative data was collected from a customized survey sent to the stakeholders and users.
The conducted interviews, workshops, and survey were kept in the native language of the participants, Norwegian. In my thesis, the survey and the quotes are translated into English and are, therefore, not the exact words of the participants. To create the questions during the workshops and interviews and a general overview of the topics, I conducted desk and literature research.
INTERVIEW
SURVEY
WORKSHOP
OBSERVATION Applied methods
30
The Place diagram
This master thesis focuses on urban wasted spaces. To evaluate and identify the values and qualities of urban spaces, I will use the Place diagram (see figure on the right) (PPS, 2009).
The diagram is developed by Project for Public Spaces (PPS) and is a tool to evaluate a public place based on an analysis of thousands of public places. The focus of the diagram is on people and how they interact with public space. PPS (2009, n.p.) defines a great public place as “those places where celebrations are held, social and economic exchanges occur, friends run into each other, and cultures mix.”
The diagram presents four essential factors for a thriving public place:
‘Sociability’ ‘Uses & Activities’ ‘Access
& Linkage’ and ‘Comfort & Image.’ To examine and analyze the aspects of the diagram, involves including all parties such as inhabitants, professionals, and residents, in the design process.
32
MY PROCESS
DISCOVER 1 My design process is based on the
Double Diamond design model.
Nevertheless, a design process is rarely linear, and it is necessary to go back and forth between stages. I have tried to visualize my design process by dividing it into eight chapters.
Every chapter has its own color. On each page, there is a small square with the chapter's color in the right top corner to indicate where the reader is in the process.
SUSTAINABLE FOOD ACTIVITIES
IN TRONDHEIM
URBAN WASTED
SPACES
ANALYSIS
DISCOVER 1
DEFINE
WASTED SPACE DISCOVER 2
ASSESSING THE SPACE
RESEARCH Desk research
Interviews Observations Key takeaways
Desk research Key takeaways
Key takeaways Mapping
Models
Underneath the Elgeseter
bridge
Mapping Vision
Desk research History Meeting point
Nidelva Facilities
Climate Observation
DEFINE
FOCUS AREA
DEVELOP
EVALUATING IDEAS
New vision
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT History
Meeting point Nidelva
Facilities Climate Observation
Lights PEOPLETHE
Survey Workshops
Observations Interviews
Models
Evaluation
Key takeaways
Selection
Connect ideas to analysis Visualize Categorize ideas
Collect ideas Ideation
MATERIALNEW
OUTDOOR
ANALYSIS
DISCOVER 2
Elements Examples
34
36
INTRODUCTION
Discover 1
Discover 1 is the first insight phase, and includes examining and understanding the topics of the problem statement.
The problem statement of the master thesis, "Redesigning urban wasted space for sustainable food activities in Trondheim," includes two topics, 'Sustainable food activities in Trondheim' and 'Urban wasted spaces.' By examining and analyzing the two topics first separately, then together, I believe it will provide sufficient insight for further work and analysis.
The first Discover phase aims to identify and examine existing sustainable food activities, urban wasted spaces and their qualities, and other initiatives reconceptualizing urban spaces in Trondheim. By interviewing, observing, and visiting some of the sustainable food activities in Trondheim, I seek to understand their needs, perspectives, limitations, and challenges. The information will be used to identify, analyze and map sustainable food activities and wasted spaces in Trondheim.
TOPIC 2
TOPIC 1
Redesigning urban wasted spaces for sustainable food activities
in Trondheim
38
SUSTAINABLE FOOD ACTIVITIES
in Trondheim
In this chapter, the insight from the first phase is presented. Based on desk research, I map the existing sustainable food activities in Trondheim. In addition, I interviewed and observed the sustainable food activities that exploit urban wasted spaces. The aim is to identify and understand their challenges, needs, limitations, perspectives, and how they use wasted urban space. The information gained from Discover 1 lays the basis for an analysis and a general understanding and overview of the sustainable food activities in Trondheim, especially the activities that exploit a wasted urban space.
Methods
The interviews and observations of Discover 1 took place in different settings. One interview was conducted during a guided tour, the second during a visit, and the third, over the phone. In the last interview, I was only observing and listening. The background information regarding the initiatives is collected from articles, Facebook- pages, websites, and rapports and is used to create the questions during the interviews.
Good design is sustainable design
- Imran Ahmed (Allwood, 2016, n.p.)
"
40
SUSTAINABLE FOOD ACTIVITIES
in Trondheim
In Trondheim, there are many sorts of sustainable food activities. Based on my previous knowledge on the topic and desk research, I have identified some sustainable food activities in Trondheim. To structure the findings, I have divided the sustainable food activities into different sections.
Free Fridge
Free Fridge is a concept focusing on reducing food waste. The concept is based on volunteers installing a fridge in an area (street, garden, school building, etc.), where people can leave or take food from the fridge as they please.
The concept is fully volunteer-driven and depends on volunteers cleaning, maintaining, and taking care of the fridge. There exist four free fridges in Trondheim, and the fridges are said to be very popular. The free fridge at ILA is usually empty 2-3 hours after being filled (Heggdal, 2016).
Grocery stores
By purchasing at grocery stores focusing on sustainability, consumers can reduce negative environmental consequences (Framtiden i Våre Hender, 2018). There are some grocery stores in Trondheim that focus on reducing packaging and selling locally produced groceries. These are Etikken, Helios, and Svartlamoen samvirkelag.
Besides selling local products and reducing packaging, it is essential to save expired edible groceries from the trash. Two initiatives collect expired groceries from the grocery stores, Matsentralen and Frelsesarmeen.
Furthermore, they distribute the
surplus food to non-profit organizations such as congregations, Trondheim Community Kitchen, and Omsorgskafeen.
Community kitchen
A community kitchen can be defined as “community-focused and -initiated cooking-type programmes.” (Iacovou et al., 2011, p. 535). It is usually an event where people meet regularly to share a meal.
For example, Trondheim Community Kitchen and Omsorgskafeen are two companies arranging free meals several times a week. They prepare meals from food received from Matsentralen. The people visiting these initiatives are often people with low income that need a helping hand.
Community garden
A community garden can be described as “a shared, semi-public space where people in the surrounding neighbourhood share the work and harvest of maintaining a garden space for growing fruits, vegetables, flowers or even livestock.” (Study, 2017, n.p.).
Community gardens differ depending on their structure, environment and land.
Trondheim municipality provides financial support to urban agriculture in Trondheim (Trondheim municipality, 2020). There exist five urban farms on ground level owned by Trondheim municipality, Kneiken Felleshage, Smedstua, Trondheim Parsellhage, Lilleby Hagelag, and Fagerheimskogen velforening. Trondheim municipality also finances 14 other private urban gardens.
Guerilla Gardening Trondheim is another initiative doing gardening in the city centre. It is defined as
“gardening on land that the gardeners do not have legal right to use, often an abandoned site or area not cared for by anyone.” (Guerilla Gardening, n.p.). Even though it is not legal, no articles state that anyone has ever been convicted for the activity in Norway.
Dumpster diving
Dumpster diving is searching through garbage containers to collect edible food (Rombach & Bitsch, 2015). A store owns its trash, and because of that, it is illegal to dumpster dive in Norway.
Despite that fact, no one has ever been convicted or gotten a fine for dumpster diving in Norway (Nicolaisen, 2016). That may be due to dumpster divers have morals on their side. They save food that would otherwise be thrown away.
In Trondheim, there are several dumpster diving Facebook-groups, and the biggest one has 8,600 members.
The members mostly post tips on where to dumpster dive or hand out free groceries if they found too much.
Dumpster diving is not included as a category due to the fact that it happens
at unknown locations in Trondheim.
Therefore, it is not possible to locate the activity.
Connect farmers and consumers
A direct connection between farmers and their consumers benefits the environment in several ways. It increases the value of locally produced products and reduces advertising, food waste, unnecessary packaging and transportation (Krutvik, 2020). There are two initiatives in Trondheim arranging for consumer and farmers to meet and trade, Trondheim Cooperative and REKO-ringen.
Restaurants & cafes
Six restaurants and cafes in Trondheim focus on sustainability by serving meals made of local ecological products.
These are Persilleriet, Mat fra Hagen, Stammen Cafe & Bar, Kafe Soil, Grønnsaksverkstedet and Ramp.
42
Identifying the different sustainable food activities in Trondheim provided me an overview of the initiatives.
Furthermore, it is most interesting to look closer at the sustainable food activities that exploit urban wasted spaces in Trondheim. These are the free fridges, some urban community gardens (such as Kneiken and a houseing cooperative), and Plant Tech.
To understand how the initiatives exploit the wasted spaces, their challenges, needs, and perspectives, I decided to conduct interviews and observations.
Interviews and observation
I was able to arrange an interview with an owner of the Free Fridge at Ila, a resident at a housing cooperative with an urban garden on the roof, and observe an interview of two members from Kneiken community garden. The last initiative I wanted to interview, Plant-Tech, was not able to be interviewed. All the information about Plant-Tech is collected from their website and other articles.
The interviews were semi-structured and only notes were taken (and photos when allowed). Background information about the initiatives built the basis for the questions during the interviews. See Appendix A for a full overview of the questions.
EXPLOITED WASTED SPACES
in Trondheim
Plant-Tech
Plant-Tech utilizes a basement for growing microgreens (see picture below). They use an already heated facility all year and are the first underground farm in Trondheim (Mauseth, 2019). The micro-greens and herbs are delivered to the nearby restaurants with electric bicycles, and the restaurants must return all of the pots and pot trays to Plant-Tech. Plant- Tech also develops and produce their LED lights for the microgreens and is a fast-growing business (Plant-Tech, n.d.).
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On the 27th of January, I went on a guided tour at Svartlamoen with other students and my supervisors.
Why?
Through the desk research, I discovered that there is one particular area with the most sustainable food activities in Trondheim. That is Svartlamoen, Norway’s first urban ecological experimental area. It is a unique area where people have a common political philosophy (anarchism) and focus on reuse and sustainability. I was curious to find out more about Svartlamoen, their perspectives, and ways to organize their sustainable food activities.
How?We were a group of seven students and my two supervisors. The guided tour was given by one of the residents of Svartlamoen and lasted around an hour.
About Svartlamoen
Svartlamoen is organized and operated according to sustainable environmental solutions, flat structure, transparent economy, low standard, and affordable rental (Svartlamoen, n.d.). Around 330 people live in the area, and the housing is inexpensive. Nevertheless, every resident has to participate in the chores and projects in the area.
Svartlamoen has a lot of different projects. They have multiple community gardens, a free fridge (Fru. Forsell), a workshop, a shop where everything is for free, galleries, cafes, and much more. It is up to the residents what projects they wish to pursue and be a
SVARTLAMOEN
Guided tour
part of. However, they have to participate in some of the projects to be a resident of Svartlamoen.
Observation
The first impression of the area is that there is waste lying around and graffiti on the walls. However, at a second glance, I realized that it is not trash and random graffiti. It is reused objects and art. Svartlamoen reuses as much as possible, tries to reduce food waste, and be somewhat self-sufficient through urban farming and gardening. In every corner of the area, you can find items given a new purpose in all sorts of ways.
Community
What inspired me the most during the tour was the pride the guide felt for the area and their community. She proudly explained how all residents are seen as equal in the sense that there is no one above nor below. There are no leaders, and everyone has to participate in the community. She believes that this connects people and creates a healthy environment.
The guide explained that engaged residents are the reason for the different sustainable initiatives. If a resident wants to establish a sustainable initiative, then it is nothing stopping him or her, and many people willing to help. The community is always open to new innovative ideas.
Nora K. Bakke. (2021, January 27). Pictures of Svartlamoen. Svartlamoen, Trondheim.
46
I interviewed the owner of the Free Fridge at Ila over the phone on the 21st of February.
Why?Free Fridge Ila exploits an unused space close to the sidewalk. Through an interview with the Free Fridge owner, I aimed to understand the initiative, its users, how they manage it, and its challenges and effect on the local community. Also, examine how the initiative exploits a wasted space.
How?The interview was conducted over the phone. See Appendix A for a full overview of the questions.
A natural meeting point
The fridge has evolved to be a natural meeting point for the neighbors and others passing the area. The owner explains it as a social place where he often talks to the visitors.
Folkekjøkkenet is the company that most frequently visits and fills up the fridge. They also arrange a social event outdoors in the summer. It includes socializing with the users of the fridge, neighbors and cooking a free meal for everyone. Events like that strengthen the social aspect of the Free Fridge concept.
A change in people’s mentality
According to the owner, many people did not feel they could take food from the fridge when they established the initiative. People believed the food was for the poor and people with low income. That view has changed over
the years. Today, all kinds of people use the fridge, both poor and wealthy.
A symbol
The fridge has developed to become more of a symbol or sign where you can leave surplus food. Especially in the winter, there is no need to use the fridge because of the cold temperature.
Instead, people place card boxes full of food on a bench next to the fridge.
Trust
The initiative is based on trust. It is based on that people trust that the food is safe and clean the fridge when needed - keeping the area tidy demands that people throw food that has gone bad and its packaging.
Challenges
> The biggest challenge is to get people to clean and bring empty packaging to the trash.
> In the beginning, people thought the food was for the poor and people with low income. Therefore, they did not use the fridge.
> The owner once talked to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. They were not happy with the initiative.
However, since the fridge is on private ground, they cannot do anything.
> Some people feel it is unsafe to take food that is from an unknown source.
FREE FRIDGE ILA
Interview
Solli, I.S. (2017, September 15). Free fridge-familien vil gi vekk kjøleskap [The Free fridge-family want to give away a fridge]. Hentet 27.01.21 fra https://trd.by/livsstil/2017/09/15/Free-fridge-familien-vil-gi-vekk-kj%C3%B8leskap-15309653.
ece
48
I interviewed an engaged resident at a housing cooperative in Trondheim while getting a tour of their rooftop garden. The interview happened on the 2nd of March and lasted around an hour.
Why?
A housing cooperative in Trondheim takes advantage of its roof through the establishment of a garden. I arranged the interview to gather information on how they started the garden, manage it, engage the residents and the challenges of farming on a rooftop.
How?
I met the interviewee at the rooftop to get a tour of their garden and ask questions simultaneously. The questions were about how it all started, who uses it, the initiative's social aspect, and their challenges (see Appendix A).
Engaged residents
It all started with a couple of enthusiastic residents at the housing cooperative. At the beginning, they got some financial support from the municipality which helped them get started. Furthermore, to engage the residents, they sent out letters with seeds, which lowered the threshold for the residents to join the initiative and start farming.
Voluntary work
The initiative is based on volunteer work. The residents have a Facebook- group where they post what needs to be done and what is done. In the growing season, someone has to maintain the garden every day. That is challenging to keep track of. However, the common
Facebook-group makes it a bit easier.
Social
The social aspect of maintaining the garden is one of the factors that motivate the residents. The interviewee states that having a common goal connects people. Nevertheless, the past year has been a challenge due to the coronavirus situation. The social aspect has disappeared, and so has some of the motivation of the residents.
The interviewee highly recommends having common gardens at housing cooperatives. He argues that it connects the residents. Also, it is fun and better than having one alone due to the fact that the residents still have the freedom to leave for vacation. Most likely, there will always be someone at home taking care of the garden.
Challenges
> To engage all the residents.
> A physical challenge of farming on the roof is that the roof cannot hold much weight. It is an old building that is not constructed for a heavyweight.
> A disadvantage of having a garden on a roof is that it gets warm in the summer and requires much watering.
> In the beginning, they did not know what kind of soil was suited for farming on a roof. That resulted in buying and transporting the wrong kind, which made the farming harder than necessary.
HOUSING COOPERATIVE
Interview & observation
Bakke, N.K. (2021, March 2). The urban garden on the rooftop of a housing cooperative in Trondheim.
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I was not able to participate in the interview with Kneiken community garden at the set time since I was at the wheel driving and no time to stop.
Nonetheless, they let me listen to two students interviewing two members of Kneiken community garden. The two students were also working on their master thesis, and wanted to know more about the initiative. During the interview, I was a "fly on the wall,"
unable to affect the interview. The interview happened online on the 7th of March.
Why?
Kneiken community garden is one of the sustainable food activities in Trondheim that takes advantage of a space where it is dangerous to build and dig. This is because of quick clay in the ground. I was interested to know more about the establishment of the initiative, the management, their challenges, and overall their perspectives on other sustainable initiatives in Trondheim.
How?
The meeting was online through Zoom. We were five participants: me, two master graduate interviewers, and two members of Kneiken community garden. The questions were about how it all started, who uses it, the initiative's social aspect, and their challenges.
The establishment
It all started, as with the other initiatives, with some enthusiastic and ambitious individuals. They happened to discover the wasted space on Bakklandet and were lucky with their timing. The municipality had just gotten some
financial support to give initiatives such as Kneiken community garden.
This was a good starting point for the garden.
At the first meeting of interest, in March 2015, 60 people showed up. The enthusiastic founders realized that the interest was big in Trondheim. However, they soon discovered that keeping the members would be a constant challenge.
Motivational factors
The initiative is volunteer-based. Hence, the motivation to work in the garden is based on other factors than receiving a salary. The two members mention that some of the motivational factors may be that they do not have their own garden, have an interest in food, want to be social, or feel it is meditative to grow and be outdoors. No matter the motivational factor, they have a common goal that connects them - grow edible greens.
Challenges
> Get members. The initiative is based on people voluntarily participate in weekly chores which is a constant challenge to accomplish.
> Keep the members. One of the reasons they struggle to keep the members is that many students (especially international students) only stay in Trondheim for some years.
> Neighbors. Kneiken Community Garden did not know when they rented the space that the neighbors were already growing their own crops. That created a conflict that is now solved.
> Teach new members. Teaching the
KNEIKEN
Observation
new member how to do gardening demands energy and motivation from other members/volunteers.
Kneiken. (2019, May 05). Photo of their garden. Accessed 12.03.21 from https://kneiken.no.
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In Discover 1, every interaction with a sustainable food activity was done differently. The information regarding the initiatives was collected through desk research, guided tour, phone conversation, visit, and by listening to an interview. The methods have their positive and negative sides, which are essential to keep in mind when conducting the methods and using the information for analysis.
Guided tour
Observing the area and interviewing a resident during a guided tour has its advantages and disadvantages.
An advantage is that I get to hear the other participants' questions and ask my questions. They have different perspectives and backgrounds, which may lead to them asking different questions than I would. That way, I get information I would not get if I was alone. On the other hand, some questions were irrelevant for my master thesis, and there was not enough time for everyone to ask all their questions.
Consequently, some questions stayed unanswered.
Phone interview
Interviewing over the phone does not require much time and energy from the interviewee. The negative side of the method is that I was not able to observe the person. Body language and facial expressions can tell a lot about the feelings and perspectives of a person. However, in these times, this was a corona-friendly method.
Interview and observation I visited the roof top of a housing
cooperative and simultaneously asked questions. That felt as a more casual way to interview. It also may feel more comfortable for the interviewee to be in a safe environment.
Observation
During the meeting with Kneiken community garden, I was a "fly on the wall," unable to interact with the participants. One of the negative sides of this technique is that the interviewers did not ask the questions the way I would have, and I could not ask follow- up questions. As a result, I may have missed out on some information that could have been important for my thesis. On the other hand, the interviewer's insight, viewpoint and background was different than mine, and they asked questions that I would not have thought of, giving me interesting information.
Conclusion
To sum up, all methods have their strenghts and weaknesses.
Nonetheless, they did provide information about the initiatives' needs, perspectives, limitations, and challenges. In the Discover phase, the aim was to get a general overview and a greater understanding of the initiatives, and I believe the methods were sufficient for that purpose.
REFLECTION
On the methods used in Discover 1
?
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CONCLUSION
Sustainable food activities in Trondheim
While sustainable food activities have different aims and purposes, there are some commonalities. Most of the activities are managed by volunteers, which means the motivation of the participants is not any form of payment.
The motivational factors lay elsewhere.
It might be to be social, a political statement, for the environment or just an activity they like doing. A common challenge of volunteer-driven initiatives is to get people to commit and regularly participate.
There are some sustainable food activities that use wasted spaces, and the challenges they face depends much on the type of wasted space they use, its location and suitability for the activity. The urban garden at the housing cooperative struggles with a roof that barely holds the weight of the garden, Kneiken Community garden had a conflict with the neighbors that already used the area, and Plant-Tech had to figure out how to grow herbs in a space with no natural light. The challenges and limitations for different activities depends much on the qualities of the individual wasted space.
Therefore, it is essential to examine the qualities of different wasted spaces before deciding on one specific area for the focus of this master thesis.
The key takeaways presented on the next page represent some of the commonalities and challenges of sustainable food activities.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
> Enthusiastic individuals. The initiative of enthusiastic
individuals is the reason for the establishment of the initiatives.
> Engage members. The initiatives struggle to keep the
members engaged and to regularly particiate.
> Volunteer work. Many of the initiatives are volunteer-
driven.
> Neighbors. Kneiken community garden had a conflict
with their neighbors. They believe if they communicated with the neighbors from the beginning, the conflict may have been avoided.
> Trust. The initiatives are based on trust. For example,
the community gardens count on that the members harvest what they need, and the free fridges depend on people cleaning after them, and trusting that the food is safe.
> Different wasted spaces. The challenges and
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URBAN WASTED SPACES
In this section, findings from research regarding urban wasted spaces are presented, and Trondheim municipality's goals for urban development.
The research regarding wasted spaces is categorized into five categories;
above ground, underground, ground level, vertical and interstitial spaces (see figure on the right). For each category, the qualities of the space are presented and where the spaces can be located in Trondheim.
Urban wasted space
As mentioned earlier, wasted spaces can be defined as a space in a city that appears meaningless as it has no attributed function (Doron, 2000).
According to Doron, these spaces are
"places which are neither slums nor 'open spaces' in the city nor 'natural' ones. These spaces are, for example, disused harbours and train yards, abandoned barracks, closed mining sites or industrial areas, abandoned neighbourhoods, [...]. In short, places that look empty, and appear as ones which do not have any use (any more)."
(Doron, 2000, p. 1).
An article by Rupprecht (2017, p. 1) emphasizes "embracing non-humans as urban co-inhabitants." According to Doron (2000), spaces are wasted if it appears that it has no use. If animals or plants use a space, that will add valueto the space, and it will not be seen as wasted. The ecosystem is vital for human welfare, and humans, animals, and plants should be able to co-exist in urban spaces (Orradóttir & Aegisdóttir,
2015).
Doron (2000) explains that wasted spaces, or 'dead zones,' come in small or large scale. He further argues that small scale wasted spaces often are overlooked by architects and city planners. The smaller scale wasted spaces can be discovered "under bridges, on the edge of highways and in empty lots, on the edge of any street, in the empty corridors of the underground." (Doron, 2000, p. 10). A city is covered with wasted spaces. It all depends on whether and when it is in use. Therefore, wasted spaces can also be temporary. Some spaces are only in use for a part of a day, month, or year.
The amount and types of existing wasted spaces differ from city to city. It depends on the city planning, placing of buildings and its previous history. In addition, the qualities and possibilities of wasted spaces can be affected by regulations, laws, whether an area is private or public, location and the climate.
Focus
This master thesis will focus on public urban wasted spaces, which means an unused space with no attributed function on public ground. It may be temporary in used by humans, animals or plants at some time of a day, month or year, but is mostly unused and seen as a wasted and a dead zone in the city.
UPPERGROUND INTERSTITIAL
UNDERGROUND GROUND LEVEL
INTERSTITIAL ABOVE GROUND
Figure of the five categories of wasted spaces.
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UNDERGROUND
Trondheim has remains from World War I and II around the city, such as caves, tunnels, and bunkers. Information regarding their location can be found in forums and websites used by urban explorers (such as on Reddit or Facebook pages).
Underground space is defined as the area below the surface of the ground.
It can be spaces such as basements, caves, bunkers, tunnels, and so on.
An underground space is shielded from the outdoor weather. However, the outside temperature, humidity, and depth of the space can affect the environment and climate of the underground space. Underground spaces have its advantages and disadvantages depending on what activity that is performed in the space.
Underground farming
Underground farming is the activity of growing food under the ground (Green Forges, 2020). There are several ways to do underground farming. It can be done by using hydroponics, aeroponics, or air-dynaponics systems or container gardens. Light is provided by special lamps or natural light from daylighting systems.
Underground farming has advantages and specific challenges. A great advantage for many crops is that the environment may be controlled.
Unforeseen weather and climate changes will no longer be an issue. On the other hand, underground farming provides no natural light. Therefore, it depends on artificial light, suitable
humidity, and temperature. In other words, it needs high-quality technology to maintain the crops. This technology requires much energy, which lowers the level of sustainability.
The Lowline
The Lowline is a project that uses reflective parabola to collect sunlight to grow plants underground (Lowline, n.d.). The parabola follows the sun throughout the seasons (see picture on the right). This method makes it possible to grow with natural light underground and is a good example of a sustainable underground activity.
Plant-Tech
As previously mentioned, Plant- Tech does underground farming in a basement in Trondheim (p. 43). By using artificial lights, they manage to grow herbs underground.
Lowline. (n.d.) About project. Accessed 05.02.21 from http://thelowline.org/about/project/
Qualities of an underground space
Able to control the environment with high-quality technology.
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ABOVE GROUND
Above ground sites can be a terrasse, rooftop, elevated railway, and so on.
The housing cooperative presented on page 48 is a good example of a wasted space above ground being used for a sustainable food activity.
Gardens
The most popular sustainable food activity above ground is gardens.
Mattak and U-reist, for example, build green roofs in Norway with specially developed solutions for edible food plants.
Parks
Above ground spaces can also be transformed into parks. An example of that is the project, the High Line.
The project was based on using an abandoned railroad in New York, Manhattan. The structure was planned to be torn down until a guy named Robert Hammond came up with the idea to transform it into a park (Lalueta, 2011). That way, the city took advantage of the existing construction to create an above ground park for the inhabitants of New York.
The above ground wasted spaces in Trondheim are mostly rooftops, terraces, and the bridges crossing the river, Nidelva.
Qualities of an above ground space
It is affected by the weather and climate.
Unknown. (2011, January 07). Robert Hammond: Building a park in the sky. Metalocus. Accessed 08.02.21 from https://
www.metalocus.es/en/news/robert-hammond-building-a-park-sky
