RE+: A permaculture approach to regenerate Gastelyckan through urban design and urban farming

Abstract: The global food system is facing significant challenges, for example, Sweden is a big partner of the European Union in terms of imported and exported food, like many countries in the world, Sweden depends on other countries for food production. In addition to it, the agriculture industry is responsible for 26% of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, due to the transportation of food, use of land, livestock and farming. Moreover, the construction sector is responsible for 36% of the CO2 emissions in Europe, due to high-energy use, the real estate market and demolition waste. The combination of climate change, global warming and unsustainable industrial practices, creates a challenging scenario for the next decades. Consequently, the world is claiming innovative solutions that actively can bring results and contemplate more sustainable aspects. This Master Thesis aims to research solutions in permaculture as a potential solution to minimize the impacts of the construction and agriculture sectors. By focusing on local material selection in construction and agriculture, there is an opportunity of promoting and consumption of local food, the thesis seeks to address sustainability challenges. RE+ is a design that challenges the status quo of a society that is facing a climate crisis, bringing life to an industrial site. Nowadays, Gastelyckan is an industrial site where 2,500 people work every day, an area surrounded by residential districts and in the middle of Lund’s urban expansion plan for 2040. The RE+ is a project that seeks to regenerate this area and use urban farming as the main actor to bring back life and offer people a sustainable lifestyle. The design proposal is developed considering permaculture design principles to create a community that lives integrated with urban farming and with sustainable lifestyles, taking advantage of natural resources available on-site to create a sustainable urban design. The strategy focuses on three main goals: REGENERATE: The project will repurpose existing buildings on the site and restore hard surfaces. The aim is to restore life to the industrial area of Gastelyckan, keeping some of the existing streets networks to maximize their potential and revitalizing the place occupied by industries to bring it back to nature. REFARM: Focuses on establishing a water network aligned with the site's natural topography. These pathways will incorporate pedestrian and bike lanes, connecting crucial farming spaces with liveable urbanized areas and public realms. Additionally, agroforestry technology will be implemented to enhance productivity and sustainability within the farming areas. REURBAN: The project seeks to create high-quality liveable spaces integrated with the public realm and neighbourhood activities within residential areas. Reurban will focus on the development of residential areas connected with educational buildings through urban farming, creating a unique sustainable lifestyle via education. In summary, this Thesis aims to bring a practical toolkit of design that could be applied in many different cities and scenarios, through the use of local plants and bringing life to the cities. This toolkit includes strategies for integrating urban farming into urban design. Finally, we need to bring life to the cities, bringing diversity and regenerating the soil of our cities. Why not integrate food production with residential areas? Why not create a community and a sustainable lifestyle around urban farming in cities? Through regenerative urban design and urban farming, it is possible to create more sustainable and resilient cities that provide a better quality of life for the inhabitants.