Goaltenders to Gardeners Integrating Urban Agriculture with Existing Infrastructure to Create Stronger Communities

Abstract

Set in Saint John, New Brunswick, this thesis examines the way we can combine architecture and urban agriculture to refocus existing conditions and infrastructure to act as a catalyst for communal change in a post-industrial urban landscape.

Looking at the aging infrastructure of community centers, in particular the hockey arena as a cultural hub, I look to examine how they can better facilitate their role within a community to provide greater potential for generating a holistic lifestyle among multiple generations of users.

Using agricultural means as a primary design method for intervention I am looking to enable change within a community. I am examining how the relationship between agriculture and ecological thinking can be paired with recreational architecture to open avenues for a greater understanding of these methodologies and how they can be applied through a holistic approach.