 
Dott07, Urban food and farming project, Middlesbrough
Method(s) Used
Name of person who posted the project:David Barrie
Location of project:United Kingdom
Date when the project started:2007
Date when the project ended/project ongoing:2007
Background to project:The project was part of a larger programme of activity in the North East of England known as Dott07. Dott07 � or Designs of the time 2007 � was a year of community projects, events and exhibitions in North East England that explored what life in a sustainable region could be like � and how design could help us to get there. It is part of a larger, on-going national initiative of the Design Council. Dott07 was delivered with the regional development agency, One NorthEast.Purpose of project:The purpose of the project was to find a new way in which the town of Middlesbrough could sow the seeds of a more sustainable economy, people could source food from places closer to home and also link more effectively the many people and organisations who already participate in the social and environmental regeneration of the town.Project activities:In April, over 60 community groups elected to grow fruit and produce in over 250 different sized containers across the town: in school yards, the windowsills of hospitals, the foyers of offices and open plains of the town�s university campus. Middlesbrough Council grew food in public parks. The project was delivered by Groundwork South Tees.Across the growing season, the town�s new urban farmers harvested their crops and brought them to �kitchen playgrounds�: chef-led classes in neighbourhood centres across town in which people learned, cooked and ate recipes using butternut squash, tomatoes and other produce that they had grown. This element of the project was run by Middlesbrough Council and Middlesbrough CT, in conjunction with local schools and Sue Start Centres in the town. In September, a final harvest took place and in the town�s main square, the growers came together in a �town meal� attended by over 6000 people. 'The Really Super Market' was organised by Middlesbrough Council and Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art and curated by artist Bob and Roberta Smith. The day challenged people to answer the question: �What�s the more important organ, the brain or the stomach?� 2500 people who participated in the project as growers came to the event and ate food prepared by the Schools Catering Service. Finally, the locations that participants chose to grow food as part of the project was mapped by architects Andrew Viljoen and Kartin Bohn and formed part of an town-scale opportunity map to turn vacant and green spaces in the town in to a 'continuous productive urban landscape'. Project partners included Dott07, One NorthEast, Middlesbrough Council, Middlesbrough PCT, BioRegional Quintain Ltd., Northern Rock Foundation. Project results:Over 1000 people grew food as part of the project. The local authority is now considering a new strategy that will enable 'pocket allotments' to be created across the town, rather than at concentrated single sites on the periphery of the town. Project partners are planning to support the project again in 2008. Service delivery organisations in the town are also considering enabling a social enterprise restaurant project in the town, serving food based upon ingredients grown and supplied by the town's new 'urban farmers'.Contact details:Project Profile at http://www.dott07.com/go/food/urban-farming
Consultant Project Director: David Barrie - david@davidbarrie.net- http://davidbarrie.typepad.com Consultant Project Manager: Ian Collingwood/Charlotte Rutherford - charlotte_rutherford@middlesbrough.gov.uk Consultant Project Designer: Nina Belk, Zest Innovation Project Advisor: Debra Solomon, Culiblog - http://www.culiblog.com |
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