We chose the collage as a presentation method because the technique works best with the idea of an utopian world. By adding colour to the border, we want to add some contrast and emphasize the green, utopian belt around the white neighborhood of Malem.
Advanced Topics in Urbanism and Landscape 2
Erasmus+ | Ghent University | Ghent, Belgium | 2020
The Utopia
of Malem
Urban Diversity, Social Housing
and Micro Public Spaces of EncounterMalem is a garden-city neighborhood in the city of Ghent, Belgium. The city council is more concerned with the aesthetic vision of it than they were with the quality of public facilities (restricted to squares and playgrounds). To rethink the micro-public spaces of encounter, we focused on the philosophy of the garden city. Whereas in the original Malem-plan there was a lot of attention on the activities in the center,the edges were left unexploited. We propose an introduction of some supralocal activities,that reconnect Malem with the city. Here, a community garden will be presented, supported by co-working spaces. These structures can be introduced as floating pavilions on the green-blue belt. Whereas water is now the main separation between Malem and the city,the pavilions can be part of the new connection. At the outer edge of Howard's Garden City,there is a productivity belt where a green belt for agriculture is brought in. According to Howard, some fruits and vegetables required a more personal care. This agricultural obstacle could be best dealt with by a small group of individuals, who have a common belief in the value system in culture. By introducing a small community garden, where inhabitants can grow their own food, we want to bring back a little bit of the agricultural dream of Howard to Malem.