Social Aesthetics:

Affecting Change in Food Provisioning Social Aesthetics: Affecting Change in Food Provisioning

Lynda S. Ramirez-Blust

Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Landscape Architecture In Landscape Architecture

Cermetrius L. Bohannon, Committee Chair

Paul Kelsch Nathan Heavers

29 April, 2021 Alexandria, VA

Keywords: social aesthetics, permaculture, agroforestry, National Mall, food culture, regenerative agriculture, cultivation

Copyright © 2021 Lynda S. Ramirez-Blust Social Aesthetics: Social Aesthetics: Affecting Change in Food Provisioning Affecting Change in Food Provisioning

Lynda S. Ramirez-Blust Lynda S. Ramirez-Blust

Abstract General Audience Abstract

Food embodies our most intimate relationship with nature. We ingest it to survive. Without it, perish. Through time humans have Food embodies our most intimate relationship with nature. We ingest it to survive. Without it, perish. Through time humans have physically distanced the places of food cultivation from human inhabitation. In recent decades green planning initiatives embraced slowly increased the distance between where we grow our food (the country) and where we live (the city). In the process, we have built a urban agriculture as a critical element of sustainable communities. However, current approaches to bring food cultivation into cities system where millions of people either suffer from diet-related illnesses or experience hunger on a regular basis. We have damaged our require labor, capital, and physical resources that are often unavailable in sufficient quantity, quality, or duration for provisioning sites soils and introduced chemicals that have contaminated our waters and polluted our air. We have built a system that both contributes to to be considered sustainable. Within each pillar of sustainability - economy, ecology, and equity - barriers exist. Rooted in indigenous and is threatened by climate change. Our relationship with nature has become toxic. land stewardship and food provisioning practices, permaculture (permanent agriculture) offers strategies and tactics to overcome those barriers. Despite mounting evidence that permaculture will result in more sustainable food systems, adoption is limited. For decades there have been movements to change, transform, or replace the food system. In cities across the country, these movements appear as organic food in grocery stores, community gardens, urban farms, farmers’ markets, farm-to-table restaurants and more recently, Social aesthetics is the term employed by cultural theorists to describe how institutions, social groups, and collective projects codify food forests. The problem is each require labor, capital, and physical resources that are often unavailable in sufficient quantity, quality, their values and beliefs. The diffusion of innovation theory suggests that ideas and information from a highly specialized world require or duration for them to be sustainable, let alone scaleable. What if there is another way to grow food - a way that heals the soil, translation into a language the rest of society understands to reach widespread adoption. This thesis translates permaculture to contribute decontaminates water, supports biodiversity, and provides enough for everyone? to a sustainable social aesthetic for food provisioning and change American food culture. Rooted in indigenous land stewardship and food provisioning practices, permaculture (permanent agriculture) offers strategies and My translation occurs on iconic public land - ‘America’s front yard’. In 1901 the National Mall was envisaged to serve as a stage on tactics to reverse the negative impacts of the existing food system. Despite mounting evidence that permaculture will result in more which democratic values are expressed and became the prototype for America’s City Beautiful movement. Today, its carpet of lawn sustainable food systems, adoption is limited. For it to become mainstream, someone has to translate it into a language society understands. framed by American Elm trees epitomizes the economic, ecological, and equity challenges of monoculture landscapes. This project aims I try to do that through this thesis. to express democratic values through polyculture. It invites every citizen to participate in acts of justice rather than submit to illusions of order and control. My translation occurs on iconic public land - ‘America’s front yard’. In 1901 the National Mall was imagined to serve as a stage on which democratic values are expressed and became the prototype for America’s City Beautiful movement. Today, its carpet of lawn From site selection through design, spatial and temporal scale is critical. This thesis explores food’s past to understand our present framed by American Elm trees epitomizes the economic, ecological, and equity challenges of monoculture landscapes. This project aims and imagine our future. The design creates an immersive food experience that equips visitors with the knowledge and resources to apply to express democratic values through polyculture. This thesis explores food’s past to understand our present and imagine our future. permaculture at the homestead, neighborhood, city, and regional scales. The remade front yard becomes the symbol of a country where The design creates an immersive food experience that equips visitors with the knowledge and resources to apply permaculture at the places of food cultivation and human inhabitation are one and the same. homestead, neighborhood, city, and regional scales. The remade front yard becomes the symbol of a country where places of food cultivation and human inhabitation are one and the same. Dedication Acknowledgments

This thesis is dedicated to my husband and son. I am not skilled enough at writing to express to you how much your love, support, I would like to thank my committee chair, C.L. Bohannon for believing in what I was trying to do through this thesis and always understanding and encouragement has meant. Without it, this thesis would not exist. Others have had their hand in its making, but you encouraging me to keep going. have been there every moment of every day giving me whatever it is I need to move forward. When I was ready to quit, you would not let me. When I was convinced I could not, you made me believe that I could. When I was excited about some detail, you smiled and I would like to thank Paul Kelsch, committee member and mentor, for seeing in me the potential to become a landscape architect. Your nodded as I rambled. You make me a better person than I could possibly be on my own. I love you with all that I am and all that I will be. patience, insight, instruction, guidance, and coaxing helped me to see it too.

This thesis is dedicated to my parents. You prepared me for the many challenges life will throw at you. You laid the foundation of I would like to thank Nathan Heavers, committee member and tree whisperer, for getting me out of the books and into the field. I who I am today. learned more from the hikes and the Memorial Grove than I ever could have imagined.

This thesis is dedicated to my siblings. Most of our lives I’ve felt more like your parent than your older sister. With that comes a I am grateful for the community of designers of the Washington Alexandria Architecture Center. You set the bar high and I am so tremendous sense of responsibility to lead by example. It is in trying to live up to that responsibility that I push myself to be better, do much better for it. better. I am proud of the adults you have become.

This thesis is dedicated to those who set me on the path to fight for food justice and sovereignty. You sparked a desire for the work then fanned the spark into a flame. That flame quieted to embers for a time. This thesis stoked the embers into a three-alarm fire.

Lastly, this thesis is dedicated to my Abuelita. My most vivid memories of Abuelita are of her feeding us. She would spend most of her visits in the kitchen cooking. I would sneak in to snitch bits of rice candy or grab a spoon of rice pudding. Beans and rice were always at the ready. Little did I know that this thesis would make me think of her so often and wonder what her life must have been like growing up in Puerto Rico, taking a boat to New York City, and building a life with my abuelo in the Bronx in the first half of the twentieth century. My exploration into rice cultivation reconnected me to my past. My great hope beyond this thesis is that through design I connect others to theirs.

vi | | vii CONTENTS CONTENTS Introduction ...... 1 Tour Stop #6: Three Sisters Garden ...... 69 Beans and Rice ...... 3 Tour Stop #7: American Elm ...... 71 Food Provisioning in Crisis ...... 7 Tour Stop #8: Zone 2 Gardens ...... 79 Food Movements ...... 9 Tour Stop #9: The Lawn Bridge ...... 85 Urban Agriculture ...... 11 Sister Present...... 89 Foodscapes ...... 13 Node Location: 8th Street Northwest ...... 93 Social Aesthetics ...... 15 Tour Stop #10: Food Hub ...... 95 Permaculture ...... 21 Tour Stop #11: U-Pic and Youth Gardens ...... 97 The Site ...... 23 Tour Stop #12: Goat Paddock ...... 99 Theory of Change ...... 25 Tour Stop #13: Eco-Lawn ...... 101 Land Relations ...... 27 Tour Stop #14: Water and Soil ...... 103 America’s ‘Front Yard’ ...... 31 Tour Stop #15: Zone 3 Gardens ...... 105 The Project ...... 33 Sister Future ...... 107 National Us(e)um of American Food History and Culture ...... 35 Node Location: Survey Lodge ...... 111 The Three Sisters ...... 37 Tour Stop #16: Land Back Project: Black Food Pathways ...... 113 Orientation ...... 41 Tour Stop #17: Polyculture Institute ...... 117 The Tour ...... 45 Beyond ...... 119 Sister Past ...... 51 Re-imagining Public Land Use ...... 121 Node Location: Tiber Creek ...... 55 Scale of Permanence ...... 125 Tour Stop #1: Rice Field ...... 57 Concluding Thoughts ...... 129 Tour Stop #2: Land Back Project: Native American Food Pathways ...... 61 References ...... 132 Tour Stop #3: Land Stewardship ...... 63 Figures and Sources ...... 138 Tour Stop #4: Zones of Use ...... 65 Tour Stop #5: Perennial Polyculture ...... 67

viii | | ix Preface

After September 11, 2001 I, like so many others, took stock of my life. My husband and I moved to Washington, DC so I could take on the role of Chief Financial Officer of a large nonprofit organization. The organization’s mission is to fight hunger and food insecurity in the United States and abroad. Bombarded with imagery of famines in Africa and starving children in South America, I knew hunger existed in the world. What shocked me was learning that 30 million Americans are hungry and food insecure - a third of them children. Worse still is that the number has not decreased in 20 years. It just does not make sense that in a first world country of such wealth and resources that anyone should ever want for food. Yet, they do. Thus began my journey into food systems.

Many are on similar journeys. They come from diverse backgrounds, work in diverse disciplines, and are pursuing diverse paths through the complicated web of our global food systems. For this thesis I chose to follow in the footsteps of architects and researchers Andre Viljoen, Katrin Bohn, Mark Gorgolewski, and June Komisar; urban agriculture expert Joe Nasr; landscape architects Matthew Potteiger, Laura Lawson, and Saline Verhoeven; and sociologist Johannes Wiskerske who explore, analyze, imagine, and design food practices, food systems, and food environments from a spatial design and social science perspective. I chose to pick up the challenge set by landscape architect Elizabeth Meyer to contribute to a new social aesthetic, one rooted in sustainability.

The work of this thesis was interrupted first by a global pandemic, then by a national reckoning with systemic racism, and finally, by extremist challenges to the very foundations of democracy. Each interruption required confrontation with harsh realities and made the flaws in our global food system more evident. Each interruption prompted consideration of the worth in continuing this work. A master’s thesis is not going to change the world and certainly, is not going to help the people going hungry right now. Many times this work was nearly abandoned, but the answer to one question demanded continuing. Why, in a land of plenty, should anyone ever want for nutritious food?

x | | xi INTRODUCTION

Figure 1. Thesis Mind Map.

| 1 BEANS AND RICE

From the moment she arrived for a visit to the moment she left, my abuelita environmental ills. From my perspective there is no better place to turn that talk (‘little grandmother’ in Spanish) was in the kitchen cooking. She spoke Spanish with into action than with food. Food embodies our most intimate relationship with very little English. My siblings and I spoke English with very little Spanish. It was nature. We ingest it to survive. Without it, perish. through food that we communicated our love and appreciation for each other. I was two years out of college when abuelita died. My dad and I went to her funeral Before we go any further, I want to make plain my belief that our global system in Puerto Rico (PR). On the day of the service we walked the streets of Sabana of food provisioning is in crisis. Goals to increase the sustainability of urban Grande and stopped at a small café. Over a lunch of beans and rice, my dad told infrastructure have expanded beyond water, waste, energy, and transport to include me of his childhood and shared memories of his mother/my abuelita. food. It’s time for the collective landscape architecture portfolio to do the same.

I spent my teenage years in Louisiana and developed a deep love for red beans There are three domains of issues in the global food system: public health, social and rice. It was on the menu every day for virtually every meal. In New Orleans justice, and environmental degradation. Over the last fifty years food movements red beans and rice is traditionally prepared on Monday - laundry day. The woman ranging from progressive to radical have formed to remedy these issues. One of of the house put the beans on to simmer all day while she did the laundry - a labor the primary ways these food movements show up in local communities is in the intensive process since largely replaced with machines. The tradition of preparing form of urban agriculture. In recent decades green planning initiatives embraced red beans and rice on Monday endures. urban agriculture as a critical element of sustainable communities. However, current approaches to bring food cultivation into cities require labor, capital, and physical Beans and rice are everyday staple foods often overlooked, taken for granted, resources that are often unavailable in sufficient quantity, quality, or duration for and thrown together for a quick meal. If we stop to question how they are grown, provisioning sites to be considered sustainable. Within each of the three pillars of processed, and make their way to our hands for preparation; why we eat them on sustainability - economy, ecology, and equity - barriers exist. Urban agriculture is a specific days of the week or holidays; when the dish became part of our traditions; tactic to alleviating some of the symptoms of an ailing system. It is not the cure that or what is the same or different between Puerto Rican beans and rice, New Orleans is going to heal the system. To find a cure we must reach deeper. red beans and rice, or Hoppin’ John, beans and rice become rich ambassadors of personal experience, cultural significance, and history. Foodscapes is a rich concept that has seen a surge in use since the 2007- 2008 Global Recession. It embraces spatial, social and cultural, behavioral, and Landscape architects, urban designers, planners, conservationists, ecologists, systemic relationships between the food system and the social, public health, and and countless other disciplinarians and professionals talk about the importance of environmental issues with which we are faced. Examination of foodscapes offers reconnecting humans with nature to address a litany of social, public health, and insights into how we might find a cure, but something still seems to be missing.

2 | | 3 This is where my thesis begins. missing is simply a different approach to food provisioning. Is permaculture a more sustainable approach? If it is, why is it not part of the mainstream conversation In 2007 Elizabeth K. Meyer, influential landscape architectural critic and theorist, about food provisioning? How is it different than other forms of agriculture? published a manifesto in which she called for adding beauty into what she referred THESIS QUESTIONS to as the sustainability triad - environment, economy, and equity. Eight years later For this thesis I explored both social aesthetics and permaculture not knowing Meyer published “Beyond ‘Sustaining Beauty’: Musings on a Manifesto” in which if they would intertwine. Based on my initial research, I came to the conclusion • How do I, as a landscape architect, affect change in food provisioning? she clarified her intention to insert aesthetics, not merely beauty, into the triad. She that permaculture is a more sustainable approach to food provisioning, but social wrote “we [landscape architects] need to explore how designing for the practice aesthetics has to change in order for it to become more widely adopted. Changing • What is social aesthetics? of everyday life in the designed landscape, an extended durational experience, can social aesthetics means challenging prevailing landscape aesthetics. All forms • How do I design so as to contribute to a new social aesthetic for food provisioning? contribute to a new social aesthetics, a new ethos of sustainable perception and of urban agriculture challenge both the ecological and artistic views within the living” (Meyer E. K., Beyond “Sustaining Beauty”: Musings on a Manifesto, 2015, profession of landscape architecture as well as public perception and planning • What is permaculture? p. 37). While reading her work, I wondered if aesthetics is the piece that is missing. precedent as to what is appropriate within the urban and peri-urban zones of human • Is it a more sustainable approach to food provisioning? What is social aesthetics? Is that what is missing? How do I design so as to contribute habitation. to a new social aesthetic? • How do I apply permaculture design principles? For my project I chose to redesign an iconic landscape - the National Mall. For a class project I chose to design an urban orchard. While researching the care Through the design process I grappled with a number of social, public health, and • How do social aesthetics and permaculture fit together, if at all? and maintenance of fruit trees, I came across ‘fruit tree guilds’. ‘Fruit tree guilds’ environmental issues. By the end I realized I had to design for beans and rice. were quite appealing because the plants in the guild had primary responsibility for I had to understand their history, then show how it weaves with ours. I had to mulching, fertilizing, attracting pollinators, repelling pests, and suppressing weeds. understand their cultural significance and make it easier for others to see. I had to The plants worked together to reduce external inputs including human labor. The tap into that personal experience that we all share. I had to find a way to let them be guild was touted as a more sustainable approach to fruit growing. ambassadors. I had to show that beans and rice have as much right to grow on the National Mall as American Elms and turf grass. In fact, our future depends on it. For a studio project I was researching chinampas, a cultivation method Aztecs perfected to grow food in wetlands. A permaculture project in the Midwest turned In the pages that follow I share some thoughts on the food system crisis, food up in my search. It was the first time I came across ‘permaculture’. Or rather, it movements, urban agriculture, and foodscapes. I share what I have learned about was the first time I came across the term ‘permaculture’. I did not realize that ‘fruit social aesthetics and permaculture. Then I dive into the project because it is through tree guilds’ is a permaculture concept until much later. It was not until permaculture the project that I begin to answer my biggest question. How do I as a landscape turned up in my research for a third project that I began to wonder if the thing that is architect affect change in food provisioning?

4 | | 5 FOOD PROVISIONING IN CRISIS

Through time humans have physically distanced the places of food cultivation from the places of human inhabitation. In so doing, we have created a vast and complex food provisioning system fraught with political, economic, environmental, and social landmines. As populations grow, cities urbanize, climate changes, energy demands increase, biodiversity decreases, and social inequality persists, the fragility of the system and its negative externalities are steadily exposed. The global industrial food system is in crisis – both acute and chronic. Because we all need food to survive, those who control its production, processing, and distribution have tremendous power and influence. The food provisioning system that exists today is not just, healthy, equitable, or sustainable. Action is not only mandatory, but urgent.

Recognition of this global crisis was made plain in 2015 when all of the member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda). The 2030 Agenda includes seventeen sustainable development goals (United Nations). Goal two is “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” (United Nations).

Sustainable Development Goal Two seeks to remedy food issues in three primary domains:

1. public health

2. social justice

3. environmental degradation

These issues manifest in myriad contexts around the world and therefore, a comprehensive suite of place-based strategies and tactics must be deployed.

6 | | 7 FOOD MOVEMENTS

Often the place-based strategies and tactics are part of larger food movements. want to change the system – progressive and radical. The progressives advocate for food justice, while the radicals advocate for food sovereignty and dismantling food Since the 1960s a number of food movements emerged to transform the existing apartheid. Food justice movements include farm to table, local food, slow food, system or create an alternative system. At times the movements work in concert and consumer supported agriculture (CSA), farmers’ markets, at home and community- at times at odds. At times their messages are diluted or appropriated by others with wide composting programs, and agro-ecological approaches to food provisioning. a different agenda. A movement powerful enough to stop the juggernaut that is our Food sovereignty movements call for redistributive land reform, sustainable global food system has yet to be created. livelihoods, locally sourced and culturally appropriate food, and regionally-based food systems. Progressive movements focus on the now while radical movements Cities are increasingly under pressure to meet basic human needs and provide focus on the future. Both are necessary to change the global food provisioning good living conditions for an ever-increasing portion of the global population. system. Accomplishing these imperatives equitably while maintaining the life support- systems of Earth, has elevated sustainability to the top of global, regional, and local The growth in Food Policy Councils gives me hope that food movements will align agendas. Goals to increase the sustainability of urban infrastructure have expanded and bring the lasting change necessary for a just, healthy, equitable, and sustainable beyond water, waste, energy, and transport to include food. In North America food system. For now, in cities across America food justice and food sovereignty over 300 Food Policy Councils “act as forums for food issues and platforms for movements take the physical form of urban agriculture projects. coordinated action” (Harper, Alkon, Shattuck, Holt-Gimenez, & Lambrick, 2009). The number of Food Policy Councils increased significantly since the 2007-2008 Thesis Project Challenge: How might this thesis project be both progressive and global recession and represents an awareness of the need to connect a number of radical? food initiatives and movements and forge policies at the city, regional, and national level to create just, healthy, equitable, and sustainable food systems.

Eric Holt-Gimenez, agroecologist, political economist, and food systems expert, argues that some food initiatives simply stabilize the existing system while others seek to change it. He posits that there two political perspectives for those who

8 | | 9 URBAN AGRICULTURE

Urban agriculture is a productive form of green infrastructure that improves reduce maintenance. Whether intentional or instinctual, their actions suggest a link access to healthy fresh food, supports local economies, creates jobs, and provides between aesthetics and sustainability. Further, the lack of hesitation in adopting other ecosystem services. It follows that in recent decades green planning initiatives permaculture suggest it is a model worthy of further investigation. embraced urban agriculture as a key element of sustainable communities. To date the approach to urban agriculture is based on an “agronomic model that requires The most cited barrier for urban agriculture projects is access to land and lack significant inputs of physical resources, labor, capital and knowledge” (Potteiger, of tenure on that land. Many urban agriculture projects are established on vacant 2015) which are often not available in sufficient quantity, quality or duration for the lots, abandoned sites, leftover and underutilized land by those without the means to productive sites to be considered sustainable. The model is evident in the allotment purchase the land. The project continues at the discretion of the landowner. A related and community gardens and urban farms that have populated urban spaces. barrier is intense competition from other land uses. Additional barriers include zoning ordinances; suitability of land for food provisioning activities (location, size, The 11th Street Bridge Park project leverages bridge infrastructure to build a park and access to sunlight, water, and soil); perceived and actual health risks posed to connecting Capitol Hill and Ward 8. The project was initiated after 1000+ meetings food grown in urban conditions; lack of skills and knowledge to manage such sites; with community residents who repeatedly expressed the desire for access to fresh ongoing commitment to maintenance and stewardship; and aesthetics. food. Based on that feedback urban agriculture and inclusive green spaces were included in the desired programming in the call for proposals to design the bridge. More recently food forests have emerged as an urban agriculture typology that Additionally, Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR) Farms was launched. BBAR embraces the science of agroecology and the philosophy of permaculture to provide Farms is a collaborative urban agriculture network intended to provide residents of ecologically designed public space that promotes food literacy, enhances nutrition, Ward 8 access to fresh produce. and encourages people to recreate. Food forests embrace poly-functionality. Tree canopy reduces storm water runoff, provides shade and produces nuts. Groundcover On February 28, 2020 I met with the Executive Director and Farm Manager to can retain moisture and be edible. Kitchen herbs can attract pollinators and deter learn more about BBAR. During that conversation they shared their struggle to find pests. Through its form and function food forests promise to alleviate perceived ways to make the main farm and partner plots sustainable. Volunteer burnout and and actual health risks, reduce the skills and knowledge required to manage the site, waning partner enthusiasm made it difficult to keep sites running. At the start of the significantly reduce the ongoing maintenance demands, and provides an aesthetic program the model focused on using raised vegetable beds to grow annual produce. more aligned with prevailing landscape aesthetics. As the program matured they worked with a local nonprofit to add fruit trees and introduced bee hives. They engaged local artists and neighborhood children to bring Food Forests indicate a transition from urban agriculture to foodscapes. art into the gardens. After meeting with representatives from the University of the District of Columbia, the farm manager is introducing permaculture techniques to

10 | | 11 FOODSCAPES

‘Foodscape’ is a rich concept with many possible definitions. Since 2007 an The dominant American foodscape is comprised of cheap, convenient, ultra- “Foodscape is the right term when explaining how increasing number of studies use it to explore food issues in public health, social processed foods eaten on the go. It has spatial, social and cultural, behavioral, and food landscapes are shaped, influenced, transformed justice, and food system sustainability at multiple scales (Vonthron, Perrin, & systemic components that must be understood in order to make change. In pockets by social practices (shopping, cooking, eating), by Soulard, 2020). Based on a review of 140 publications, researchers identified four the foodscape has been altered by the introduction of community gardens, urban political and legal institutions, by economic decision, approaches to studies of the foodscape and food issues: (i)spatial, (ii) social and farms, rooftop gardens, farmer’s markets, and farm to table restaurants. In cities and and by relations of power within food systems. cultural, (iii) behavioral, and (iv) systemic. towns around the world flourishing foodscapes exist. Based on an examination of ‘Foodscape’ should also be the preferred term when those foodscapes, Johannes Wiskerke and Saline Verhoeven in their book Flourishing examining how food landscapes are perceived The spatial approach focuses on the food environment, location of food outlets, Foodscapes share five socio-spatial design principles: differently by each of us according to our historical, and correlations with public health. It is the approach that led to the identification linguistic, and political situatedness” (Vonthron, Perrin, of ‘food deserts’ (places where residents lack physical and/or financial access to Adopt a city region perspective – reestablish the urban with its rural hinterlands. and Soulard (2020), p.16). healthy food) and ‘food swamps’ (places where fast food, junk food, and liquor far exceed healthy food options). While the metaphors are effective in tapping into the Link different levels of scale – connect the household, neighborhood, city, and collective perceptions of deserts and swamps to draw attention to issues of public region. health, they perpetuate the devaluing of vibrant, diverse ecosystems and divert attention from the root causes of public health, social justice, and unsustainability Connect flows and close cycles – use waste from one flow as input for another issues in our global food system. flow.

The social and cultural approach adds place-based history and community Enhance spatial diversity and synergies – embrace and expand urban agriculture relationships with food to the spatial dimensions of food distribution and typologies not just to produce food but offer additional ecosystem services. consumption. The behavioral approach examines individual perceptions, learning, and food choice. The systemic approach is “critical of the global corporate food Conceive multiple utopias – make visible the food provisioning practices that regime” (Vonthron, Perrin, & Soulard, 2020, p. 11) and promotes alternative food are typically hidden or misunderstood; visualize the desired future. systems. For scholars employing these three approaches “the food around us is not just an objective reality (like the spatial distribution of food outlets), but is also a Thesis Project Challenge: How might these socio-spatial design principles be used to subjective ‘deeply perspectival construct’” (Vonthron, Perrin, & Soulard, 2020). remake the American foodscape? Are behavioral and systemic concerns embedded in the principles and how are they considered in a design?

12 | | 13 SOCIAL AESTHETICS

At the start of this thesis I attended an edible landscaping class offered by the or inaction. It is a process always underway. There is no one generalized theory of local Master Gardeners. About midway through the talk, I became acutely aware of affect. Rather there are multiple orientations and lines of inquiry. Often, however, how often the presenter used the adjective ‘beautiful’ to describe the examples of the exploration of ‘how’ within these lines of inquiry leads to consideration of edible landscapes. It felt as though the presenter need only to convince me it was aesthetics. Not aesthetics as an object of beauty but rather aesthetics as a process beautiful and I would hurry home and transform my yard into an edible landscape. It of perception. While there are no guarantees that understanding capacities to affect prompted me to recall critiques of food production-related studio projects, wherein and to be affected will yield desired changes, theories of affect offer fertile ground I was challenged to show the ‘ugly’ side of food production or the fallow periods for exploring, experimenting, and articulating the agency of aesthetics. between growing seasons. Having reviewed comments and criticisms of proposed projects to bring food provisioning activities to urban private and public lands, I The power of affect depends on a number of factors including the angle of believe aesthetics plays a significant role in our individual and collective perceptions arrival, the feel of an atmosphere, the duration of exposure but most importantly, of food provisioning activities. But why and how? depends on the degree of emotional interest involved and whether approval is sought (Highmore, 2010, p. 125). Humans have an innate desire to be recognized as In 2007 Elizabeth K. Meyer, influential landscape architectural critic and theorist, individual while simultaneously being part of a group. As individuals we look to the published a manifesto in which she called for adding beauty into what she referred group for guiding beliefs and norms of behavior – an ethos. Individuals constantly to as the sustainability triad - environment, economy, and equity. Eight years later seek to be part of a group whose ethos is consistent with their own. Meyer published “Beyond ‘Sustaining Beauty’: Musings on a Manifesto” in which she clarified her intention to insert aesthetics, not merely beauty, into the triad. Further, Ben Highmore, cultural theorist and scholar, draws on the approach to cultural she elucidated her position by sharing insights acquired from the scholarly works inquiry where the body is understood to be a “nexus of finely interlaced force and thinking of philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, and cultural theorists . I fields” (Highmore, Bitter After Taste: Affect, Food, and Social Aesthetics, 2010) – in found the theory of affects and social aesthetics to be promising lines of inquiry for particular, “the studies of emotions and affects, of perception and the management understanding the role of aesthetics in food provisioning. of attention, and on studies of senses, the sensorial, and the human sensorium” (Highmore, Bitter After Taste: Affect, Food, and Social Aesthetics, 2010). Rather “Affect, at its most anthropomorphic, is the name we give to those forces – visceral than studying discrete sensual, experiential, and cognitive modes, he suggests forces beneath, alongside, or generally other than conscious knowing, vital forces investigating cross-modal networks that register links between these fields of study insisting beyond emotion – that can serve to drive us toward movement, toward (Highmore, 2010). Further he suggests ‘social aesthetics’ as an umbrella term for thought and extension, that can likewise suspend us (as if in neutral) across a barely this cross-modal investigation (Highmore, 2010). registering accretion of force-relations, or that can even leave us overwhelmed by the world’s apparent intractability” (Seigworth & Gregg, 2010, p. 1). Affect is action Full comprehension of the term ‘social aesthetics’ eluded me until I saw it equated

14 | | 15 with the term ‘ethos’. ‘Social aesthetics’ recasts aesthetics as a social issue, not moment, it is feelings like anger, contentment, disappointment, joy, weariness, and just a personal experience. Social aesthetics is concerned with institutions, social hope, along with the non-visual senses of smell, taste, hearing, and touch that fill groups, and collective projects and the ways in which they codify their values and the minutes in between. Meyer challenges landscape architects, the designers of beliefs. “Ethos (or social aesthetics) allows you to see why and how a particular ‘experiments in living’, to enhance the affective power of a socio-ecological ethos style of washing matters; it links the perception of cleanliness and dirt, or purity and “through prolonged, vivid, and strange encounters with constructed nature” (Meyer impurity, to orchestrations of shame and comfort, to resonances of other sensual E. K., 2015, p. 47). For it is in experimenting with forms of living – proverbially, worlds, and on to the social ontology of bodies” (Highmore, 2010, p. 129). putting one’s self in another’s shoes – that an ethos may be changed. How do you understand the aesthetic of a soldier unless you have lived the everyday life of a I grew up on military bases. There were no kitchen gardens, vegetable patches soldier? How do you understand the aesthetic of a farmer unless you have lived in the backyard, community gardens, or farmers’ markets. Cultivating such places the everyday life of a farmer? How do you understand the aesthetic of a Black takes time - time that a soldier spends drilling, training, and defending. When orders American unless you have lived the everyday life of a Black American? to move are issued, a soldier and their family must be ready to leave. There is no room for permanent ties to a place. An ethos of efficiency, order, and precision “Landscapes are places for dwelling and working, and they are also symbolic manifests in rigid schedules, short haircuts, uniforms, manicured lawns and drill expressions of a society. Our understanding of our culture is co-created with our fields, and mass-produced housing. Like every other family on base, we went to the production of our place. The material practice of making and remaking landscapes commissary soon after pay day to stock up on canned, processed, and frozen goods is a process of shaping places that reflect our culture and provide opportunities to to last for the month. For years I thought asparagus was a mushy, off-putting olive critique cultural norms and suggest new modes of dwelling” (Lickwar & Thoren, green vegetable that no one should ever have to eat. Then one day I was served 2020, p. 2). Rarely, landscape architects are engaged in the design of urban food lightly roasted fresh asparagus and its vibrant color, texture, and taste changed my provisioning or productive landscapes at any scale. Yet the raw materials of food whole attitude. I ordered it every time I saw it on the menu. I prepared it at home. production – soil, water, and plants – are the materials with which we execute our Over time I came to love asparagus. When I saw it growing in a garden for the first craft. We must give form to a social aesthetic in which food provisioning is valued time, I was taken aback by its beauty, but that’s not what changed my perception of as an expression of earth and people care. asparagus. It was those everyday actions of preparing and eating. “However much we may want to perceive ourselves as contemporary designers Through Highmore’s work social aesthetics is understood as the “dense weave who are inventors of original forms that express our own time and place and of aesthetic propensities shared by a group” and that it can be changed through culture, we are, I would like to suggest, still haunted by Olmsted’s vision of an idyllic “experiments in living” (Highmore, 2010, p. 135). It is in the everyday acts of pastoral park, quintessential emblem of a civilized, humanized, natural world; and living that affect happens. While seeing beauty and the sublime have power in the still influenced, in our judgments of what is beautiful or appropriate in the designed

16 | | 17 landscape, by the impress of those powerful inherited models” (Howett, 1987, p. 3) experiences and unique self. The inherited models of which Catherine Howett speaks are the pastoral, beautiful, picturesque, and sublime. While distinct, these western European artistic, literary, While we may have a biological tendency to relax and appreciate amber waves of and landscape design traditions are tightly interwoven. Elements of each were used grain, our food culture has taught us that those waves of grain belong in the rural in different configurations to reflect the political, social, and economic forces of the hinterlands. Personally, we like being able to go to the grocery store to buy bread time and place of application. rather than harvesting and milling wheat, then baking the bread ourselves. It is the cultural mode of aesthetic experience with which social aesthetic is concerned. The pastoral, beautiful, picturesque, and sublime were studied, embraced, and adapted by early American landscape designers, most notably Andrew Jackson I see our current social aesthetic for food systems (Figure 2) as a canyon with Downing and Frederick Law Olmsted. As America grew these aesthetic experiences production and waste management on one side and distribution and consumption became entangled with American identity and ideals. To challenge them is to on the other. The river running through the canyon is the Olmstedian aesthetic and challenge the conception of America – manicured front lawns, tree edged local parks, American conceptions of landscape. Community gardens, food forests, farmers’ and national parks full of breathtaking scenery. Since the rise of environmentalism markets and other urban food production initiatives are small scale attempts at in the 1960s landscape architects have struggled to define and give form to new bridging the canyon. This is the American foodscape. aesthetic experiences – experiences powerful enough to awaken America to the Anthropocene, demonstrate how current behavior contributes to the realities of the epoch, and inspire change while still expressing American values of democracy, justice, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness.

Steven C. Bourassa, professor of urban and regional planning, suggests there are “three modes of aesthetic experience: biological, cultural, and personal” (Bourassa, 1990). In the biological mode humans desire to see but not be seen (prospect- refuge theory) or prefer savanna-like environments. This mode explains the long- term affinity for the pastoral and picturesque. Many use this mode to substantiate Figure 2. Collage of the social aesthetic of food in America. See list of Image Credits at end of document. the validity of maintaining the Olmstedian landscape aesthetic in America. In the cultural mode humans appreciate what society has taught them to appreciate or to interact with nature the way society has taught them to interact with nature. In the personal mode humans develop individual preferences based on their own

18 | | 19 PERMACULTURE

Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is a design philosophy with growing food, knowing they would be rewarded for their efforts. They were the first ecologists, fuel, medicine and fiber in an ecologically sustainable and economically viable way conservationists, foresters, and environmentalists. as its primary aim. The term coined and a concept co-produced by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s directly responded to a growing At the core of permaculture is H.T. Odum’s theory on energy (Figure 3). The environmental crisis. premise is that energy is the driving force behind all natural and human systems. Living systems designed to optimize efficiency of energy transformation and Since its initiation as an “integrated, evolving system of perennial or self- storage are systems that tend to prevail. As energy and mass decrease, the power perpetuating plant and animal species useful to man” (Holmgren, 2017), permaculture and value per unit of energy increases. Our systems of energy transformation have has expanded to be “consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns significantly depleted our natural capital. To rebuild our natural capital we must and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fiber, and have balanced and fertile soil, capture and use water, preserve and expand large scale energy for provision of local needs” (Holmgren, 2017). It is a philosophy anchored tree systems, and save the energy stored in seeds. We must promote self-reliance and by systems thinking and moored by a set of ethics and design principles. Those self-regulation through integration and cooperation. We must design from patterns who embrace the philosophy are offered strategies, tactics, shared knowledge and found in nature, and we must use the edges and value the marginal. experience but are not given a rulebook or manual. In permaculture design courses, students are taught in terms of zones, sectors, and scales of permanence. However, In the foreword to the Basics of Permaculture Design, David Holmgren, writes what they are learning is how to read the site and design responses that put the site “permaculture involves the integration of ecological design principles, the ethics and in service of achieving specific goals. In this regard there is much overlap with the values of working with nature and the detailed situation and site-specific practical practice of landscape architecture. realities of life. In trying to combine these three very different spheres of human activity, there is constant tension and the need to re-assert balance” (Mars, 2005). Ethics are encapsulated in three maxims: care of the earth, care for people, and Permaculture is gaining increased interest and acceptance through the evidence- fair share. Holmgren notes these ethics can be seen as “common to all indigenous based practices and principles demonstrated by the field of agroecology and more tribal peoples” (Holmgren, 2017). He expressly states “this focus in permaculture specifically, agroforestry. See list of Image Credits at end of document. Figure 3. Collage of permaculture. on learning from indigenous tribal cultures is based on the evidence that these cultures have existed in relative balance with their environment and survived for Thesis Project Challenge: If there is no prescribed method of ‘doing’ permaculture, longer than any of our recent experiments in civilization” (Holmgren, 2017). how do I teach others? How might this project translate permaculture philosophy Universally, indigenous peoples did not see themselves as separate from nature but to change collective understanding of what food provisioning looks like, requires, as an integral part. They observed and respected the patterns and relationships that and is sustained? Which permaculture and specifically, agroforestry practices can be exist. They sought ways to work with those patterns and enhance those relationships used to create a sustainable urban public space?

20 | | 21 THE SITE

22 | | 23 THEORY OF CHANGE

To provide everyone with access to culturally appropriate, healthy food in an environmentally sustainable way; make community - based agriculture and food production activities a permanent and pervasiveness part of American culture; and reverse the negative externalities of current industrial food production practices, cultural norms must change. Aesthetics has the power to affect such a change. Not aesthetics as defi ned in the art world as equated with beauty but a fuller meaning encompassing senses, perception, and emotion. Social aesthetics is the term employed by cultural theorists to describe how institutions, social groups, and collective projects codify their values and beliefs.

Rooted in indigenous land stewardship and food provisioning practices, permaculture (permanent agriculture) offers strategies and tactics to overcome barriers to sustainability. Despite mounting evidence that permaculture will result in more sustainable food systems, adoption is limited.

The diffusion of innovation theory suggests that ideas and information from a highly specialized world require translation into a language the rest of society understands to reach widespread adoption.

This thesis translates permaculture to contribute to a sustainable social aesthetic for food provisioning AND change the dominant American foodscape. The translation occurs on iconic public land - ‘America’s front yard’ - the National Mall, Washington, DC.

Figure 4. Cultural Iceberg. The project of this thesis aims to express democratic values through polyculture. It invites every citizen to participate in acts of justice Image Credit: htt ps:// rather than submit to illusions of order and control. From site selection through design, spatial and temporal scale is critical. This thesis marti nopillitt eri.wixsite.com/ exportrelati onships/post/the- explores food’s past to understand our present and imagine our future. The design creates an immersive food experience that equips cultural-iceberg . visitors with the knowledge and resources to apply permaculture at the homestead, neighborhood, city, and regional scales. The remade

In 1976 Edward T. Hall used an iceberg front yard becomes the symbol of a country where places of food cultivation and human inhabitation are one and the same. to explain that culture has two parts. A small porti on is visible on the surface while the majority is deep below the surface.

24 | | 25 LAND RELATIONS

“When we think and talk about ‘the site’, allowing the concept to form in our minds, we associate it with two ideas. The first is the idea that an isolatable site is owned, and that ownership is identifiable. Whether the ownership unit is a private or public entity…is immaterial; what matters is the assumption that a legal someone has control over the site. The second idea is that the owner has a set of rights that may be freely exercised as a function of their ownership” (Jacobs, 2005, p. 19).

When developing criteria for a project site, challenging current land relations for long-term protection of biodiversity. The status codes range from one (most rose to the top. In the United States (US) indigenous land relations were violently protected) to four (the least protected). According to the database 8.2 percent of displaced by a legal system of ownership and control. To achieve the sustainability land in the US is classified as GAP Status Code 1. 3.8 percent is classified as GAP objectives of permaculture the concept of ownership and control must be displaced Status Code 2. 17.8 percent is classified as GAP Status Code 3. That leaves 70.2 by a concept of stewardship and cooperation. Owners extract value from the land percent classified as GAP Status Code 4 (Figure 6). This means many biodiversity- to benefit themselves. Stewards add value to the land for the benefit of others. rich areas lack legal protection. There are no legal barriers to minimize habitat loss, Figure 5. Proportion of total land area that is public, tribal, and private. Figure 6. Proportion of total land area assigned each status code. Most stringent on the left to least mitigate climate change, or ensure responsible energy siting. Public access and use stringent on the right. Based on data in the 2018 United States Geological Survey (USGS) Protected of public lands is unnecessarily restricted. The majority of land assigned GAP Areas Database of the United States, 36 percent of land in the US is considered status code 4 is privately held. public, meaning it is supported by taxpayers and managed by federal, state, or local government (Headwaters Economics, 2019). An additional 3 percent are designated Despite environmental legislation such as the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and as tribal lands with the remainder privately held for personal and/or commercial Endangered Species Act our legal system of ownership and property rights has failed interests (Figure 5). Public lands comprise “national forest and wilderness, national to protect the resources we most need to survive, thrive, and ensure the continuation parks and monuments, wildlife refuges, rangelands, state trust lands, state parks and of our species. Rather than asserting new mandates, regulations, and restrictions on recreation sites, and city and county parks” (Headwaters Economics, 2019). land use, it is time to cultivate new land relations - rooted in stewardship. But how Data Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (2018). Gap Analysis Project (GAP), 2018, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US): U.S. Geological Survey data release. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5066/ P955KPLE. and where? Image Credit for outline of United States of America Map: Sha, Artof (n.d.) United States of America Map Outline Image 125667743 [Vector Illustration]. Dreamstime.com. https://www.dreamstime.com/united-states- Under the Gap Analysis Project (GAP) the land inventoried for the USGS america-map-outline-vector-illustartion-usa-map-united-states-america-map-outline-vector-illustartion-usa-map-image125667743 Protected Areas Database is assigned a status code indicating the management intent

26 | | 27 Figure 7. Public lands in Washington, DC classified by Figure 9. Map of Urban Agriculture and Community Garden management type. Sites in Washington, DC.

As our nation’s capital, Washington, DC (the district) sets the tone for civic dedicated to food provisioning activities. discourse and expression of democratic values. It is the place from which laws, regulations, and executive orders emanate. There is no better place to begin changing Based on analysis completed in 2017, more than half of the residents of land relations than at the source. Washington DC have low food access. Low food access areas are those where it is estimated to be more than a 10-minute walk to the nearest full-service grocery Based on data in the Protected Areas Database, 16 percent of land in the district is store. 16.55 percent of residents have income less than 185 percent of the poverty managed by federal, city, or non-governmental organizations. The majority of that line. There are several areas in wards 5, 7, and 8 where residents have low physical Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (2018). Gap Analysis Project (GAP), 2018, Protected Areas Database Data Source: District of Columbia Office of Planning Open Data Portal. Datasets retrieved from https:// of the United States (PAD-US): U.S. Geological Survey data release. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5066/ opendata.dc.gov/ land is managed by the federal government, specifically the National Park Service and financial access to food (Figure 10). These areas are largely Black communities. P955KPLE. (Figure 7). Figure 8. Public lands in Washington, DC classified by GAP Figure 10. Heat Map of Low Food Access Areas with populations To begin the transformation of the American foodscape, site selection is as Analysis status code. with income less than 185 percent of poverty line. Of the public lands less than one percent is classified as GAP Status Code 1. No critical as the interventions on the site. With the significant amount of public land in land is classified as GAP Status Code 2. Less than one percent is classified as GAP Washington, DC there are many sites from which to select. By examining the work Status Code 3. That leaves nearly all of the public managed land in the district of Andrew Jackson Downing and Frederick Law Olmsted, the power of large public as GAP Status Code 4 (Figure 8). This means many biodiversity-rich areas in the parks to influence taste, enforce cultural norms, and change behavior is revealed. nation’s capital lack legal protection - there are no legal barriers to minimize habitat While a compelling case can be made for selecting a site in communities of greater loss, mitigate climate change, or ensure responsible energy siting. Public access and need, the project aims to change a collective mindset and for that only one site fits use of these public lands is often restricted. The remaining land in the district is the bill - ‘America’s Front Yard’. privately managed.

In the district there are 34 urban agriculture sites totaling approximately 12 acres and there are 62 community garden sites totaling approximately 30 acres (Figure 9). That means less than a tenth of a percent (.1%) of public lands in the district is

Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (2018). Gap Analysis Project (GAP), 2018, Protected Areas Database Data Source: District of Columbia Office of Planning Open Data Portal. Datasets retrieved from https:// of the United States (PAD-US): U.S. Geological Survey data release. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5066/ opendata.dc.gov/ Maps created by author using ArcGIS Pro [GIS Software]. Version 2.4.2. Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., 2019. P955KPLE. 28 | | 29 Na�onal Museum of African American History and Culture Smithsonian Na�onal Museum of American History Smithsonian Na�onal Museum of Natural History AMERICA’S ‘FRONT YARD’ Na�onal Gallery of Art - Sculpture Garden America’s ‘Front Yard’ is the less formal moniker used for the eastern portion of the of Washington, and, by having these trees plainly labeled with their popular and Na�onal Gallery of Art National Mall between the US Capitol Building and Washington Monument (Figure scientific names, to form a public museum of living trees and shrubs where every 11). Since its inception, the National Mall is imbued with cultural significance. From person visiting Washington would become familiar with the habits and growth of the mid-1800’s its ability to influence the general taste of the country is employed in all the hardy trees” (O’Malley, 2002, p.66). Downing’s design included two types service of crafting social aesthetics. of gardens - the beautiful and the picturesque. He died tragically in 1852 and his proposal stalled, but the picturesque style expressed in his plan dominated the mall In 1791 Pierre L’Enfant designed the mall to symbolize the separation and balance (and influenced park design throughout America) until the McMillan Commission of powers in a newly formed democratic government (White, 2011). Its grandeur Plan. and style was meant to legitimize a young nation’s stature in the world order while encouraging a vibrant social and commercial life. From 1862 to 1899 William Saunders, a contributor to Andrew Jackson Downing’s Horticulturist magazine, managed a propagation garden then later the 40 acre USDA As the country grew in size, wealth, and power so too did the slave trade. Until Arboretum on the National Mall. Because the site was too small to serve as the 1850 it was common to see slaves herded to and from pens located on the southern experimental farm originally envisioned, it was designed and managed to educate border of the mall (White, 2011). To stave off threats from the deep political and cultivate an appreciation for nature. In many ways it implemented Downing’s Na�onal Museum of the American Indian divide over slavery and maintain a modicum of neutrality, Congress attempted to vision. use physical symbols to convey the image of a “unified republican government Smithsonian Na�onal Air and Space Museum committed to popular education and a democratic society” (O’Malley, 2002). These In 1901 the McMillan Commission sought to reclaim L’Enfant’s intent by creating Hirshhorn Museum symbols took the form of schools, libraries, museums, botanical gardens, and large a civic work of art that would serve as a stage on which democratic values are Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building parks. expressed. The National Mall became the prototype for America’s City Beautiful Smithsonian Castle movement. Freer Gallery of Art In 1851 President Millard Fillmore asked Andrew Jackson Downing to develop a United States Department of Agriculture landscape design of the mall as a national park. Downing expressed his intentions In 2021 its carpet of lawn framed by American Elm trees epitomizes the economic, Figure 11. Aerial Image of ‘America’s Front Yard’. Base image from Google Earth. for the design as threefold: “1st: to form a national park which would be an ecological, and equity challenges of monoculture landscapes. Its style is replicated ornament to the Capital of the United States; 2nd: to give an example of the natural in front yards and parks - both privately and publicly owned - across America It’s style of landscape gardening which may have an influence on the general taste of time to imagine the mall as an expression of today’s reality and tomorrow’s hopes. the country; 3rd: to form a collection of all the trees that will grow in the climate It’s time for a new social aesthetic.

30 | | 31 THE PROJECT

32 | | 33 NATIONAL US(E)UM OF AMERICAN FOOD HISTORY AND CULTURE

This project is the National Us(e)um of American Food History and Culture. This project is about changing social aesthetics so that permaculture, a more sustainable approach to food provisioning, will become more widely adopted. Simultaneously, it is about expanding permaculturists’ understanding of aesthetics and its power to affect change.

The project is presented in two parts. In the pages that follow I provide explanation of key design decisions. That is followed by a tour. For the tour I ask you to travel with me to 2036. In 2036 I serve as your docent. During the tour I share key elements of site analysis, important design decisions, and highlight permaculture tactics. By the end I hope you understand the new social aesthetic for food provisioning.

Figure 12. Pocket Map.

34 | | 35 THE THREE SISTERS Unpacking terms like regenerative agriculture, holistic management, agroforestry, From an ecological perspective the strength of the corn is its sturdy stalk upon agroecology, companion planting and permaculture exposes explicit and implicit which the bean climbs. The strength of the bean lies on its roots where bacteria appropriation of practices perfected by indigenous peoples of America and Africa capture nitrogen from the air and convert it into a usable form the corn uses to prior to European colonization in South America, North America, and Australia. grow. The strength of the squash lies in its stems and large leaves which provide Acknowledging this appropriation is an act of cultural stewardship. shade and trap moisture in the ground for all of them. Since they are each from a different family of plants, they have different disease and pest concerns making Cultural stewardship and land stewardship are intertwined. The land remembers them more resilient. the quality of the care. The quality of care depends on the values we inscribe in cultural norms and practices. We inscribe values in multiple ways, but perhaps the From a dietary perspective each is an important part of a healthy diet. Corn oldest is the oral tradition of storytelling. provides carbohydrates. Beans provide protein. Squash provide a variety of vitamins. Native Americans have used stories and the tradition of storytelling to inform, entertain, communicate, and sustain their cultural norms and practices despite I find in the lessons of The Three Sisters expressions of core democratic overt efforts to erase them. Among those stories are multiple versions of ‘The values of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, justice, common good, equality, truth, Three Sisters’ (Figure 13). The three sisters are corn, beans, and squash - a diversity, and popular sovereignty. symbiotic triad that have provided sustenance to Native Americans for centuries. The stories explain why the three plants are grown together and in so doing impart The Three Sisters are the inspiration for the design of the National Us(e)um of important social, ecological, and dietary lessons. American Food History and Culture.

From a social perspective the stories tell us that we may be different, but we each have strengths to share. If we focus on the differences and points of disagreement then we become distracted from the important work that must happen for us all to live our best life. If we accept the differences and focus on sharing our individual strengths then we all will benefit.

Figure 13. The Three Sisters, watercolor painting by Ernest Smith, Tonawanda Reservation, 1936. From the collection of the Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY.

36 | | 37 To provide everyone with access to culturally appropriate, healthy food in an environmentally sustainable way; make community - based agriculture and food production activities a permanent and pervasiveness part of American culture; and reverse the negative externalities of current industrial food production practices, cultural norms must change. To change cultural norms, we have to call them out and examine them more closely. I believe that we have to dig into the past, to understand our present, and imagine what our future should be.

In one version of the story of ‘The Three Sisters’, a boy visits the field and takes beans. Her sisters mourn. The boy returns and takes squash. Corn morns. The boy returns to take corn. When they arrive at his dwelling, corn is elated to find her sisters, beans and squash. The sisters are reunited. It is this version of the story that inspired the layout of the The National Us(e)um of American Food History and Culture.

The Us(e)um is comprised of three nodes - Sister Past, Sister Present, and Sister Future.

The District of Columbia is a palimpsest of customs, traditions, and values expressed through the built environment (Figure 14). In each layer one can find a rhythm to the city. Each node seeks to highlight a rhythm. Sister Past highlights the rhythm of hydrology. Sister Present highlights the rhythm of the street grid. Sister Future highlights the rhythm of change. Further explanation of each of these rhythms and the citing of the Sister node is provided on the tour that follows.

Figure 14. Node Location.

38 | | 39 ORIENTATION

In 1960 Image of the City written by Kevin Lynch was published. In the book Edges. The transition edges are where you enter and exit the cultural district. Lynch identifies five elements of the city people use to make mental maps of their These transition edges vary with the conditions that already exist. Appropriate surroundings. At the Us(e)um, I use these five elements plus one more - vegetation plantings are added to weave the urban streetscape into the new foodscape. (Figure 15). 6. Vegetation. There are three zones. At each of the nodes you will find Zone 1 1. District. The project is located in the cultural district. Through perma-culture, gardens. As you move away from the node, you encounter Zone 2, then Zone the Us(e)um brings the culture outside. 3, then back to Zone 2, then Zone 1.

2. Nodes. We have three primary nodes and plazas which represents secondary This is a slow landscape. It will take time to build infrastructure, prepare panels nodes. Each plaza is associated with a museum. This primary nodes are for conversion, plant trees and shrubs and for them to grow to maturity. Figure inspired by the legend of The Three Sisters. 16 and Figure 17 depict four major phases of development.

3. Paths. There is a primary path that begins at Union Station and roughly follows the course of Tiber Creek into the National Mall, intersecting with Sister Past and continuing through to Sister Present, then on to Sister Future. Along the way, the path ties into existing paths. The primary path is a meandering path inspired by energy and wave dissipation. Secondary paths connect points of transition to plazas. Tertiary paths include many which already exist and some which will be created as the Us(e)um grows and expands.

4. Landmark. 7th Street NW is a seven lane road. To provide a safer crossing and connect Sister Past and Present, there is a Lawn Bridge.

5. Edges. There are two important edge typologies: Edible Edges and Transition Figure 15. Axonometric Site Plan Diagram.

40 | | 41 Figure 16. Timelapse - Phase I (Years 2023-2026), Phase II ( Years 2027-2037). Figure 17. Timelapse - Phase III (Years 2038-2058), Phase IV (Years 2058-2076).

42 | | 43 THE TOUR

44 | | 45 “ I have often visited the National Museum of the American Indian and enjoyed a meal of traditional native American foods in the cafeteria. While they do a wonderful job of showcasing traditional foods, it is nothing compared to being able to walk amongst the sacred seeds as they grow. To see, feel, and smell the crops, to learn the ancient ways of tending the plants, I feel more connected with my ancestors than ever YEAR: 2036 before.” - Native American Visitor

It is the year 2036. The Us(e)um is a work in progress. While the frame has been built, our ‘exhibits’ are comprised of living things that take time to reach maturity and bear fruit. For this tour I imagine myself a docent at the Us(e)um. “This was the best summer EVER! I had so much fun planting, growing, and harvesting. I learned how to cook Bienvenidos. Huānyíng. Maligayang pagdating. Chào mừng. Bienvenue. Eoseo osibsio. Willkommen. ‘Ahlaan bik. Dobro simple meals with ingredients from the garden. The best pozhalovat’. Yá’át’ééh. Welcome! part was the bag of fruits and vegetables I brought home every week. So much better than fast food!” Thank you for choosing to visit this unique symbol of America’s commitment to land stewardship practices that demonstrate our - 5th Grade Student, Ward 8 Resident collective care of each other and the Earth.

“I am sad my time as an apprentice at the Us(e)um has come to an end, but very excited to start my next adventure taking what I’ve learned here and applying it to public lands near my hometown. There truly is no measure for what I have learned, but I know it is nothing compared to what I was able to teach others - young and old, visitor or junior apprentice. I’ll be back to volunteer often!” - Polyculture Apprentice 2030-2032

46 | | 47 48 | | 49 ANCESTORS SISTER PAST

50 | | 51 S ISTER P AST OVERVIEW

Sister Past is dedicated to ancestors. The mission is to honor those upon whose shoulders we stand and recover lost crops and traditions. In Sister Past indigenous techniques are highlighted, sacred seeds are cultivated, and crops tell the history of America.

Rice Field Land Back Project: Native American Food Pathways Three Sisters Garden Elm Grove/Floodplain Forest Perennial Gardens I Alley Cropping Orchard I Eco-Lawn East Grain Fields 1

Figure 18. Plan of Sister Past. See list of Image Credits at end of document. Lawn Bridge

52 | | 53 S ISTER P AST NODE LOCATION: TIBER CREEK

Whether you examine storm surge risk from hurricanes (Figure 20) or FEMA flood risk maps, the same pattern emerges. A waterway appears running east-west along Constitution Avenue before turning south along 3rd Street NW towards the Anacostia River.

In 1790 Tiber Creek (Goose Creek at the time) flowed from the north and turned west approximately where the US Capitol building is located. It then flowed west to the Potomac River (Figure 19). At that time the mouth of the creek was located just to the west of where the Washington Monument now stands. In 1815, the waterway was incorporated into the Washington Canal which connected the ports along the Anacostia River to the central city. By 1871 the canal was essentially an open sewer. It was enclosed in a tunnel, diverted underground, and covered by the road we now call Constitution Avenue.

Sister Past is centered approximately where the Tiber Creek turned west toward the Potomac to remind us that issues of the past may be buried, covered up, and forgotten, but they are always there. At times they make their presence known in unexpected and undesirable ways. If we do not acknowledge those issues and deal with them in an appropriate manner, they will reemerge with potentially more Figure 19. 1793 map of the District of Columbia with the path of Tiber Creek devastating consequences. highlighted and future path of Washington Canal added. Image Credit: Ellicott, A. & U.S. Coast And Geodetic Survey. (1793)Territory of Columbia. [Washington, DC: U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey] Figure 20. Map of storm surge risk from hurricanes. [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/ Data Source: District of Columbia Office of Planning Open Data Portal. Datasets retrieved from https://opendata. item/88694128/. dc.gov/ 54 | | 55 S ISTER P AST TOUR STOP #1: RICE FIELD

We begin our tour in the Rice Field. This was one of the first areas of the Us(e) Terrace 3 mimics the conditions typically found in inland swamps. While the um to be constructed. Here the goals are to make visible a historic watercourse, ground is often wet, there may be periods where it is dry. In this terrace a series of increase the capacity to hold water during significant rain events, grow crops, and bunds (mounds of soil) hold water for use by the rice plants. The rice plants grow begin to tell the history of food in America. in the ridges of the bunds. Excess water flows through a series of gates designed to demonstrate the Wolof Lock and Flooding System brought to plantations by First in Asia and later in West Africa, rice has been cultivated for millenia African slaves. Their labor and expertise in tidal rice cultivation systems turned (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)). It was South Carolina’s tidal wetlands into one of the wealthiest agricultural areas of the domesticated from wild rice growing in riverine floodplains, coastal estuaries, and world pre-Civil War. Terrace 4 demonstrates the wet cultivation method most often swamps. Indigenous peoples of West Africa developed sophisticated rice cultivation used today. A natural stone wall separates Terrace 4 from the central pond. systems in response to different water regimes – upland, inland swamps, and tidal (Carney, 1993). Not native to the Americas, rice was introduced by European The genus for rice is Oryza. The two most common species of rice grown are colonizers. Oryza sativa (Asian rice) and Oryza glaberrima (African rice) (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)). Within the species of Oryza The rice field (Figure 21) is comprised of a circular pond surrounded by four sativa there are two major groups of cultivars and varieties – Indica and Japonica. concentric terraces. Each terrace is separated by a wall. The outer ring is a concrete Each year a different cultivar or variety of rice is grown in Terraces 2, 3, and 4. This seating wall. Terrace 1 is a reed bed. In this terrace storm water runoff, rainfall, and allows our research teams to study how the rice responds in different water regimes water from the system across the street is captured and filtered. From this terrace and helps our visitors to learn how a particular variety might do in conditions they water flows through a series of pipes embedded in a gabion wall to the second have or can create at home. terrace. This year Oryza glaberrima ‘Carolina gold’ is growing. Since the 1970s historians Rice is grown in terraces 2, 3, and 4. In each terrace the rice is cultivated using a and geographers studying the cultivation of rice in America have clearly demonstrated different water regime – from driest in terrace 2 to wettest in terrace 4. In terrace that the antebellum rice industry was not only driven by the labor of enslaved 2 the system of rice intensification (SRI) is used. Rice seedlings are planted in a Africans but by their knowledge and expertise cultivating rice in tidewaters (Carney, Figure 21. Section of Rice Field terraces. See list of Image Credits at end of document. grid pattern in dry soil, compost is spread to fertilize the plants and improve soil 1993) (Tibbetts, 2006). “From the 1720s to 1860, no other commodity was remotely health, then an alternating wet-dry irrigation system is used (Held, 2020). Studies as important to the region [Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, and the surrounding show the SRI method can produce high yields with less water and lower methane Lowcountry] as rice” (Tibbetts, 2006). By growing this variety of rice, the Us(e) gas emissions (Held, 2020). Water levels are managed with a series of weirs. Water um is continuing to draw attention to the contributions of enslaved Africans to simply overflows to terrace 3 when levels get too high. the building of America. Named for its gold color in the fields, Carolina Gold was

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famous for its flavor, texture, and cooking qualities (Tibbetts, 2006). The bulk of rice cultivation has since shifted west to Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and even California, but its historical and cultural significance remains in the food traditions of the Gullah (SC) /Geechee (GA) people.

Finally, in the center, you have the pond of wild rice, which technically is not a grain or cereal. Wild rice is a grass. Here we grow Zizania aquatica. Wild rice was foraged by the Nacotchtank from tidal marshes along the Anacostia River (Clark, 2013). Today harvesting of wild rice remains an important cultural tradition of many tribes in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The rice is harvested “in pairs, with one person pushing or paddling a canoe and the other knocking rice into it with sticks. When the wild rice is ripe, the grains fall easily into a canoe, and the grains that fall into the water lodge themselves into the mud, then grow into the following year’s stands of rice” (Milgroom, 2020).

Those of you who arrived at Union Station then walked down Louisiana Avenue may have noticed a series of rain gardens. Those rain gardens are part of a series of storm water system modifications made to direct water to a treatment system located just across Constitution Avenue. There the water is collected, filtered, stored, and released as needed into the rice field here.

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TOUR STOP #2: LAND BACK PROJECT: AST NATIVE AMERICAN FOOD PATHWAYS

“The District of Columbia shares borders with Maryland and Virginia, and connect with lands along the Anacosti a and Potomac River. These river systems and current nati onal parks are where the Piscataway, Pamunkey, the Nentego (Nanichoke), Matt aponi, Chickahominy, Monacan, and the Powhatan cultures thrived. Within 40 years of [the creati on of the map in Figure 22] the existi ng indigenous townships and Powhatan cultures were crippled by the introducti on of new diseases and war. The remaining numbers of tribes were forcibly removed from their homelands, pushed further to join larger tribes like those in the northern Algonquian speaking nati ons. Remaining tribes were sold into slavery in the Caribbean Islands. According to offi cials at the Nati onal Museum of the American Indian, there is no living Nacotchtank lineage left . Their numbers were decimated, and survivors were adopted into the Piscataway people, losing their original identi ty and descendancy.” - American Library Associati on

Washington DC occupies the ancestral lands of the Anacostans (alternatively, Nacotchtank).

America’s history is littered with broken promises and broken treaties. Land was ‘purchased’, forcibly taken, and given only to be confi scated back from indigenous peoples. To take full responsibility and publicly acknowledge the harms of actions past and present, the portion of the Us(e)um adjacent to the National Museum of the American Indian is designated for the exhibition and explanation of Native American Food Pathways.

In the spring of 2037 representatives of the Native American nations from across America will gather to bless the site in preparation for the installation of their exhibit.

Figure 22. Map of Nati ve American Villages as discovered and described by Captain John Smith in 1606. Image Credit: Smith, J. & Norris Peters Co. (1900) Virginia. [London, Washington, DC, N. Peters Photo-Lithographers 190-?] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, htt ps://www.loc.gov/item/73694572/.

60 | | 61 S ISTER P AST TOUR STOP #3: LAND STEWARDSHIP

In practice and academia the site is a circumscribed physical area within which the designer is permitted to intervene. While the boundaries of the site serve as the limits of control, they are not the limits of influence or effect. Employing permaculture design principles necessitates the consideration of more than the ‘front yard’. There are side yards and back yards and neighbors’ yards too. Ecosystems are not defined by roads, buildings, property lines or jurisdictional boundaries. Everything is interconnected. As the design for the Us(e)um developed, the ‘site’ expanded beyond the traditional boundaries of the National Mall to claim a larger area of agency.

This expansion brought lands under the stewardship of several entities inside the project boundary (Figure 23). The claimed area of agency does not ignore property rights, jurisdictional authority, or historic designation, it challenges existing power structures manifested in land use , control, and management.

The area of agency encompasses the National Mall, Smithsonian Gardens, non-Smithsonian Gardens, portions of the grounds of the United States Capitol and Washington Monument, and intersects roadways both at grade and below. It is approximately 225 acres or 92 hectares bounded by Constitution Avenue to the North, Independence Avenue to the South, 1st Street to the East and 17th Street to the West.

Figure 23. Project Area of Agency

62 | | 63 S ISTER P AST TOUR STOP #4: ZONES OF USE There are many factors to consider when deciding where to grow food, fuel, occupy this zone. fi ber, and medicine. Each plant, shrub, and tree have specifi c soil, water, and light requirements that can be supported or hindered by climate, topography, water Zone 5 – The ‘wilderness’ zone where the least amount of active management availability, access, soil quality, other plants, and animals. To make the placement occurs. This may be existing forested area. This zone is typically occupied by self- of elements easier, permaculture designers employ the use of zones (Bloom & maintaining and self-structuring systems. Boehnlein, 2015). As shown in Figure 25, as distance from the nexus of activity increases, self- Zones of use begin with a nexus of human activity – typically, the home. The maintenance increases. closer an element is to the nexus of activity, the more attention it can receive. While the zones are often depicted as concentric, rarely do they remain that Typically, there are fi ve zones (Figure 24). Each zone is defi ned by frequency of way when applied to actual site conditions. Nor do all zones have to be present. use, vegetation, animals, structure and buildings (Bloom & Boehnlein, 2015). The Us(e)um is located in a dense urban landscape. Only zones 1, 2, and 3 are demonstrated. There are three nodes – past, present, and future – each represents Zone 1 – This zone is frequented multiple times a day. In this zone herb gardens, fl ower beds, and annual vegetable gardens requiring frequent visits are a nexus of human activity. As you move from one node to the next, the pattern located. This zone may include eco-lawns for play and outdoor gathering as well Zone 1-2-3-2-1 becomes apparent. as dwarf fruit trees. Cold frames, rain barrels, tool sheds, and pergolas are smaller structures often located here.

Zone 2 – This zone may be frequented as often as once per day or just a few times a week. Semi-dwarf fruit orchards, perennial gardens, and small ponds are located here. Smaller animals like chickens and ducks may have coops or pens in this zone. Worms may be used in compost bins. Larger structures such as a workshop or greenhouse are appropriate for this zone.

Zone 3 – This zone may only be visited a handful of times each week to a handful a month. This zone resembles a farm in that staple crops, full-size fruit Figure 24. Zones of Use Diagram. See list of Image Credits at end of document. trees, and pastureland are located here. Large animals graze as part of a holistic land management system. The structures are larger as well.

Zone 4 – This zone is visited a few times a year. Woodlots, pasture and wildlife Figure 25. Finch, Joshua (2015). Permaculture Zones of Use [Diagram].

64 | | 65 S ISTER P AST TOUR STOP #5: PERENNIAL POLYCULTURE Today’s monoculture landscapes require humans to apply fertilizer, water, While guilds are inspired by the seven layers of a forest, not every layer has to be mulch, weed, and control pests. These are time-consuming, back-breaking, and present in the guild. Not every function has to be present in the guild. You will environmentally harmful tasks. What if humans returned these tasks to plants? see several examples throughout the Us(e)um.

The Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) is the example often cited to explain Let’s go see our first one - The Three Sisters Garden. how this might work. Each sister does its thing, but offers support to the others while doing it. Sometimes another sister is added to increase usable nitrogen in the soil, provide additional structural support for growing beans, keep the birds from the corn, or attract pollinators. The Three Sisters is an example of polyculture - growing two or more compatible plants in the same area at the same time.

Permaculturists take this idea even further with guilds. Where The Three Sisters consists of annual plants, guilds are based on perennial plants - perennial polyculture. Building on the permaculture design principle of observing nature, guilds mimic the seven layers of a forest – canopy, understory, shrub, herbaceous, ground cover, root, and vine. It recognizes that in nature the right combination of plants have mutually beneficial relationships with different plants filling the roles of nitrogen fixer, accumulator, attractor, repeller, and suppressor (Figure 27).

It is important to note that some plants inhibit the success of others. Trees in the walnut family are notorious for releasing a chemical that keep other plants from growing. It’s a big reason walnut trees are not planted more often in private yards and public spaces. But there are fruit-bearing understory trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bulbs that can tolerate the chemical (Figure 26). The key to assembling a guild is understanding each plant’s tendencies and requirements for success, then matching them with compatible plants.

Figure 26. Watercolor Diagram of Walnut Guild. Figure 27. Illustration of how a permaculture plant guild works. Image Credit: Flores, Heather Jo (n.d.) No Title [Illustration]. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/permaculturewomen/if-you-guild-it- they-will-come-how-to-grow-a-permaculture-food-forest-fa9edd9e7a36.

66 | | 67 S ISTER P AST TOUR STOP #6: THREE SISTERS GARDEN

Welcome to the Three Sisters Garden. In this garden we not only grow corn (C), beans (B), and squash (S), but many other plants Native Americans value as part of their culinary heritage (Figure 28). As important as the crops grown, are the methods used to grow them. Here we use the Wampanoag (Figure 29), Hidatsa (Figure 30), and Zuni (Figure 31) methods both for scientific research purposes and to show a range of options so that growers may select the one best suited to local conditions. Figure 29. Diagram of Wampanoag Method. To say the plant list for the Us(e)um is long and complicated is an understatement. (Fellows, 2018) So instead of a traditional plant palette, here is a seasonal tasting menu. We regularly plan menus then create shopping lists we take to the grocery store. Here the shopping list is replaced with a list of the plants we need to grow to prepare the items on the menu.

On the upper left hand corner of the menu there are two symbols. The first represents the 5 zones of use. The portion shaded indicates the Zone. This garden is considered a Zone 1 garden. The second represents the 7 layers of the forest or Figure 30. Diagram of Hidatsa guild. This garden includes shrubs, herbaceous plants, groundcovers, roots, and Method. (Fellows, 2018) vines or plants that grow vertically.

On the upper right hand corner of the menu are indicators of the preferred season and sunlight for the plant as well as the ecological functions served within the plant community.

In the Spring Native Americans forage. In the Summer they celebrate the fresh foods of the season. In the Fall they dry the harvest to consume during the Figure 28. Three Sisters Garden Seasonal Tasting Menu. Winter. The recipes selected celebrate these traditions with plants grown here and Figure 31. Diagram of Zuni Method. (Fellows, neighboring gardens. 2018)

68 | | 69 S ISTER P AST TOUR STOP #7: AMERICAN ELM

Before we move on from the Three Sisters Garden, I want to draw your attention place, and bear witness to the actions of people. This recognition led to the initiation to the groves of trees to the north and the south. For decades the National Mall has of the National Park Service Historic American Landscapes Survey Witness Tree been framed by panels of American Elm trees. That is changing. To explain why Protection Program in 2006. As part of the pilot project a number of trees in the and how, I’ll start with a brief history of the American Elm. Washington, DC metropolitan region were documented. Among those documented is a ‘Jefferson’ Elm located on the National Mall across the road from the Freer When the land we call America was stewarded by indigenous people, the Gallery of Art. Documented as NPS 3-487, this elm exhibits a set of characteristics American Elm tree dominated the floodplain forests of the Eastern half of the that led to the discovery that this particular cultivar of American Elm is resistant country (Marks, 2016). When colonists arrived, groves of elms were abundant. The to Dutch elm disease (Pliska, 2006). It has since been introduced into commercial Elm’s columnar trunk, long arching branches, and delicate leafing made standing in nurseries and made reintroduction of the American Elm to American landscapes a grove feel like standing inside a Gothic cathedral. Its aesthetic qualities, ease of possible. Unfortunately, a more deadly disease is threatening the American Elm tree transplantation and adaptability made the American Elm a popular tree for streets population - Elm Yellows. and parks across the country. American Elm–lined streets (allees) quickly dominated the American cityscape. The Cornell University Urban Horticulture Institute performed an assessment of the Elms on the National Mall and their soil in 2017 publishing the results in In the late 1920’s Dutch elm disease arrived on a cargo ship in Ohio and quickly 2018. A summary of their findings is presented in Figure 32. The dark green spread (Sherald, 2009; Marks, 2016). Years later, a second more deadly strain of circles represent American Elm trees in excellent condition, light green represents the disease arrived and decimated the American Elm population (Marks, 2016). good condition, yellow represents fair, red represents poor, grey represents dead, The disease arrived in Washington, DC in the 1940’s requiring an intensive plan and ‘X’ represents missing. The team published an Operations and Maintenance to manage the disease and preserve the aesthetic intention of the original 1901 Guide in 2019 which included a number of recommendations. Of particular note McMillan Commission design (Sherald, 2009). Across America tens of thousands was a recommendation to consider increasing species diversity. At the time of the of Elms have been cut down. Now the American landscape is littered by single assessment nearly 100 percent of the trees on the National Mall were the same specimens that managed to survive. species. This lack of diversity means a significant investment had to be made in the care and maintenance of the trees to stave off the risk of losing them all to a deadly Trees may live for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. They connect time, anchor disease. Figure 32. A brief history of the American Elm along with the condition of the trees as determined by the Cornell University Urban Horticulture Institute based on a 2017 assessment. See list of Image Credits at end of document.

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If you look closely at the assessment of the Elms, some patterns emerge.

1. A significant number of trees in fair or poor condition are located along the southern perimeter and to a certain extent the northern perimeter.

2. A number of missing trees are located near entrances to museums.

3. The significant number of trees in the western-most panels are in fair or poor condition while those in the eastern-most panels are in good to excellent condition.

Important contributors to the conditions of the Elms include climate, topography, water, and circulation. The East-West orientation and low building heights means ample sunlight for much of the site throughout the year. Summer temperatures reach well into the 90 degree Fahrenheit range while winter temperatures reach well into the 20 degree Fahrenheit range. The topographic high point is located in the southwest corner of the National Mall. The ground subtly slopes down to the low point in the northeast corner. In preparation for the 1976 bicentennial celebrations concrete walkways were installed between the two rows of Elms closest to the outer perimeter. Grading for walkways alters the flow of water to and from certain panels. Based on these factors, each Elm and turf grass panel was classified according to sun and moisture conditions (Figure 33).

Considering the possible reasons for those patterns led to three important decisions in the design of the Us(e)um.

1. Overall treatment and maintenance strategy for the Elms. Figure 33. Classification of panels according to light and moisture conditions. Temperature Inset Image Credit: https://www.weather-us.com/en/district-of-columbia-usa/washington-weather- september 2. Replacing the Elms along the southern and northern perimeters with Edible Edges.

3. Adding Edible Plazas at the entrances to museums.

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In the McMillan Commission design, American Elms served as a framing device. They continue to be used that way but now frame history rather than vistas. Over time the panels of American Elms will be converted to a sequence of groves, allees, and specimens from past to future, respectively (Figure 34).

When you consider the topography and historical hydrology of the site, the Elms in the easternmost panels are located in conditions most like the floodplain forest. They are also in better condition than those in the westernmost panels. These panels are being converted into groves of the floodplain forest where the Elm is co-dominant. As Elms die, they are replaced with disease resistant varieties and other floodplain forests species at closer spacing.

Let’s cross 4th Street NW.

In this next set of panels, the Elms are preserved as Allees. Elevated boardwalks are installed between the middle two rows of Elms to protect the roots while allowing visitors to enjoy the canopy (Figure 35).

Between Sister Present and Sister Future, Elms will remain as specimen trees. Of particular note is the Jefferson Elm that was inventoried as part of the Witness Tree Protection Program.

You may be wondering what to do with the American Elms as they are removed? What to do with other ‘waste’ materials? Are you composting at the Us(e)um? To answer those questions we turn to another permaculture technique - hügelkultur. Hügelkultur beds convert yard waste into soil and hold water. The beds typically take 5 forms. Hügelkultur is the inspiration for the Edible Edges (Figure Figure 34. Comparison of existing American Elm and Turf Panels to what will remain by 2076. Existing 38). condition based on data from the 2018 Cornell University Urban Horticulture Institute State of the American Elms: Tree and Soil Assessment. Outside each museum an Edible Plaza has been designed to connect the museum to the Us(e)um (Figure 39). Let’s continue our tour.

74 | | 75 Figure 38. Edible Edge. S Due to the poor conditions of the ISTER American Elms along the perimeter of the National Mall, they were removed. The feld trees were composted on site P using Hugelkultur - a permaculture

method of growing food by mimicking AST nurse logs in the forest. The hugelkultur mound supports both cool and warm season annuals along with berry shrubs and fruit trees. In addition to providing Figure 36. Existing conditions of American Elms along the southern food, the bed serves as a protective edge of the National Mall. Compacted soil, absence of berm for pedestrians. The edible edges groundcover, and sloping topography prevent the trees throughout the Us(e)um vary with from getting adequate water and nutrients. specific conditions of light and water.

Figure 39. Edible Plaza.

Each museum bordering the Us(e)um is a nexus of activity. Before there was no seating and the plazas were not inviting. Now each museum has an edible plaza that reflects the spirit of the museum while providing respite to visitors. The edible plaza outside of the National Air and Space Museum offers ample seating for large groups under a pergola on which edible vine grow. In the center is Figure 37. Existing conditions of area opposite entrance to the a raised bed with seating along the well Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. and points of entry so visitors can walk among fruit trees and herbs.

Figure 35. American Elm Allee and Edible Edge. To protect the American Elm roots from compaction, an elevated boardwalk was installed between the second and third rows of trees in selected panels. This allows visitors to experience the majesty of the tree canopy while protecting the trees. To the north of this allee is a shady edible edge.

76 | | 77 S ISTER P AST TOUR STOP #8: ZONE 2 GARDENS

Welcome to the first of our Zone 2 gardens (Figure 40). On the left (to the Southeast) you will find the Perennial Gardens. On the right (to the Northwest) you will find the Alley Cropping Orchard.

Within the Perennial Gardens you will find a meandering path weaving you through guilds of plants that prefer partial to full shade. Throughout the garden, display walls show how vertical surfaces might be used to grow a variety of edible plants.

Agroforestry is the practice of cultivating trees, agricultural crops, and/or livestock in combination (Gold & Garret, 2009). It is the more scientific cousin to permaculture. There are five categories of agroforestry practice in the United States and Canada: (1) riparian and upland buffers, (2) windbreaks, (3) silvopasture, (4) forest farming, and (5) alley cropping (Gold & Garret, 2009). Alley cropping is “the cultivation of crops in alleys between regularly spaced rows of trees and shrubs” (Savanna Institute, 2019). The Alley Cropping Orchard is laid out to follow the existing contours of the land. While barely noticeable there is a downward slope from the Southwest towards the Northeast. The orchard is divided into two sections - upslope and downslope. In both sections a mixture of nut, fruit, and nitrogen fixing trees are planted along with complementary shrubs and groundcover.

In the upslope Chinese Chestnut, Pawpaw, and Honey Locust were planted along with Black Aronia Berry and Elderberry shrubs and groundcover including comfrey, white clover, and grass mix. In the downslope Black Walnut, American Persimmon, and Honey Locust were planted along with Elderberry and Hazelnut shrubs and the same groundcover as upslope. The Black Walnut was planted downslope as it secretes a chemical called juglans which can be toxic to other plants. The plants accompanying the Black Walnut tolerate juglans. By planting downslope we reduce the risk to plants more sensitive to juglans.

For the first ten years we planted sun-loving annuals like corn in the alleys. Now that the trees and shrubs have grown and are casting Figure 40. Plan of Sister Past and Present. more shade, we have been planting winter annuals like barley and oats. They have a chance to grow before the trees leaf out. In 2043 we will begin to plant the alleys with crops that tolerate shade and have deeper roots like shrub fruits.

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Figure 41. Snapshot 1 of section of Perennial Gardens I and Alley Cropping I bisected by a secondary pathway. Figure 42. Snapshot 2 of section of Perennial Gardens I and Alley Cropping I bisected by a secondary pathway. Figure 43. Snapshot 3 of section of Perennial Gardens I and Alley Cropping I bisected by a secondary pathway.

A visitor on one of my tours shared with me that he and his spouse brought their young child to see the newly planted perennial gardens and fruit trees (Figure 41). Be sure to check the Us(e)um app for seasonal tasting menus for both the Perennial Gardens (Figure 44) and Alley Cropping - Upslope (Figure 45). You will find It was so sparse they struggled to imagine how it would look as the trees matured. Now, their child and his/her friends regularly bicycle through the Us(e)um to pick delicious recipes using plants found in each of the gardens as well instructions on how to grow and care for the plants at home. You can also share your own favorite berries and nuts (Figure 42). He/she recently returned home and excitedly proclaimed the persimmon trees are finally ready to eat! recipes.

The Us(e)um is a slow landscape. It takes time, care, and patience for shrubs and trees to reach maturity. The perennial gardens were planted at the same time as the Let’s continue. alley cropping orchard. Early visitors to the perennial gardens enjoyed foraging for ramps in the Spring and picking woodsorrel or berries in the Summer then returning to watch the Fall harvest of crops grown in the alleys of the orchard. The alley cropping orchard has begun to mature and we now regularly harvest persimmons and hazelnuts. In a few years (Figure 43) the orchard will reach full maturity and production. When your children are grown I hope they return to share childhood memories with friends and significant others.

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Figure 44. Perennial Gardens - Shade Seasonal Tasting Menu. Image credits on menu. Figure 45. Alley Cropping - Upslope Seasonall Tasting Menu. Image credits on menu.

82 | | 83 S ISTER P AST TOUR STOP #9: THE LAWN BRIDGE

“Front lawns are an American cultural artifact. Americans have been taught to desire and to care for lawns. Lawns are achieved at great expense and by continual labor. Chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides have been developed to help homeowners achieve an ideal lawn” (Jenkins, 1994).

We are now passing through the Eco-Lawn East and Grain Fields I. We have two similar gardens later on the tour. I’ll talk more about them later. Here I draw your attention to the Lawn Bridge (Figure 46).

Imagine Mother Nature (Figure 47) yanking up ribbons of turf (Figure 48) or sod being unfurled and you have the inspiration for the Lawn Bridge.

Figure 47. Quinn, Lorenzo. (2011). The Force of Turf grass is the largest irrigated crop in America (Milesi, et al., 2012). A number Nature II [Sculpture]. Doha, Qatar: Cultural of studies attempted to quantify the amount of land in America that is turf grass Village. and estimates range from 32 million to 50 million acres (Milesi, et al., 2012). While studies indicate turf grass provides a number of ecological benefits like offsetting heat island effect, reducing storm water runoff and sequestering carbon, prevailing care and maintenance practices offset these benefits. Since the turn of the century, Figure 46. The Approach to the Lawn Bridge. Grain Fields I to the left and the Eco-Lawn to the right. there has been a positive shift in our collective understanding of the impact of chemical treatments and the importance of biodiversity. Unfortunately, many struggle with how to apply this knowledge while maintaining the American lawn Figure 48. Warland, John. (2016). The World Vision aesthetic. Garden at the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show [Installation]. London, England: Royal Hospital Chelsea. 84 | | 85 S ISTER P AST

The Lawn Bridge encourages visitors to look under the surface, examine the American affinity for lawns, redefine the objectives of open green spaces, and find harmony between societal and environmental goals.

The Lawn Bridge (Figure 49) metaphorically and literally connects our past to our present. As you cross the bridge feel free to walk on the grass strip down the middle and reflect on the American lawn aesthetic and how it has contributed to the Figure 50. Jones and Jones Architects (2008). Vancouver Land Bridge, The Confluence challenges we face today. Project. Vancouver, Washington: State Highway 14 (SR14) Now we stand on the viewing bumpouts of the bridge. If you look to the east you see the gardens of Sister Past and beyond that the US Capitol. If you look to the west you see the gardens of Sister Present and beyond that the Washington Monument and gardens of Sister Future.

At 30 feet across the bridge accommodates bicyclists and pedestrians. There are three pathways on the bridge (1) a straight line to facilitate efficient movement through, (2) the grass strip, and (3)a meandering path lined with raised planters, inspired by the Vancouver Land Bridge (Figure 50), overflowing with herbs, annual vegetables and ornamental flowers.

The bridge supports are inspired by the vase-like branching of the American Elm tree.

While the approach from Sister Past is long and slow, the descent into Sister Present is a quick spiral. Let’s head down. Figure 49. Lawn Bridge Plan, Section, and Elevation.

86 | | 87 CHILDREN AND THEIR SISTER PRESENT CAREGIVERS

88 | | 89 OVERVIEW S ISTER

Sister Present is dedicated to children and their caregivers. By stimulating a child’s inate curiosity, Sister Present aims to engage both P

children and their caregivers in acts of cultivation - digging in the soil, watching bees buzz from flower to flower, observing fruit trees RESENT from flower to fresh fruit, and tasting carrots pulled from the ground. Through these acts, questions will be asked, considered, explored, and answered not only by the children, but their caregivers as well.

Food Hub Food Truck Plaza U-PIC and Youth Gardens Children’s Orchard and Play Zone Goat Paddock Perennial Gardens II and Greenhouse Eco-Lawn West Alley Cropping Orchard II Food Forest Figure 51. Plan of Sister Past and Present. Grain Fields II

90 | | 91 NODE LOCATION: 8TH STREET NORTHWEST S ISTER

Welcome to Sister Present. P RESENT The District of Columbia is a palimpsest of customs, traditions, and values expressed through the built environment. In each layer one can find a rhythm to the city. Each node seeks to highlight a rhythm. Sister Past highlights the rhythm of hydrology. Sister Present highlights the rhythm of the street grid.

The street grid originated in the design by Pierre L’Enfant (Figure 52). It has served as the framework for the city of Washington since 1791. On the National Mall the East-West axis has historically been prioritized, but for the city the 8th Street Northwest corridor has significance. The Carnegie Library in Mount Vernon Square, National Portrait Gallery, US Navy Memorial Plaza, National Archives, National Gallery of Art - Sculpture Garden, and Hirshhorn Museum are located on this important corridor.

Sister Present is centered on 8th Street Northwest to the north of the east-west axis of the Mall.

Figure 52. Plan of the City of Washington as drawn by Pierre L’Enfant with the location of 8th Street Image Credit: L’Enfant, P. C. & Thackara & Vallance. (1792) Plan of the city of Washington. [Philadelphia: s.n] Northwest highlighted. [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/88694159/.

92 | | 93 TOUR STOP #10: FOOD HUB S ISTER

We begin our tour of Sister Present, here, at the Food Hub. There are two buildings - the Community Center and the Warehouse. P RESENT The Community Center is a semicircular building echoing the circles of the Hirshhorn and Sculpture Garden. It has two stories. On the first floor is the farmers market. You can sample foods grown on site or from sister sites around the district. On the second floor we have a number of classrooms and kitchens. On the roof students grow a variety of annuals and perennial herbs. The courtyard includes an outdoor kitchen for demonstrations.

At the Community Center we offer a variety of educational programming. We have partnered with local schools to bring students here to teach them about the food system as part of their science and health courses. In the summer we offer day and week-long camps where students learn to grow, process, and prepare their own food. For those interested in becoming farmers, chefs, or entrepreneurs we offer certificate programs.

Building two is the warehouse. Items grown on site as well as local sites are brought here for food processing, cold storage and sorting for distribution. Items are either sold through our farmers’ market on the first floor of the Community Center or delivered to distribution sites located around the city.

We are currently walking through our Food Truck Plaza. For years food trucks have lined 7th Street Northwest. Now there is a place where you comfortably wait for your food. There are tables at which you can sit and enjoy your meal.

Let’s continue on.

94 | | 95 Figure 53. Play Garden.

TOUR STOP #11: U-PIC AND YOUTH GARDENS

Surrounding the food hub we have four Zone 1 gardens. First is our U-Pic gardens. S A variety of annuals are planted. This has become a popular family destination on ISTER weeknights and weekends during the summer. P

Next we have the Play Garden (Figure 53). The Play Garden is designed for Permaculture Highlight: Keyholes RESENT children ages 2-5. Here children are encouraged to play with their food both in the ground and in raised beds of varying heights and materials. Children of all abilities The edge is where two different conditions meet. In are able to participate in the acts of digging, planting, and harvesting. nature the edge is a rich, dynamic place where species of both sides as well as species unique to the edge are present Figure 54. Outdoor Classroom. In the Our next garden houses seven outdoor classrooms (Figure 54). This area is (Mars, 2003). Permaculturists are taught to make the outdoor classroom each designed to host elementary school classes which typically include children ages most of the edge and incorporate a number of different seating area is surrounded by fruit trees, nitrogen fixing 5-12. Each seating area within the classroom is designed to accommodate 14-16 patterns in their gardens to create as much edge as possible. trees, and shrubs. Separating children at a spacing of 6 feet apart, which we learned in 2020 may be necessary to One important pattern is the keyhole. each classroom is a wall on reduce the risk of spreading community disease. In the middle is a keyhole garden which espaliered fruit trees are cultivated. (see inset) to facilitate instruction in the classrooms. The keyhole can be a path to access the interior of a garden bed or the shape of the garden itself. At the Us(e) Finally we have our youth farm dedicated to those who are 13-18 years old. Here um the keyhole has inspired design at multiple scales - in students learn more advanced cultivation techniques. They determine what is to the design of the Community Center, each seating area in be planted, develop a planting schedule, provide care, and harvest. A few of our the outdoor classroom, and in the beds at the heart of the students have started small businesses in our entrepreneur incubator program. outdoor classroom.

We are now leaving the heart of Sister Present. To our south you see the Smithsonian Carousel which as been on the grounds since 1967. Soon we will begin constructing play zones, planting a children’s orchard, and converting the existing American Elm panel into a picnic grove. The Play Zone and Children’s Orchard is scheduled to open in 2038.

To our west is the future goat paddock.

96 | | 97 TOUR STOP #12: GOAT PADDOCK S ISTER

As we walked between the alley cropping orchard and perennial gardens in Sister Past, I shared that agroforestry is the practice of P

cultivating trees, agricultural crops, and/or livestock in combination (Gold & Garret, 2009) and there are five categories of agroforestry RESENT practice in the United States and Canada. One of those five categories is silvopasture - combining animal grazing with cultivation of trees.

The Goat Paddock (Figure 55) has been under development for some time. There are two enclosures. Within each are a number of fruit trees and shrubs. Goats prefer to eat small plants and bark off young trees so we’ve been letting the plantings mature before introducing the goats. Once here they will reside in one paddock while the vegetation in the other paddock recovers. The hope is that eventually, the goats will be able to browse the alley cropping orchard and food forest near by.

To the north of the Goat Paddock is the second of our perennial gardens. Here paths are interwoven amongst different fruit tree guilds. If you are wondering what to grow with apple, pear, or cherry trees, this is the place to see first hand which plants work well in a community.

A key feature of the perennial garden is the greenhouse. It is here where we start many of our plants from seed before transplanting to their appropriate garden place.

Let’s continue on to our Eco-Lawn.

Figure 55. Section Zone 2 Goat Paddock and Perennial Gardens II.

98 | | 99 TOUR STOP #13: ECO-LAWN

At the Lawn Bridge I encouraged you reflect on the American lawn aesthetic and land was regraded and four 250,000 gallon cisterns were installed to slow, spread, S how it has contributed to the challenges we face today. Here at the Eco-Lawn West, sink, and store water to support lawn care (Figure 56). ISTER I’d like to give you a bit more food for thought.

At the completion of the restoration work, the National Mall was a lush green P

Lawns are created. They are a cultural legacy handed from one generation to carpet. In order to keep it that way, use of the mall had to change. Many annual RESENT the next. Their history in America dates back to Washington, Jefferson and other events found other venues because the requirements to use the mall were too founding fathers who sought to emulate the English landscapes of their time onerous. Maintaining the look of the mall became more important than its function. (Jenkins, 1994). Andrew Jackson Downing and Frederick Law Olmsted reinforced the aesthetic through their writings and public works. Developers included front Lawns offer social, recreational, psychological, and ecological benefits. Here at lawns to serve as semi-public parks in nineteenth century suburbs and the idea has the Us(e)um we do not advocate for replacing all lawns. Rather we encourage those been reinforced in neighborhoods across America ever since (Jenkins, 1994). who prefer to have a lawn to care for and maintain it differently. While many of the lawn panels have or will be removed, some will remain and evolve into Eco-Lawns. The problem is not with the lawn but rather how we have culturally defined a ‘good’ lawn and tactics employed to achieve that desired result. As a case in point, With the Eco-Lawn we prioritize soil health, mowing routines that improve let’s consider the turf panels of the National Mall. growth and support soil health, and overseeding (Willburn, 2020). Most importantly, though, we show that a carpet of green does not have to be made up of only turf After years of hosting millions of visitors for thousands of events, the National grass. It can include many species of vegetation. Mall appeared nothing like the carpet of green velvet that is the American ideal. From 2010 to 2016, the National Park Service invested $40 million in the restoration Before continuing our tour, I’d like to talk a bit more about water and soil. of the turf panels that form the spine of the National Mall (Higgins, 2016). Through that restoration four key changes were made. First, each panel was defined by an edge made of granite and rounded corners to clearly delineate the grass and pathway. Second, a mix of turf grass suited to the local climate was planted. Third, the soil was re-engineered to resist compaction and support water infiltration. Fourth, the Base image created by author using: ArcGIS Pro [GIS Software]. Version 2.4.2. Redlands, CA: Environmental Figure 56. Analysis of water flow with highlights of measures taken to restore the turf panels of the National Systems Research Institute Inc., 2019. Mall from 2010 to 2016. See inset Image Credits at end of document. Data Source: District of Columbia Office of Planning (2020). Roads, Topgraphy 2 Foot Contours (2008), and Building Footprints (2017) [Data files]. Retrieved from https://opendata.dc.gov/

100 | | 101 TOUR STOP #14: WATER AND SOIL S ISTER

In permaculture earth is moved primarily to facilitate water management. During the construction of the Us(e)um we sought to P

minimize earth movement while taking full advantage of the work already done to restore the lawn panels. The primary goals remain to RESENT slow, spread, sink, and store (Figure 57). To achieve these goals we use Edible Edges and plant guilds that slow, spread, and sink water from rainfall and limited irrigation activities. We plant the trees and shrubs of the Alley Cropping Orchard and Food Forest on contour. We reuse the 250,000 gallon cisterns to store water captured throughout the Us(e)um grounds.

It is important to highlight that all of the soil of the National Mall is categorized as udorthents (heavily influenced by man) by the USDA (Figure 58). Since the founding of the city, dirt and soil has been brought in to fill and shape this landscape. From 2010 to 2016, the soils in the row of lawn panels was re-engineered to improve the infiltration of water into the ground and support the growth of turf grass.

Given the critical role soil health plays in water infiltration, carbon sequestration, and crop growth, we take considerable time to prepare the soil before installing the trees, shrubs, and perennial plants that comprise our gardens.

In select areas along the mall we have been removing turf grass and growing green manure (crops that are incorporated into the soil rather than harvested for consumption) to improve the nutrients levels and water holding capacity of the soils. Base image created by author using: ArcGIS Pro [GIS Software]. Version 2.4.2. Redlands, CA: Environmental Figure 57. Application of permaculture to facilitate water management. See inset Image Credits at end of Systems Research Institute Inc., 2019. document. Figure 58. Soil Map with 2 foot contour lines. Data Source: District of Columbia Office of Planning (2020). Roads, Topgraphy 2 Foot Contours (2008), and Buiding Footprints (2017) [Data files]. Retrieved from https://opendata.dc.gov/ Base image created by author using: ArcGIS Pro [GIS Software]. Version 2.4.2. Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., 2019. Topography Data Source: District of Columbia Office of Planning (2020). Topography 2 Foot Contours (2008) [Data files]. Retrieved from https://opendata.dc.gov/. Soil Data Source: Soil Survey Staff, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Web Soil Survey. Available online at the following link: http://websoilsurvey. sc.egov.usda.gov/. Accessed September, 2020.. 102 | | 103 TOUR STOP #15: ZONE 3 GARDENS “Oh beautiful, for spacious skies S

For amber waves of grain ISTER For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain...” P RESENT Lyrics from America The Beautiful written by Katherine Bates, Alexander Courage, and Samuel Ward

It’s hard for me to imagine the gardens that will be here one day without hearing a forests started to regularly appear in communities around the country. Their rendition of America The Beautiful in my mind. We are currently preparing the soil proliferation signaled a significant shift in values about the role of plants in public for the planting of our second Alley Cropping Orchard and Food Forest (Figure 59) space, the place of food provisioning in urban landscapes, and access to nutritious - the fruited plain. Just beyond these gardens are the Grain Fields. Both the Food food. This shift was critical to changing America’s foodscape. Forest and Grain Fields are examples of Zone 3 Gardens. Soon we will be ready to plant the fruit and nut trees and shrubs of the Alley Cropping Orchard (Zone 2) While much has changed in food provisioning practices, one thing has remained and Food Forest. the same - grains. Grains are an important staple crop, but the variety of species grown and methods of production have changed. The Rice Field in Sister Past A food forest is a “highly integrated community of plants that has various vertical is dedicated to rice. The Three Sisters Garden is dedicated to corn. In the Grain and horizontal plant and root layers that provide edible products” (Bukowski & Fields I and II we grow both ancient and modern varieties of wheat, other cereal Munsell, 2018). The allure of food forests is twofold: (1) it multiplies the impact grains such as barley, oats, sorghum, and millet as well as pseudo-cereals including of plant guilds like those you saw in our Zone 1 and 2 gardens and (2) mature buckwheat and quinoa. We grow both ancient and modern varieties to show that vegetation mimics that found in forested parks, places that invite people to gather, you can both honor the past and embrace the scientific advances that ameliorate the Figure 59. Section Zone 2 Garden (Alley Cropping Orchard II) and Zone 3 Garden (Food Forest). recreate, and rejuvenate. One of the earliest known food forests is the Dr. George negatives impacts of extreme weather variations, disease, and pests. Washington Carver Edible Park located in Asheville, NC. The park was started by Jonathan Brown and Samantha Lefko, both permaculturists who wanted to create a Here we invite you to experience the amber waves of grain. Something which community garden based on a self-regulating perennial system of plants (Bukowski for many decades only those who visited the rural hinterlands could do. We also & Munsell, 2018). It was not until the Great Recession of 2007-2008 that food encourage you to try growing them in your garden at home.

104 | | 105 GARDENERS, GROWERS, SISTER FUTURE FARMERS, AND PRODUCERS

106 | | 107 OVERVIEW

Sister Future is dedicated to gardeners, growers, farmers, producers, and anyone else interested in food production. In Sister Future we have an eye to the future and are accelerating the transformation food provisioning systems through research and innovation. Throughout the Us(e)um we demonstrate, train, and share the body of knowledge amassed here.

Land Back Project: Black American Food S

Pathways ISTER Polyculture Institute F

Outdoor Lab UTURE N.A.P. Orchard

Figure 60. Plan of Sister Present and Sister Future. See list of Image Credits at end of document.

108 | | 109 NODE LOCATION: SURVEY LODGE

Welcome to Sister Future.

Sister Past highlights the rhythm of hydrology. Sister Present highlights the rhythm of the street grid. Sister Future highlights the rhythm of change. Rising sea levels and the corresponding impact on the tides and water levels of the Potomac River threaten the Tidal Basin and the memorials and monuments between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. Centered at the site of the Survey Lodge, Sister Future is anchored at ground zero.

Permaculturists embrace the five ‘R’s - refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle

- to be mindful stewards of our limited resources. The Survey Lodge serves as S an exemplar of reduce, reuse, and recycle. To reduce waste, the building was ISTER constructed of materials leftover from the construction of the monument (Bradley).

Originally housing the boilers that produced the steam to operate the elevator in the F

Washington Monument, the Survey Lodge (Figure 61) was reused as a National Park UTURE Service ranger station until 2023. In the construction of the Polyculture Institute, the building was recycled.

The Environmental Protection Agency attributes 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions produced by America to agricultural activities. By employing the permaculture philosophy and implementing the strategies and tactics demonstrated throughout the Us(e)um, at sites throughout the District and the country, we may be

able to change the rhythm of the future. Figure 62. Survey Lodge on the grounds of the Washington Monument. Photograph by author March 11, Figure 61. Location of Sister Future. Harris & Ewing, photographer. (1919) WASHINGTON MONUMENT. 2021. GROUNDS VIEWED FROM AIR. United States Washington DC District of Columbia Washington D.C, 1919. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/ item/2016870125/.

110 | | 111 TOUR STOP #16: LAND BACK PROJECT: BLACK FOOD PATHWAYS

Segregation. Redlining. Predatory lending. American history is littered with cases of Black Americans being denied the opportunity and means to participate in the American system of land ownership and control. This exclusion has prevented the accumulation of wealth and economic self-sufficiency.

For many Black Americans agriculture is more than a means to providing food. It is a means of actively resisting the oppressive system of ‘food apartheid’ in which they live.

To take full responsibility and publicly acknowledge the harms of actions past and present, the portion of the Us(e) S um adjacent to the National Museum of African American History and Culture is designated for the exhibition and ISTER expression of Black American Food Pathways. F

Last summer on June 19, 2035, 170 years after the end of the Civil War and enforcement of the Emancipation UTURE Proclamation, representatives of Black communities from across America gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony to initiate the installation of their exhibit.

112 | | 113 Present at that Juneteenth groundbreaking ceremony were a number of Black is highlighted in an episode of 18thCentury Cooking. He focuses on the foodways chefs and culinary legends. For them recipes are more than instructions on how to of slaves from Africa to post-reconstruction in multiple in geographies. turn ingredients into dishes. They are stories, traditions, and creative expressions. Enslaved Africans brought with them seeds, food preferences and preparation Chef Edward Brumfield, Executive Chef of Red Rooster Harlem, New York, methods. Often tasked with cooking for their owners, their culinary traditions is known for bringing a contemporary styling to Southern favorites he learned to became the foundation for many gastronomic preferences in America. prepare from his father. He rose to fame with his popular Chef Ed’s Mixedtape Dinner® series where guests enjoy his Hip-Hop inspired menus while listening to Unlike the seasonal tasting menus for specific gardens which focus on food, the the music of the early 1990’s - the ‘golden age of Hip-Hop’. Black Food Pathways seasonal tasting menu (Figure 63) highlights Black chefs. Their recipes use ingredients grown in gardens throughout the Us(e)um just as the recipes Finally, the mother-daughter team of Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams

are rooted in the past, present, and future. published Soul Food Love in 2015. In it they present healthier versions of Soul Food S recipes passed down through four generations of their family. Through their work ISTER First among the chefs highlighted in this menu is Ms. Leah Chase. She died in they helped thousands of Black women find a way to honor their cultural and

2019 at the age of 96. You could find Ms. Chase cooking gumbo in the kitchens of culinary heritage while fighting the epidemic of diet-related illnesses that plague F

Dooky Chase’s, a respected New Orleans institution since 1941. Ms. Chase began Black communities. UTURE working at her in-law’s restaurant in 1946. It was said of Ms. Chase that each “year on the Thursday before Easter, she used to cook up to 100 gallons of her Gumbo These gastronomic storytellers, purveyors of culinary traditions, and exemplars Z’Herbes...All of New Orleans, from Catholics to Jews, whites to blacks, would of creative expression through food, changed the American foodscape. flock to her gumbo pot en masse. ‘The best way to know people is through food,’ she says. ‘Get them to talk about food. Talk over food. It might be about food, but Let’s continue on to the Polyculture Institute. you’re also talking about issues.’”(Southern Living).

Next is Chef Michael Twitty, culinary historian and author. He dresses in period costume and cooks in period kitchens to demonstrate not just what and how meals were prepared but also who did the cooking in the 1700’s. His recipe for Okra Soup

Figure 63. Black Food Pathways seasonal tasting menu. Image credits on menu.

114 | | 115 TOUR STOP #17: POLYCULTURE INSTITUTE

Welcome to the Polyculture Institute (Figure 64). At the end of their apprenticeship, individuals may fill an open staff position here at the Us(e)um, a position at one of our satellite locations, a position at one of our By now I am sure you have asked yourself ‘who takes care of this place?’. partners from around the country, or simply take the knowledge they’ve acquired to the next challenge in their journey. There is a great deal of work to build and maintain the Us(e)um. While we are designing self-regulating perennial plant system to reduce the amount of The Polyculture Institute is a state of the art building with residences, classrooms, maintenance, we can not eliminate the need for human input. We have staff and and indoor and outdoor labs. volunteers, but the most critical part of the operation and maintenance regime is also the most critical part of our educational mission - our Apprentice Program. On our way to the building you may have notice an orchard. That particular orchard we call the N.A.P. Gardens. The N stands for nitrogen fixer, the A for apple,

Inspired by the depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps and modern day and the P for pear. It is a method of planting used by Stefan Sobkowiak, educator, S Americorps, we developed the Polyculture Institute Apprentice Program to cultivate biologist, landscape architect, and permaculturist, at his commercial orchard since ISTER the next generation of food provisioning visionaries and activists. Interested 2007. This method promotes natural fertility, and reduces disease and pest pressure

individuals agree to serve for three years. During that three years they live, learn, while producing a variety of apples and pears. You should return when they bloom F

and work at the Us(e)um. in the Spring - it’s better than the cherry blossoms! Better yet, return in the Late UTURE Summer/Fall when the fruit is ripe for picking. During the first year, junior apprentices spend much of their time in classrooms, indoor and outdoor labs, and in the field learning from senior apprentices. Thank you for joining me on this tour of the National Us(e)um of American Food History and Culture. During the second year apprentices spend much of their time in the field working at the direction of senior apprentices to plant, care for, and maintain existing gardens and fields or prepare and install gardens and fields.

During the third year, senior apprentices focus on developing expertise in an area Figure 64. Plan of Sister Present and Sister Future See list of Image Credits at end of document. of interest, assist in the training of junior apprentices, and lead volunteers.

116 | | 117 BEYOND

118 | | 119 RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC LAND USE

In addition to the community and allotment gardens that have been part of our neighborhoods and cities for decades, there are many more productive typologies from which landscape architects can draw inspiration (Figure 65). Models perfected by indigenous peoples, scientifically proven models from agroforestry, and time tested models from permaculture offer endless possibilities. Many of these models are on exhibit in the Us(e)um.

In all cases the trees, shrubs, and plants are more than individual ornamental objects. They are communities. As a member of that community, each share particular strengths and rely on others to overcome a deficiency. A tree’s strength may be shade, protection from the wind, or its ability to make it easier for other plants to use nitrogen in the soil. A shrub’s strength may be to provide shelter for beneficial insects. A plant’s strength may be to keep the root zone cool and moist, attract pollinators, or deter pests. Their strengths are found in their differences. By embracing those differences they all benefit. By designing communities of plants that also provide food, fiber, medicine, and fuel, humans may benefit as well.

Our legal system of public land use limits and in many cases, explicitly prohibits these productive typologies from being used. It is time to re-imagine public land use. I started with America’s ‘Front Yard’. From there it could, should, dare I say, must spiral outward (Figure 66).

Imagine how different the social aesthetic would be if landscape architects deployed these productive typologies into public lands in the District of Columbia (Figure 67). Imagine how these productive typologies might be deployed on B

the public lands where you live. Imagine. EYOND Figure 65. Productive Typologies.

120 | | 121 Figure 66. From The National Us(e)um of American Figure 67. Productive Typologies deployed in public Food History and Culture, application of lands in the District of Columbia. Drawing new productive typologies spiral out. by author.

Base image created by author using: ArcGIS Pro [GIS Base image created by author using: ArcGIS Pro [GIS B Software]. Version 2.4.2. Redlands, CA: Environmental Software]. Version 2.4.2. Redlands, CA: Environmental EYOND Systems Research Institute Inc., 2019. Systems Research Institute Inc., 2019.

Data Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (2018). Data Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (2018). Gap Analysis Project (GAP, 2018, Protected Areas Gap Analysis Project (GAP, 2018, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US): U.S. Database of the United States (PAD-US): U.S. Geological Survey data release. Retrieved from https:// Geological Survey data release. Retrieved from https:// doi.org/10.5066/P955KPLE. doi.org/10.5066/P955KPLE.

122 | | 123 SCALE OF PERMANENCE Scale of Permanence Jacke and

Yeoman Mollison Toensmeier Oliveira For this project I attempted to apply the permaculture methodology to design. Practitioners of permaculture use the scale of Climate Climate Climate Political boundaries permanence as an organizing framework, a checklist of sorts, to gather information about a site. The scale aligns with the approach many landscape architects take when conducting site analysis. What I found most interesting is the treatment of aesthetics in the scale. Landform Landform Landform Current political cliamte Water Supply Water Supply Water (in general) Local culture The scale originated with Percival Alfred (P.A.) Yeomans (1905-1984), an Australian inventor known for the Keyline system for improving agricultural productivity of the land. The genesis of the system was collecting and storing large quantities of runoff water Legal Issues Local political controversies for subsequent irrigation, building fertile soil, and tilling and cultivating in patterns that resisted erosion. His education and experience in Social structures and geology, astute observation of the weathering patterns of ridges and valleys, and willingness to experiment led to the discovery of what Farm Roads Farm Roads Access & Circulation he deemed the Key point and accompanying Keyline – the contour that served as the base for his system. In implementing the system, activities a number of factors must be considered and decisions made. Yeomans recognized that the permanence of the effects of each decision Indigenous and native local Trees Plant Systems Vegetation & wildlife determined its relative importance in the decision-making process. Based on his experiences he developed “the Keyline scale of relative knowledge permanence of things agricultural, for the planning, development, and management of agricultural lands” (Hablutzel, 2012). This scale Microclimate Microclimate Micro-social climate presents a hierarchy where factors that are the most permanent and most difficult to change are considered first. These factors become constraints for the lower level factors. Each subsequent factor is less permanent and less difficult to change (Figure 68) allowing for some Permanent Buildings Permanent Buildings Buildings & Infrastructure Nine forms of capital measure of elegance and grace in the design (Hablutzel, 2012). While he did not include aesthetics in the scale, Yeoman’s designs display a conscious awareness of aesthetics (Hablutzel, 2012). Subdivision Fences Subdivision Fences Zones of use Social zones Soil (fertility and Social interactions on the Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, the pair who conceived of permaculture at the beginning of the environmental movements of Soil Soil the 1970s, built upon Yeoman’s scale of permanence, however, they explicitly rejected aesthetics as a consideration in permaculture. management) land and surrounds B Holmgren writes “I think the rejection of landscape aesthetics in permaculture was necessary to counter the assumption that only EYOND Social aesthetics & Social Aesthetics/Experience of Place aesthetic design issues are worthy of debate, which leaves functionality as simply a matter of technical detail. Only vigorous debate about experience of place the nature of functional design...can expose the dysfunctional forces driving design of our inhabited landscapes and built environments. However, any wholistic design will include an aesthetic aspect” (Holmgren, 2017). For decades their disciples eschewed aesthetics as a Figure 68. Evolution of the Scale of Permanence. Adapted from tables presented by David Jacke and Eric Toensmeier (Jacke & Toensmeier, 2005) and Luiza Oliveira (Oliveira, 2019).

124 | | 125 superficial concern in the design of permaculture sites.

David Jacke with Eric Toensmeier furthered the work of Mollison and Holmgren with their two-volume Edible Forest Gardens. They expand upon the elements in the scale. Most notably, they add aesthetics. They write “Ah, the most ephemeral, yet for some people most important thing!” (Jacke & Toensmeier, 2005) then proceed to provide an extensive list of questions with an accompanying table of adjectives and feelings that in fact suggest aesthetics is not ephemeral at all. This suggests a shift in the understanding of aesthetics that seems to parallel that of the profession of landscape architecture. As I read their writing I wonder if aesthetics should not be considered the lowest order factor but rather the result of all decisions made higher up the scale.

Luiza Oliveira, permaculture designer, teacher, and consultant, felt something was missing from her permaculture design checklist. Based on her experiences she realized there is an invisible side to the design process and she added a social parallel to the scale of permanence (Oliveira, 2019). What caught my attention is that in creating her list she used the term ‘social aesthetics’. It is the first time in my research that permaculture and social aesthetics explicitly intersected. Again, I wonder if social aesthetics is not the lowest order factor but rather the result of decisions made higher up the scale.

It seems to me that for permaculture to affect the change to food provisioning practices that it hopes as a movement to achieve, that the understanding of aesthetics has to be expanded and it has to be moved from the bottom of the scale of permanence and become an over-arching objective in the design of the permaculture site. B EYOND

126 | | 127 CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

For this thesis I explored both social aesthetics and permaculture not knowing When I first started designing, I used the prefix ‘un-’ to communicate my intention if they would intertwine. Based on my initial research, I came to the conclusion to disrupt, to create dissonance. By creating disruption and dissonance, I wanted to that permaculture is a more sustainable approach to food provisioning, but social create mental space for reflection and consideration of other possibilities. I wanted aesthetics has to change in order for it to become more widely adopted. Changing people to wonder the same questions I wonder - why don’t we grow fruit trees social aesthetics means challenging prevailing landscape aesthetics. It means in our public parks? Why don’t we mix vegetable plants in with our ornamental challenging both the ecological and artistic views within the profession of landscape flower beds? Why don’t we collect the nuts and berries growing ‘wild’ along our architecture as well as public perception and planning precedent as to what should trail systems? Then, I wanted them to ask ‘how?’. Unfortunately, each time I placed be grown and how within the urban and peri-urban zones of human habitation. In ‘un-’ in front of an archetypal form - (un) museum, (un) park, (un) farm, and (un) turn, permaculturists have to expand their understanding of aesthetics and its power botanical garden - the result fell short. Aesthetics, form, and function are inextricably to affect change. linked. In trying to create a new social aesthetic, it is not enough to be the opposite of something that already exists. I needed to create a new form. For my project I chose to redesign an iconic landscape - the National Mall. On Sunday, September 13, 2020 I visited the Mall. Beginning at the USDA Building, Because I wanted to design something that would be both useful and used, I titled I walked east along the southern edge of the Mall. Upon arrival at Union Square/ the project the National Us(e)um of American Food History and Culture. I stop Capitol Reflecting Pool, I turned around and walked west along the northern edge short of putting it in a category. It’s human nature to categorize things. It’s how of the Mall. At the start it was quite enjoyable. I walked along the outer-edge we make sense of the world. The problem is that when you categorize something, under a canopy of trees. It was open and airy. I felt safe, relaxed, content. Then it you have to define the attributes that determine if something is in the category or got boring. One row of trees, the same as the next. Each green space the same as not. It’s categorization that contributes to many of the social challenges we are the next. Just when the monotony was becoming unbearable, the carousel and the currently experiencing. This project possesses attributes of museum, park, farm, Hirshhorn sculpture garden appeared. The carousel draws children like moths to a and botanical garden as well as community garden, urban farm, and food forest. It flame. I wondered why is this the only place explicitly for children? The sculpture is not one or the other. It is all. garden was designed in concert with the circular building that is the Hirshhorn B

Museum. They are part of a whole - building and landscape; inside and outside - Throughout the design process I grappled with a number of questions. ‘How EYOND in dialogue with one another. I wondered why isn’t more of the Mall in dialogue to contribute to a new social aesthetic’ was the most elusive to answer. When I with the adjacent museums? Then I wondered where else is the pattern disrupted? started to develop tasting menus to present the plant lists, it was a way to directly How/where do I introduce disruption? connect plants with food. They quickly became the vehicle for sharing traditions and

128 | | 129 histories. They engage the senses of taste and smell. At first, my intent was to build not be excluded from the plant lists of public lands simply because they have been a menu for each garden. When I developed a menu for Black Food Pathways which categorized as crops. I had to show they have an equal claim to growing on the does not tie to any one garden, the mold was broken and the possibilities endless. National Mall as American Elms and turf grass. In fact, our future depends on it. One day I awoke compelled to make a Beans and Rice menu (Figure 69). As I searched for recipes and reviewed ingredient lists I was struck by the similarities. In So, how do I as a landscape architect affect change in food provisioning? One my own mind I started to connect the dots of the historical research for individual progressive and radical project at a time. crops with American history and food culture.

At my thesis defense held April 29, 2021, I shared the story of my abuelita and my personal connection to the beans and rice recipes on the menu. Once I was done presenting, my committee members started to share their stories and connections to beans and rice. There are, of course, food traditions, but also childhood memories of elementary school science projects and bedtime stories of a boy who trades his cow for magic beans.

In my design I took on Elizabeth Meyer’s challenge that “we [landscape architects] need to explore how designing for the practice of everyday life in the designed landscape, an extended durational experience, can contribute to a new social aesthetics, a new ethos of sustainable perception and living” (Meyer E. K., Beyond “Sustaining Beauty”: Musings on a Manifesto, 2015, p. 37). By the end I realized that to contribute to a new social aesthetic of sustainable food provisioning, I had to design for beans and rice. B EYOND I had to understand their history, then show how it weaves with ours. I had to understand their cultural significance and make it easier for others to connect the dots. I had to tap into the personal experiences that we all share. I had to use their Figure 69. Beans and Rice seasonal tasting menu. Image credits on menu. associations with taste and smell to create deeper sensory experiences. I had to find a way to let them be ambassadors. I had to show that beans and rice should

130 | | 131 References References

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136 | | 137 Figures and Sources Figures and Sources

Unless otherwise noted, all images, drawings, and illustrations were produced by the author. Images Figure 24 Zones of Use Diagram. See list of Image Credits at end of document. reproduced from other sources are fair use for educational purposes. Figure 25 Finch, Joshua (2015). Permaculture Zones of Use [Diagram]. Figure 1 Thesis Mind Map. Figure 26 Watercolor Diagram of Walnut Guild. Figure 2 Collage of the social aesthetic of food in America. See list of Image Credits at end of document. Figure 27 Illustration of how a permaculture plant guild works. Image Credit: Flores, Heather Jo (n.d.) No Title [Illustration]. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/ Figure 3 Collage of permaculture. See list of Image Credits at end of document. permaculturewomen/if-you-guild-it-they-will-come-how-to-grow-a-permaculture-food-forest-fa9edd9e7a36. Figure 4 Cultural Iceberg. Image Credit: https://martinopillitteri.wixsite.com/exportrelationships/post/the-cultural-iceberg . Figure 28 Three Sisters Garden Seasonal Tasting Menu. Figure 5 Proportion of total land area that is public, tribal, and private. Figure 29 Diagram of Wampanoag Method. (Fellows, 2018) Figure 6 Proportion of total land area assigned each status code. Most stringent on the left to least stringent on the right. Figure 30 Diagram of Hidatsa Method. (Fellows, 2018) Figure 7 Public lands in Washington, DC classified by management type. Figure 31 Diagram of Zuni Method. (Fellows, 2018) Figure 8 Public lands in Washington, DC classified by GAP Analysis status code. Figure 32 A brief history of the American Elm along with the condition of the trees as determined by the Cornell University Urban Horticulture Institute based on a Figure 9 Map of Urban Agriculture and Community Garden Sites in Washington, DC. 2017 assessment. See list of Image Credits at end of document. Figure 10 Heat Map of Low Food Access Areas with populations with income less than 185 percent of poverty line. Figure 33 Classification of panels according to light and moisture conditions. Temperature InsetImage Credit: https://www.weather-us.com/en/district-of-columbia- Figure 11 Aerial Image of ‘America’s Front Yard’. Base image from Google Earth. usa/washington-weather-september Figure 12 Pocket Map. Figure 34 Comparison of existing American Elm and Turf Panels to what will remain by 2076. Existing condition based on data from the 2018 Cornell University Figure 13 The Three Sisters, watercolor painting by Ernest Smith, Tonawanda Reservation, 1936. From the collection of the Rochester Museum & Science Center, Urban Horticulture Institute State of the American Elms: Tree and Soil Assessment. Rochester, NY. Figure 35 American Elm Allee and Edible Edge. To protect the American Elm roots from compaction, an elevated boardwalk was installed between the second and Figure 14 Node Location. third rows of trees in selected panels. This allows visitors to experience the majesty of the tree canopy while protecting the trees. To the north of this allee Figure 15 Axonometric Site Plan Diagram. is a shady edible edge. Figure 16 Timelapse - Phase I (Years 2023-2026), Phase II ( Years 2027-2037). Figure 36 Existing conditions of American Elms along the southern edge of the National Mall. Compacted soil, absence of groundcover, and sloping topography Figure 17 Timelapse - Phase III (Years 2038-2058), Phase IV (Years 2058-2076). prevent the trees from getting adequate water and nutrients. Figure 18 Plan of Sister Past. See list of Image Credits at end of document. Figure 37 Existing conditions of area opposite entrance to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Figure 19 1793 map of the District of Columbia with the path of Tiber Creek highlighted and future path of Washington Canal added. Image Credit: Ellicott, A. Figure 38 Edible Edge. & U.S. Coast And Geodetic Survey. (1793) Territory of Columbia. [Washington, DC: U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Figure 39 Edible Plaza. Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/88694128/. Figure 40 Plan of Sister Past and Present. Figure 20 Map of storm surge risk from hurricanes. Figure 41 Snapshot 1 of section of Perennial Gardens I and Alley Cropping I bisected by a secondary pathway. Figure 21 Section of Rice Field terraces. See list of Image Credits at end of document. Figure 42 Snapshot 2 of section of Perennial Gardens I and Alley Cropping I bisected by a secondary pathway. Figure 22 Map of Native American Villages as discovered and described by Captain John Smith in 1606. Image Credit: Smith, J. & Norris Peters Co. (1900) Virginia. Figure 43 Snapshot 3 of section of Perennial Gardens I and Alley Cropping I bisected by a secondary pathway. [London, Washington, DC, N. Peters Photo-Lithographers 190-?] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/73694572/. Figure 44 Perennial Gardens - Shade Seasonal Tasting Menu. Image credits on menu. Figure 23 Project Area of Agency Figure 45 Alley Cropping - Upslope Seasonall Tasting Menu. Image credits on menu. 138 | | 139 Figures and Sources Image Credits

Figure 46 The Approach to the Lawn Bridge. Grain Fields I to the left and the Eco-Lawn to the right. 15. Eastern Market – Cogan, Joshua. (n.d.) Washington D.C.’s Victorian-era Figure 47 Quinn, Lorenzo. (2011). The Force of Nature II [Sculpture]. Doha, Qatar: Cultural Village. Figure 2 1. Field Irrigation - https://www.watercalculator.org/footprint/farmers-use- Eastern Market [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/ Figure 48 Warland, John. (2016). The World Vision Garden at the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show [Installation]. London, England: Royal Hospital Chelsea. drip-irrigation/ picture-gallery/travel/destinations/10greatplaces/2019/07/23/public- Figure 49 Lawn Bridge Plan, Section, and Elevation. 2. Field Chemical Application - https://foe.org/impact-stories/keeping- markets-some-best-places-eat-world-cities/1803227001/ Figure 50 Jones and Jones Architects (2008). Vancouver Land Bridge, The Confluence Project. Vancouver, Washington: State Highway 14 (SR14) pesticide-riders-farm-bill/ 16. Vegetable Aisle – Maxwell, Dania. (n.d.) Whole Foods store in Burbank, Figure 51 Plan of Sister Past and Present. 3. Tractors in Field - https://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2019/05/big- California. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-to- Figure 52 Plan of the City of Washington as drawn by Pierre L’Enfant with the location of 8th Street Northwest highlighted. farmers-are-ending-up-getting-big.html launch-new-grocery-store-business-sources-say-11551461887 Figure 53 Play Garden. 4. Crops in Field- Photo 133725210 © Stevanovicigor | Dreamstime.com 17. Busy Restaurant - https://austin.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/11- Figure 54 Outdoor Classroom. In the outdoor classroom each seating area is surrounded by fruit trees, nitrogen fixing trees, and shrubs. Separating each classroom is a wall on which espaliered fruit trees are cultivated. 5. Chickens – McArthur, Jo-Anne. (2012) We Animals [Photograph]. Retrieved 21-11-00-57-leave-the-turkey-to-the-experts-this-thanksgiving-ditch-the- from https://www.farmsanctuary.org/issue/factory-farming/ kitchen-hit-the-restaurants/ Figure 55 Section Zone 2 Goat Paddock and Perennial Gardens II. 6. Cows - https://stackoverow.com/photos/how-much-does-it-cost-to-feed- 18. McDonald’s Lunch - https://www.insider.com/things-you-didnt-know- Figure 56 Analysis of water flow with highlights of measures taken to restore the turf panels of the National Mall from 2010 to 2016.See inset Image Credits at end of document. cattle-in-a-feedlot about-mcdonalds-2017-12 7. Worker on mound of food waste - https://policy-perspectives. 19. Junk food - https://wallpapercave.com/foods-wallpapers Figure 57 Application of permaculture to facilitate water management. See inset Image Credits at end of document. org/2020/12/23/food-waste-how-leftovers-are-choking-the-planet/ 20. Food Truck Festival - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atlanta- Figure 58 Soil Map with 2 foot contour lines. 8. Landfill – https://medium.com/illumination/more-please-our-never-ending- food-trucks-unite-to-launch-2018-season-300594299.html Figure 59 Section Zone 2 Garden (Alley Cropping Orchard II) and Zone 3 Garden (Food Forest). desire-for-the-next-new-thing-884f22ad23a 21. Grand Canyon – Manfredi, Jean-Claude. (2014). Aerial view of the Colorado Figure 60 Plan of Sister Present and Sister Future. See list of Image Credits at end of document. 9. National Mall - https://dcist.com/story/20/04/25/without-tourists-the- River in the Grand Canyon National Park. Used under standard license: Figure 61 Location of Sister Future. Harris & Ewing, photographer. (1919) WASHINGTON MONUMENT. GROUNDS VIEWED FROM AIR. United States Washington DC District of Columbia Washington D.C, 1919. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/ national-mall-is-weirdly-quiet-and-unusually-green/ stocksy.com. item/2016870125/. 10. Rockaway Youth Task Force Urban Farm - https://www.facebook.com/ RYTFgarden/ Figure 62 Survey Lodge on the grounds of the Washington Monument. Photograph by author March 11, 2021. 11. Lafayette Greens – Hagenbuch, Beth. (n.d.) Aerial image of Lafayette Greens Figure 63 Black Food Pathways seasonal tasting menu. Image credits on menu. Figure 3 [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.asla.org/2012awards/073.html 1. Energy Flow Diagram – Odum, H.T. (n.d.) Energy Diagram: energy and Figure 64 Plan of Sister Present and Sister Future See list of Image Credits at end of document. 12. Picnic in the Park - https://cute766.info/types-of-people-in-park/ matter flows through an ecosystem, adapted from the Silver Springs Model Figure 65 Productive Typologies. 13. Grocery Store – Tiernan, Bill. (2019). Stocking the condiment aisle at [Drawing]. Retrieved from https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Howard_T._ Figure 66 From The National Us(e)um of American Food History and Culture, application of new productive typologies spiral out. Wegmans in Virginia Beach [Photograph]. Retrieved from: https://www. Odum Figure 67 Productive Typologies deployed in public lands in the District of Columbia. Drawing by author. pilotonline.com/business/consumer/article_cb400b4a-6837-11e9-bd11- 2. Earth – NASA/Apollo 17 crew. (1972). The Blue Marble [Photograph]. Figure 68 Evolution of the Scale of Permanence. Adapted from tables presented by David Jacke and Eric Toensmeier (Jacke & Toensmeier, 2005) and Luiza Oliveira (Oliveira, 2019). c7265331dabd.html Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_17.jpg 14. Lawn - https://www.thisoldhouse.com/lawns 3. Compost - https://croton100.org/blog/f/quantifying-the-ghg-benefit-of- Figure 69 Beans and Rice seasonal tasting menu. Image credits on menu. 140 | | 141 Image Credits Image Credits

composting our-best-food-system-solutions-stories-of-2020/ php?title=File:McMillan_Plan.jpg&oldid=534890027. 4. Soil - https://amomentwithgod.com/2020/05/30/humus-humility-and- 16. Black Farmers 2 - https://bbardc.org/farm-garden/ 3. Map created by author using ArcGIS Pro [GIS Software]. Version 2.4.2. earthworms/ 17. Native Americans – Twila Cassadore outdoors with Mae, in a scene from Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., 2019. Data Figure 21 5. Wetland – Hillebrand, S. (n.d.) Arctic Bog [Photograph]. Retrieved from “Gather” - https://newrepublic.com/article/160317/gather-documentary- Source: District of Columbia Office of Planning Open Data Portal. Datasets Top Row, Left to Right https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19022019/arctic-bogs-permafrost- review-native-american-food-culture retrieved from https://opendata.dc.gov/. 1. Wild Rice Beds – Kettlewell, V. for MPR News (2015) Leonard Thompson, thaw-methane-climate-change-feedback-loop/ 18. Permaculture Work Party - https://resiliencehub.org/2019/02/15/2019- seated, prepared to harvest some of the wild rice at Hole-in-the-Day Lake 6. Cisterns - https://www.ourendangeredworld.com/energy/is-rainwater- permablitz-work-parties-call-for-hosts/ in summer 2015 in northern Minnesota [Photograph]. Retrieved from harvesting-worth-it/ 19. Three Generations of Farmers - https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/133630/ Figure 18 https://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/once-nearly-wiped-out- 7. Rooftop - https://offgridworld.com/living-green-roofs-or-solar-panels-now- farmers-of-color-may-soon-get-more-support-in-california 1. Wood and Concrete Seat Wall - https://www.pinterest.com/ by-pollution-wild-rice-is-coming-back-to-northern-minn/article_b4ca53fe- law-of-the-land-in-france/ 20. Farmers’ Market - https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/avoid-these-5-farmers- pin/479914904013692807/ 889e-5765-869d-6f5dac9021ba.html 8. Tree Canopy – Photo 117624245 / Aerial Forest © Artjazz | Dreamstime. market-mistakes/ 2. Water Capture and Filtration - https://artfulrainwaterdesign.psu.edu/ 2. Modern Flooded Rice Field - https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/ com 21. Foraging - https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/134283/indigenous-food- project/dell-university-virginia File:Rice_Fields_(29512002916).jpg 9. Sheep - https://civileats.com/2020/01/09/in-the-rush-to-solve-climate- security-is-dependent-on-food-sovereignty 3. System of Rice Intensification - http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/ 3. Annual Rice Planting Day - https://info.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek05/ change-with-lab-based-foods-dont-write-off-farming/ 22. Park Sign – Miller, Mike. (n.d.) Fruit and Spice Park [Photograph]. Retrieved china/ChinaArchives.html tw0729/tw0729aslaawards.htm 10. Homestead – Roots to Fruits, LLC. (n.d.) Permaculture Homestead Illustration. from https://www.florida-backroads-travel.com/fruit-and-spice-park.html 4. Wolof Lock and Flooding Gate – Hamilton, Ken. (2018) Caroline Rice 4. System of Rice Intensification - http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/ Retrieved from https://druidgarden.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/ 23. Compost Bin - https://thearchitecturedesigns.com/compost-bin-ideas-for- Trunk Model [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook. china/ChinaArchives.html converting-lawns-to-gardens-natures-harvest-permaculture-urban-farm/ your-garden/ com/555970261172079/posts/carolina-rice-trunk10x-13x-7photographed- 5. Reed Bed for Stormwater – https://armreedbeds.co.uk/projects/ 11. Seed Saving - https://events.getlocalhop.com/seed-library-opens/event/ 24. Chorus Frog Farm Stand - https://chorusfrogfarm.wordpress.com/2011/04/ outdoors/1430415923727504/ JIscQUk4RA/ 25. Coastal Roots Farm Stand - https://civileats.com/2017/10/25/a-farmstand- 5. Annual Rice Planting Day - https://info.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek05/ Bottom Row, Left to Right 12. Bison – Caster, Pete. (n.d.) Bison graze in a field at the National Bison Range for-everyone/ tw0729/tw0729aslaawards.htm 1. Natural Stone Wall - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/680747299901249234/ [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://medium.com/high-country-news/ 6. Modern Flooded Rice Field - https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/ 2. Wolof Lock and Flooding Method Rice Trunk – Hamilton, Ken. (2018) reclaiming-the-national-bison-range-53c9ace9fc7 File:Rice_Fields_(29512002916).jpg Caroline Rice Trunk Model [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www. 13. Community Gardeners - http://www.portlandediblegardens.com/home- Figure 14 7. Wild Rice Beds – Kettlewell, V. for MPR News (2015) Leonard Thompson, facebook.com/555970261172079/posts/carolina-rice-trunk10x-13x- page-gallery 1. Ellicott, A. & U.S. Coast And Geodetic Survey. (1793) Territory of Columbia. seated, prepared to harvest some of the wild rice at Hole-in-the-Day Lake 7photographed-outdoors/1430415923727504/ 14. Seed Library - https://events.getlocalhop.com/seed-library-opens/event/ [Washington, DC: U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey] [Map] Retrieved from the in summer 2015 in northern Minnesota [Photograph]. Retrieved from 3. Weirs - https://artfulrainwaterdesign.psu.edu/project/dell-university-virginia JIscQUk4RA/ Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/88694128/. https://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/once-nearly-wiped-out- 4. Gabion Wall - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/307933693275518719/ 15. Black Farmers 1 – Marlo and Anthony Paul at Eden Land Farm in Alabama’s 2. McMillan Plan.jpg. (2021, February 21). Wikimedia Commons, the free by-pollution-wild-rice-is-coming-back-to-northern-minn/article_b4ca53fe- 5. Wood and Concrete Seat Wall - https://www.pinterest.com/ Black Belt [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://civileats.com/2020/12/31/ media repository. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index. 889e-5765-869d-6f5dac9021ba.html pin/479914904013692807/

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3. Pollinator Gardens - https://www.finegardening.com/article/designing-a- 7. Rain Barrels - https://www.marionstar.com/story/news/ 7. Floodplain Forest - http://gripp.ca/species/ Figure 24 stylish-pollinator-garden local/2020/04/20/marionmade-celebrate-earth-day-2020-home-these-small- Zone 3 4. Fruit Orchards - https://www.denik.cz/galerie/ovocne-stromy-potrebuji- changes/5151847002/ Figure 56 1. Food Forest – Spear, Nicky. (n.d.) Food Forest/Forest Garden [Photograph]. peci.html?photo=1 8. Sheds - https://coodecor.com/2019/06/30/20-adorable-garden-shed- 1. Soil – HOK Landscape Architects. (2010) U.S. Commission of Fine Arts Retrieved from https://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/forest- 5. Worms - https://www.jollylane.com/growing-tips/article/vermiculture- organisations-ideas-for-garden-looks-modern/ Concept Review May 2010 Presentation. Washington, DC. p. 16. gardening-does-it-really-work made-easy/ 2. Cistern - Unknown (n.d.) Cistern 4 during installation [Photograph]. 2. Coppicing - https://regenfarmer.com/economic-benefits-of-agroforestry/ 6. Ducks – Weatherly, Kelly. (n.d.) Ducks and Geese [Photograph]. Flickr. Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://landezine-award.com/designing- 3. Staple Crops - https://www.farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk/news/agroforestry- Retrieved from https://www.hobbyfarms.com/ducks-and-geese-great- Figure 32 implementing-and-managing-improvements-to-the-national-mall/. wakelyns-farm permaculture-livestock/ 1. Elm Yellows – Boggs, Joe. (n.d.) Elm Yellows: Infected vs. Non-Infected 4. Forest Farming - https://www.agroforestry.co.uk/product/fffg-symposium/ 7. Chickens - https://sustfoodfarm.org/2016/04/25/price-vs-cost/ [Photograph] Ohio State University Extension. Retrieved from https://bygl. 5. Goats - http://tcpermaculture.com/site/category/homesteading/ 8. Snails - https://artikel.rumah123.com/cara-budidaya-bekicot-di-rumah- osu.edu/node/484 Figure 57 6. Cows - https://www.permaculturenews.org/2013/01/24/integrating- modal-minimalis-bisa-omzet-belasan-juta-76461 2. Jefferson Elm - Pliska, J. (2006). HALS DC-7 National Mall Jefferson Elm, 1. Guild - Flores, Heather Jo (n.d.) No Title [Illustration]. Retrieved from: livestock-in-the-food-forest/ 9. Workshop - http://landon-construction.com/garage-barns.html NPS Witness Tree Protection Program. Washington, DC: National Park https://medium.com/permaculturewomen/if-you-guild-it-they-will-come- 7. Pigs - https://ethicalfoods.com/humane-pasture-raised-heritage-breed- 10. Greenhouse - https://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/year- Service Historic American Landscapes Survey and National Capital Region. how-to-grow-a-permaculture-food-forest-fa9edd9e7a36 pork/ round-growing-underground-greenhouses 3. American Elm Removal – Wellenbach, Pat. (2010). Worker removes saw 2. Contour Planting - https://www.tenthacrefarm.com/contour-gardening- 8. Bees – Jennifer C. (2009) Honeybees [Photograph] Flickr. Retrieved from 11. Compost Bins - Photo 109702803 © Alisonh29 | Dreamstime.com dust from Herbie, the tallest American elm in New England, after it was minimize-irrigation/ https://modernfarmer.com/2017/05/box-bees-breaks-open-flight-alaska/ cut down in Yarmouth Maine [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www. 3. Cistern - Unknown (n.d.) Cistern 4 during installation [Photograph]. 9. Barn - https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2020/10/27/meat-me-at- Zone 1 sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-officials-herbie-the-tree-was-217-years-old- Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://landezine-award.com/designing- home/ 1. Eco-lawn - https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/gardening/2019/04/18/ 2010feb04-story.html implementing-and-managing-improvements-to-the-national-mall/. 10. Bee Hives - https://permaculturesydneyinstitute.org/2012/03/responsible- forget-planting-grass-seed-for-your-lawn-and-plant-this-instead/ 4. Dutch Elm Disease - Sherald, J. L. (2009). Elms of the Monumental Core: backyard-beekeeping/ 2. Spiral Herb Bed - https://www.permaculturenews.org/2015/08/07/ History and Management Plan (DRAFT). NPS/NCR/NRR-2009/001. convenience-food-for-beginners-urban-and-suburban-zoning-the- Washington, DC: National Park Service, Center for Urban Ecology. Figure 60 and Figure 64 permaculture-way/ 5. Cathedral/Streetscape Collage – Zucker, S. (n.d.) Salisbury Cathedral, 1. Outdoor Lab – Catawba Sustainability Center outdoor lab. Zone 2 3. Dwarf Fruit – https://www.thespruce.com/dwarf-fruit-trees-4588521 Salisbury England [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy. 2. Indoor Classroom - Smith System. (n.d.). High School Classroom 1. Perennial Vegetables - https://www.pinterest.com/ 4. Annual Vegetables - https://shepherdexpress.com/advice/home-garden/ org/humanities/medieval-world/gothic-art/gothic-art-england/a/salisbury- [Photograph]. Smith System Classroom Environment Product Brochure. pin/347269821238413603/ five-great-diy-gardening-projects/ cathedral 3. Indoor Lab - https://www.worldagroforestry.org/blog/2018/03/16/world- 2. Ponds - https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/landscaping/water-gardens- 5. Cold Frames - https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/623396773408795607/ 6. Cathedral/StreetscapeCollage - https://develop.metrolansing.com/ agroforestry-centre-celebrates-ten-years-svalbard-global-seed-vault everything-you-need-to-know/ 6. Gathering Spaces - https://miamipatios.com/gallery discussions/discussion/210/natural-lansing-parks-foresty-and-nature 4. Residences - https://g70.design/project/hpu-at-aloha-tower-marketplace/

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