Ed Hill of Growing Power leads the orientation portion of the charrette.
About 50 community members, designers, Growing Power staff, and members of the Growing Power Youth Corps participated in the event.
Picnic table sized teams broke out to discuss the issues of the site and brainstorm solutions for the site.
The Chicago Avenue Urban Farm site was formerly a basketball court serving the Cabrini-Green housing projects.
Students presented the ideas developed in the small group breakout sessions.
A student and and Architect from AIA Chicago present their ideas to the group.
A low-rise townhouse portion of Cabrini-Green sits along the north edge of the site.
The designers helped to guide the students in developing site plans.
The Growing Power staff helped to ground the ideas in the realities of urban farming.
Students put together cut-and-paste site plans in order to quickly produce scaled drawings.
Participants snacked during a break.
A team works on developing a new plan for the farm.
A painted labyrinth currently sits on part of the site.
The skyscrapers on North Michigan Avenue are visible about half a mile from the site.
Ed Hill leads a group discussion.
The high-rise of the River North district are visible off to the south of the site.
Architects and students chat during a break.
Ed Hill presents ideas to the group.
A student sketches.
Looking across the old community garden beds to the city.
The old storage shed and new farmstand beyond.
Lauralyn of Growing Power talks about the group's composting system.
A community gardener built the two arched arbors from rebar.
Community garden beds.
Growing Power's new farmstand. They have their sheds custom built by Amish carpenters.
Looking east along the Chicago Avenue side of the farm.
Interior of the new farmstand. The case on the left will hold produce for sale.
Looking out from the farmstand.
The old light system from the former basketball courts still exists on the site.
Benches have been added to the base of the light poles.
Looking east across the community garden beds. This area will be converted to intensive farming this summer and will have hoophouses in the fall.
Signage on the west side fence.
A bench made from old planters.
