Intern Week 2023: Revitalizing Restorative Farms

Studio Outside’s annual Intern Week was a success this summer when our team of interns partnered with Dallas' non-profit Restorative Farms. Restorative Farms is an urban farm in South Dallas that provides relief in a significant food desert. They produce and sell food at affordable rates to the community and educate citizens on how to grow and prepare the crops. Our office challenged our interns, Rachael Herring (Purdue University), Emily Moore (Kansas State University), and Simin Liu (University of Virginia), to design a schematic design package that maximizes the production of a small-scale urban farm while incorporating programmable elements.

The Mission

Restorative Farms aims to transform a poverty-stricken, crime-ridden community into a vibrant, cohesive neighborhood. The organization's primary goals are to increase food security, community engagement, and economic prosperity through employment opportunities. The farm seeks to educate community members about the importance of stewarding the environment through agricultural practices to enhance food production. It offers community members a fresh start by providing employment opportunities and the ability to participate in a certified training program to learn about farm management.

The farm is a hub that raises awareness of agriculture and healthy eating by educating community members on how to grow and cook food. Since the community is in a food desert where accessibility to affordable and nutritious food is hard to come by, many members are unfamiliar with preparing fresh vegetables such as okra. Restorative Farms provides recipes and instructions for community members to be self-sustaining.

 One of the best examples of helping the community become confident in farm management, and gardening is teaching community members how to assemble wellness boxes. These wooden boxes serve as garden beds. The farm teaches members how to put the soil in, manage plants, and which crops grow best according to the season and climate conditions.

Their local agrisystems, holistic approach, and self-sustaining strategy bolster the local economy. The community can maintain profitability and economic viability by selling produce at a discounted rate and distributing it from a central hub. Having an urban farm in the heart of South Dallas brings education and employment opportunities that catalyze change and improve the quality of life.

Kick Off

Intern Week launched with a site visit to Restorative Farms, where Doric Earle, Co-Founder and Director of Operations, explained the existing structures and layout. Throughout the tour, Earle discussed the daily challenges Restorative Farms faces and the programs they would like to implement to increase their productivity and profitability. Some design features discussed included incorporating a hydroponic greenhouse, free-standing bathroom facilities, community-covered spaces, parking, flood and drainage solutions, and increased security measures.

The existing site conditions include 8,505 square feet (SF) dedicated to food production, 800 SF of community gathering spaces, 1,000 SF of food production support areas, and 500 SF of greenhouse space. The interns were tasked with designing a layout that increases community outreach, expands production, optimizes drainage, and incorporates pollinator plants. 

The Design Process

One of the most critical factors in the design process was working with existing structures and exploring the possibility of moving them. It is crucial to balance the functionality and beauty of the site. For instance, a chain link fence secures the DART line along the farm's side. To enhance the farm's security, privacy, and aesthetic, the interns proposed covering the wall with wildflowers and vines that screen off the rail line. The natural screen would deter break-ins while creating a more intimate setting for the farm.

The interns took over a conference room for three days, where they brainstormed, drew out, and designed their site plan. During the early stages of the design process, the interns realized they needed more information to continue. They had to return to the site to attain critical data, such as the placement of water and measurements.

Throughout the week, the interns held desk critiques and reviews where designers at the Studio Outside office could drop in and discuss the proposed site plan. These sessions allowed the interns to collaborate with others and hash out various design elements.

The Final Product

The Restorative Farms team gathered at the Studio Outside office, eager to discover the reimaging of the current site plan. After three days of brainstorming and finalizing details, the interns were ready to disclose their design concepts. The interns utilized Emily Henry's advice in their public speaking training session to impress the Restorative Farms team.

The interns proposed a site plan incorporating a hydroponic greenhouse, fruit, and nut tree orchard, bee farm, drop-off and parking spaces, pavilion and courtyard, picnic and grill area, rain garden, crop rows, and the existing structures. With these new features, the food production and support areas doubled, the community area quadrupled, and the greenhouse space grew to 5.5 times the original size.

The team was ecstatic to see their farm transformed into a welcoming space that maximized production while fostering community involvement and identity.

Takeaways

Intern week allows interns to take charge of their projects and familiarize themselves with client relationships and their needs. This hands-off approach gave interns the flexibility and independence to think outside the box and showcase their skills.

“I was astonished at how much we accomplished in such a short time. We wanted to create a functional farm that served as a beautiful, welcoming space for the community to gather. Our design helped the client to see some ideas they had never thought of before. It was incredible to present the client with a site plan that could help the farm grow and increase productivity in a week.” – Emily Moore

“Through this process, I could better understand my thinking pattern. My background is in business and hospitality management, so this was a new experience. It showed me that I could do more than I thought possible.” – Simin Liu

“This project challenged me to incorporate connectivity and create a farm that didn't solely focus on production but strived to bring the community into the space. The design process itself taught me how to communicate with the team to improve solutions and to enjoy the time spent with my fellow interns.” – Rachael Herring

Pedestrian Diaries: Discovering Public Space in Downtown Dallas on Foot, Through Ink and Paper

“A transplant to both Texas and Dallas, long walks downtown and in its surrounding neighborhoods have been my favorite medium to become more familiar with my new home.”

 Studio Outside’s Meghan Obernberger moved to Dallas in June 2022. Since then, she has sought to explore the city by walking, often without a destination in mind, but always recording her experiences in her sketchbook.

A JOURNEY BEGINS

 “Coming to Dallas, I was warned about the car-centric scale and planning of the city. While this reputation is fair, I have been pleasantly surprised by the walkability and public parks within Downtown Dallas.”

 As she sets off from her home, Meghan finds plenty of infrastructure in place for the pedestrian. Sidewalks line the roads, and pedestrian crossings are aplenty. Oak and sweetgum trees provide some much-needed shade along several streets, while dandelions cropping up through sidewalk cracks delights the eye. This should feel like a promising start to a journey, yet she quickly recognizes a potential problem - even the presence of this infrastructure is not enough to encourage a culture of walking, and Meghan often finds herself the sole pedestrian.

 ENCOUNTERING OBSTACLES

 “These spaces can still feel like a psychological and physical threshold – not to be crossed and preventing further connections both within and outside of Dallas’s downtown.”

To go downtown, Meghan must walk through a series of freeways and highways, with bridges streaking overhead, their imposing presence hard to ignore. Underneath them, the DART light rail track winds through the street traffic. The sidewalks here can feel like an afterthought – they are often broken, obstructed, or simply absent, making the whole experience intimidating and distinctly uninviting.

DISCOVERING RESPITE

“The parks and public areas directly interface with Dallas’s freeway system – each taking a unique approach to activating an otherwise hostile space for pedestrians.”

Despite the streetscape's overlooked condition, Meghan finds moments of relief in the form of parks and public spaces scattered throughout downtown. These spaces break up the monotony of the railroad bridge complex, providing an escape from the concrete jungle. The carefully designed parks revitalize the public areas, a stark contrast to the undeniable air of neglect felt when walking underneath the I-75.

The first of many such spaces is Carpenter Park. Once she’s traversed the crossing underneath I-75, Meghan finds herself drawn into an oasis of trees and fountains. Carpenter Park- with its earthwork punctuating the highway, provides a welcoming atmosphere compared to its imposing surroundings. No longer uncertain or apprehensive, Meghan continues her walk beyond this park, newly invigorated.

INTERLUDE

“It can be hard to get a moment alone in this park. Even in the early morning hours, a team of custodians scours the grounds.”

In Klyde Warren Park, there is an immediate sense of arrival. Food trucks line the perimeter of the park, and markets pop up all around. The air is filled with shrieks of delight from children as they play in the fountains, and the lawn invites park-goers in. The commotion of activity in the park drowns out the highway, making visitors completely forget it. Klyde Warren Park often makes itself a destination in Meghan’s journey.

GOING THE DISTANCE

“The sprawling view of the Dallas skyline, expansive Trinity floodway, and towering Margaret Hunt Hill bridge adjacent provide a natural attraction at the site through all hours of the day.”

As she rambles beyond downtown, Meghan finds a space that parallels the highway. On the Ronald Kirk Bridge, the adaptive reuse of a former freeway is evident. Meghan admits that the bridge is hard to access as a pedestrian but still finds that the canopies and the skyline attract plenty of people. Once there, the linear structure, the moving traffic, and the shifting views create a public place that invites her to stay and to keep moving forward – a perfect culmination of what a pedestrian experience should be.

Meghan’s Downtown Walks