DIY Food Utopias: The Case of Almere Oosterwold

Known by many a folk worldwide as the "Tesla of eco-villages", the city of Almere intrigues us. Not only does the community combine technical and architectural innovations as part of a circular urban system, but it has created a social and planning experiment representative of the regulations, institutions, and technologies of our time. The pioneer community, managed by ReGen Villages, lays on 43 square kilometers of land in the province of Flevoland. The project began in the 1970s. An experimental, open-ended planning process which consists of iterative decision-making, Almere's approach contrasts with traditional Dutch planning practice, which many criticize as organized but painfully predictable. The project aims to produce 15,0000 dwellings, 26,000 jobs, 135 hectares allocated to businesses, 200,000 square meters dedicated to office space, and 400 hectares of additional landscape by creating a polder.

The community draws admiration for a number of developments, in the realm of new building typologies, energy, water, and solid waste systems, and also agrarian urbanism initiatives. The blog post will be focused exclusively on the sustainability food and land management aspects and some conflicts in the planning of the Oosterwold, the eastern part of Almere.

MDRDV is driving the development process through the Almere 2030 Structure Vision
Image Source: https://www.mvrdv.nl/

Although a flexible model on the surface, all residents of this community are allocated small plots of land but must adhere to a set of ten rules in developing the land. They must be aware of road, energy, piping, sanitation, public green, and urban farming conditions agreed upon by community members developing the plan. Planners are challenged with enabling creativity in garden plot design of land parcels while managing conflict. Will the rules have to be expanded over time? Can the community proceed to be innovative if more rules are created? What will the future hold in the developments of the Oosterwold?

A larger parcel of agricultural land nearly borders the homes of the community. On the one hand, this provides landowners on the site with a rural experience, being in such close proximity to arable land. This type of land development could eventually put this community in the same category of urban food utopias envisioned by the architects and planners of the Garden City, City of Tomorrow, and Broadacre. On the other hand, are landowners really ready to deal common nuisances from agricultural uses, such as smell and noise? The type of agriculture developed on the land will largely impact satisfaction of the neighbors. In addition, how can affordability and productivity be ensured? Will one individual have exclusive rights to the land? Can it be made more progressive; for instance, subdividing the large land parcel and renting out small parcels to farmers to experiment? What range of activities could exist?

Innovative techniques of vertical gardening will be attempted
Image Source: http://pegasusagriculturegroup.com/

With the emergence of such eco-villages, equity concerns have arisen. As with many utopias and early models in sustainable development, this ecovillage could exclude larger society. In designing and planning this kind of community, those equipped with the acumen and affluence to participate in such a time-consuming process, will reap the benefits. Can such models be applicable to greater society, if only a few can take part in the experimentation process? Perhaps by bringing in more outside opinions from students, academics, and farmers, it could highlight opportunities for improvement. Nonetheless, adding more stakeholders to an already complicated planning process could jeopardize it by making it more complex.