Glasgow is a typical city of the post-industrial era. It once had a well-developed textile and heavy industry, especially shipbuilding. This led to Glasgow being a very densely populated large city for a time. But with the industrial iteration, Glasgow began to experience an economic downturn in the post-war period. From the mid-20th century onwards, Glasgow had endured high levels of poverty, with many wastelands in the city. To improve the living conditions of residents and boost the economy, the Glasgow government introduced new regional policies in the late 1950s, including socially selective new town plans. The most influential of these was the Clyde Valley Regional Plan of 1946, which aimed to develop newer, lighter industries outside Glasgow. As a result, more new towns were set aside to receive the city's population and industrial 'spillover', and the plan called for the selective mass removal of the city's population. As a result, some of the population - often young, skilled workers, employed and often with families - were relocated to the new towns and other overflow settlements', while the city was left with 'the elderly, the very poor and the barely employable'. This has increased spatial inequalities in Glasgow and nearby towns. The loss of population within the city of Glasgow has left large areas of vacant and derelict land. One-third of Glasgow's high-rise buildings have been demolished and cleared in recent years, but redevelopment has been put on hold. The modern Glasgow urban plan still leaves a large area.
As the site developed over time, the industrial waste and hard materials left behind began to decompose and the seeds of pioneering plants were carried into the site by the wind or birds and began to grow freely. They form the third landscape of Glasgow. These areas were rejected by residents because of their messy image and desolate atmosphere, and surveys have shown that living near wasteland has a high risk of having an impact on people's mental health. But on the other hand, these derelict urban spaces have a great potential for transformation and development. To protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions， Glasgow is progressively launching a Low Emission Zone Plan, which means that soon, many of Glasgow's car parks will be transformed into new vacant urban spaces. So, these two types of urban sites form the scope of my design.
These sites are often characterised by their small scale and very fragmented location in the city, making them difficult to design coherently. But the advantage of this characteristic is that once they are linked in some way, they form a tight network structure spread throughout the city, interconnecting and influencing each other. This structure, which is scattered and densely woven like capillaries, is very similar to urban acupuncture. Urban acupuncture is a broad architectural concept, "a small-scale practice applied to micro-urban environments to engage local residents in the creation of their public space". The characteristics and intended effects of urban acupuncture are well suited to the contextual conditions and urban spatial structure of Glasgow.
The location of the acupuncture is the vacant urban site and car park just selected. The urban intervention I chose was the community garden. I carried out a desk study of Glasgow and did several field surveys. The challenges Glasgow's faces include environmental and social issues. Due to climate change, Glasgow is experiencing more frequent weather extremes, with frequent heavy rainfall and flooding. In addition, the pollution of the soil and rivers left by heavy industry and manufacturing development in Glasgow has not been removed and is still threatening the health of the citizens and the stability of the ecological environment. In terms of social issues, Glasgow is still suffering from the effects of industrial decline and the New Towns Plan, with job shortages, mental health problems and food stress.
I use community gardens as an intervention for urban acupuncture that can provide a partial response to most crises. Community gardens include components such as spaces for growing produce, spaces for selling (e.g. vegetables, fruits, herbs and cut flowers), social spaces, and wildlife gardens. The social function of community gardens can enhance the emotional exchange between the people of the city and reduce the barriers between people. The gardening activity itself is also beneficial to people's mental health. At the same time, the fruits and vegetables produced by community gardens can provide fresh, healthy food at low prices. A well-structured community garden can also develop a community economy based on products such as cut flowers and vegetables, and provide jobs for community residents. The community garden can therefore be seen as a social point for city dwellers, increasing their emotional connection and enhancing their sense of urban identity and belonging.
And community gardens containing wildlife gardens and ponds act as mini green space nodes with extensive tree planting that provide habitat for native plants and animals. By using these small plots to form wildlife corridors, it is possible to connect Glasgow's scattered parks and green spaces to form an interconnected green network that will enhance Glasgow's resistance to climate change.
As a result of my research, Glasgow now has a number of small community gardens, but they are separate and exist only as urban planting spaces. The creation of a network of community gardens linked to the existing parks and green spaces is a design direction that is fitting for Glasgow's current and future development.
