Urban Fractal Farming
By bringing rural farming into an urban environment, the opportunity arises to minimize negative environmental impacts and costs pertaining specifically to food transportation. Integrating a system where residents are able to grow their own food for their personal consumption or to sell it in local farmers markets allows them to be educated about what they are consuming while also contributing to their local economy. One major feature incorporated into the vertical farm is an aquatic environment that houses many types of fish that are not only bred in fish farms for human consumption, but also help provide natural fertilizer for the farm. This closed loop system uses the fish waste as fertilizer to help with the plants growth and in turn the plants filter gathered rainwater and grey water which gets brought down as fresh water for the fish. These fish farms mainly exist in the CTA freight tunnels that are located under the blocks project site, but smaller fish tanks are also included on various floors to contribute to a more efficient system. Another feature of the farm is the inclusion of a community compost center where residents can add their food waste, other compostable material, and in some cases, even human waste.
