Continuous Productive Urban Landscape (CPUL): designing essential infrastructure

Andre Viljoen, Katrin Bohn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This paper reviews the role of productive landscapes within the context of the CPUL City design concept. Whilst this concept concentrates on the European urban model, it draws from international experience and its findings are scalable and adaptable to other urban models, including the Chinese. Continuous Productive Urban Landscape (CPUL) proposes a coherent strategy for the introduction of interlinked productive landscapes into cities thereby creating a new sustainable urban infrastructure and supporting a re-definition of open urban space usages. The paper focuses on urban agriculture as one of the major components of CPUL. Making reference to recent high-profile international exhibitions and publications, the paper traces urban agriculture’s remarkable shift from a fringe interest to one at the centre of contemporary urban/architectural discourse. Design studies by the authors are used to demonstrate the viability and physical manifestation of urban agriculture and productive land within a CPUL City and introduce design issues related to its spatial placing and public perception The paper concludes that, while urban agriculture is receiving a great deal of attention, the theory underpinning the design of productive landscapes and the rationale for developing policy to support its practice will require sophisticated cross-disciplinary work to articulate the full potential of concepts such as CPUL in making essential infrastructure within future sustainable cities.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)24-30
Number of pages7
JournalLA China (Landscape Architecture China)
Volume9
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2010

Bibliographical note

Volume 9 of Landscape Architecture China (LA China), a leading professional design journal with an international editorial board, was subtitled Productive Landscapes. This paper was one of three lead articles headlined on the magazine’s cover, marking a significant milestone in the international dissemination of the CPUL concept and its expanding contribution to the professional design discourse. The paper was commissioned by LA China, from Katrin Bohn (Bohn & Viljoen Architects) and Andre Viljoen (University of Brighton), with a brief to introduce Bohn & Viljoen’s sustainable urban design concept, Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes(CPULs) to Chinese design professionals. The article is published in Chinese and English and was collated by Katrin Bohn, utilizing texts and images by K. Bohn and A. Viljoen, in equal share, from their design research archive. This article was commissioned by the journal LA China, from Katrin Bohn (Bohn & Viljoen Architects) and Andre Viljoen (University of Brighton), to introduce Bohn & Viljoen’s sustainable urban design concept, Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes(CPULs)to Chinese design professionals.

Keywords

  • Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes (CPULs) Sustainable City
  • Ecological Footprint
  • Landscape
  • Productive Landscape
  • Urban Agriculture
  • Urban Design
  • Planning
  • Architecture.

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