Location : Stowe, Great Britain
Program : Utopian / Dystopian
Timeline : Starting from 18th-century Stowe and zooming into a close future
Team : Jace Marc Fernandes, William Ho, Yasaman Khalili
Program : Utopian / Dystopian
Timeline : Starting from 18th-century Stowe and zooming into a close future
Team : Jace Marc Fernandes, William Ho, Yasaman Khalili
In 18th-century Stowe, the elite showcased wealth by turning productive farmland into sprawling, picturesque gardens—a celebration of leisure and unproductivity. This was made possible by advances in food production and transportation, but the benefits were not evenly distributed. A few controlled both the food and the free time.
Our project flips this model.
We imagine a future where food is abundant, space-efficient, and accessible to all. What happens when grocery stores, farms, and food plants are no longer needed? What fills the void?
We imagine a future where food is abundant, space-efficient, and accessible to all. What happens when grocery stores, farms, and food plants are no longer needed? What fills the void?
Inspired by the aesthetics of Stowe, we envision a future landscape where unproductive space becomes an everyday luxury. But while it may feel utopian for individuals, it raises dystopian questions about equity, purpose, and design responsibility.
As landscape architects, we argue it's time to move beyond just "pretty" parks, toward designing productive, equitable, and meaningful landscapes in everyday life.
What will happen when we just need a pill a week?
