This project offers a model for commercial and research-based food production located on the site of the existing Waite precinct of the University of the Adelaide (on Kaurna land), with the intention of being adapted and expanded to other pockets of metropolitan Adelaide and further afield. Based around an integrated site system of bike transport, bio-waste recycling and crop rotation, this re-designed campus precinct demonstrates a shift in approaches to local food security and climate resilience.
Co-operatively run by the University of Adelaide and Urrbrae Agricultural High School, this model aims to provide economic revenue for both institutions, as well as increased and new forms of agricultural research and education.
The site is divided into two zones: one for annual/biennial planting and one for perennial plants. A five-year crop rotation system encourages good soil health and crop output, alongside a three-year weed control cycle.
To support this agricultural system, a new transport network implemented across the site prioritizes the use of bikes as the primary mode of transport. Cars are removed from all internal spaces and traffic calming strategies have been introduced on some adjacent roads. This increases the amount of space available for food production, while reducing carbon emissions across the site.
In addition to this, there are four utility hubs across the two main food planting zones. These hubs provide storage for bikes, agricultural equipment and supplies, as well as space for educational activities and direct food sales. The hubs will also foster opportunities for increased community connection which will be essential to the ongoing success of The Shift urban food system.
With Adelaide’s population expected to grow by 523,000 people by 2050 and an increasingly changing climate, the need for alternative models of food production is clear. The Shift provides a direct systems-based response to these predictions with the goal of championing an increasingly resilient future.
