Urban Guerrilla Issue 8: Be the Master of Public Land

Text by Zhan Pin-cheng, Lin Yu-wen, Gorilla Green Guerrilla

In a busy city, a patch of green that suddenly appears sparks all kinds of imaginings, yet this seemingly usable green space has steps and hedges that shut people out, which makes one wonder: what exactly is the purpose of the government in creating public spaces?

This time, we chose our battleground at No. 260 Roosevelt Road, on the monotonous lawn beside the Magazine Fan storefront. Here, we noticed that many shoppers would sit on the ground along the small steps, and the hedge had gradually been worn open at one point; everything showed that the relationship between green space and city dwellers is not as simple as what meets the eye. The use of public land should open a welcoming door for citizens, not be something that is "visible but unusable." Some groups concerned about urban space had once planted saplings and bok choy here, and in the process of replanting, Gorilla also heard voices imagining diverse uses for this place, such as growing different fruits, vegetables and herbs, landscape plants, and having a space where people can rest, so we decided to carry out a guerrilla action here in early June.

The yellow lines in the image above mark the paths that people have naturally worn open, so we worked with the existing development, and based on the materials available at hand, went through discussion, design and construction to complete three areas (indicated by red numbers in the image), namely the "Bento Vegetable Garden (1)," "Impatiens Take Turns (2)" and "Mulberry Heart Hotel (3)," and we established an entrance. We believe that everyone should be the owner of public land, and that imagination needs to be put forward and discussed in detail; we cannot let everyone's space become the victim of linear thinking in policy and the development interests of conglomerates.

 

Preparation and Entrance Arrangement

After surveying the battleground, the Gorillas found that the shrubs beside the curb already had a small gap worn open naturally, so they transplanted a few of the shrubs from the gap to the side, marked the entrance and exit with large stones, and put up a sign reading "Be the owner of public land, not just in your imagination!" The newly created entrance not only breaks the enclosed nature of the original lawn, but can also protect the other shrubs and reduce the chance of them being trampled. We hope this lawn can be an approachable public space where people can freely come and go and use the area, rather than just standing by and watching.

(Left: the Gorillas adjusting the plants at the entrance. Right: the newly created entrance.)

Bento Vegetable Garden

To turn an energy-consuming lawn into something productive, the fastest method is to directly plant an "edible landscape," so we designed the Bento Vegetable Garden. Once our seedlings grow up, lettuce and corn salad, spicy stir-fried eggplant, blanched leafy greens, and pumpkin soup - all the dishes needed for a one-day bento - will be right here in this bento garden! This is a clever way to drastically shorten "food miles." In addition, the Gorillas' guerrilla actions all use permaculture's "sheet mulching" method, using raw kitchen scraps to supply nutrients to the crops, imitating nature and growing without pollution. The upright corn, the verdant lettuce, the bright red chili peppers, and the trailing vines of the pumpkin will give this garden bed rich layers of height, making it an urban farming landscape with aesthetic appeal.

 

 

(Image: the Bento Vegetable Garden uses leftover red cloth from an art project as edging, and a passing father and daughter joined in the planting process.)

Impatiens Take Turns

When the Gorillas discussed how to name this small flower bed, they spent quite a lot of time on it, and in the end the short and powerful "Impatiens Take Turns" narrowly beat "Spin, Colorful Impatiens!" We used stacked, painted waste tires to make a simple flower bed, and their lively colors made them a highlight on the lawn.

 

(Image: the Gorillas clumsily planting the impatiens donated by the farm into the tires.)

Mulberry Heart Hotel

The punningly named "Mulberry Heart Hotel" is made up of one mulberry sapling and several impatiens surrounding it. We hope this small tree can grow into a big tree and become a landmark here; in the future we want to rest in its shade!

 

(Image: we planted the mulberry sapling in the center of the flower bed. The cardboard laid down is part of the sheet mulching, intended to block the heat generated by the fermentation of the raw kitchen scraps below.)

After the Event

"Taipei Beautiful Series 2" is an urban beautification policy launched in conjunction with the Flora Expo. This site was the first demonstration point of the policy. The policy duly accelerated the renewal of dilapidated buildings and produced many Taipei Beautiful green spaces lasting only 18 months. People got taller buildings than what the original urban planning regulations stipulated, but had to bear the cost of a deteriorating quality of life: not only did traffic become more congested and more foot traffic appear, but they also lost the original right to sunlight of neighboring buildings. Besides the impact on residents' lives, there were also many negative effects on the overall urban landscape and historical context. The Gorillas believe everyone has the right to know about these unannounced problems and that they need to be discussed.

The purpose of this guerrilla action was to establish an imaginative platform for discussing the use of urban public land, to stimulate everyone's ideas about urban green space, and to hope that the people around could also use this land. Unfortunately, the managing authority already cleared away the guerrilla plantings on this site on June 15, and even replanted small shrubs at the entrance, once again turning it into a patch of weeds that whitewashes reality. But our guerrilla spirit cannot be cleared away! So last month we dropped seed bomb balls here again. And what about those who once witnessed the changes in the lawn? Did those plants that burned with life leave some mark in everyone's hearts? We believe guerrilla actions do not only happen on the land; more importantly, they make people start thinking about their relationship with their living environment.

 

 

(Image: a Gorilla member explaining the Beautiful policy.)

Actually, we are not the only ones who cannot tolerate such green space. A while ago, the Gorillas found interesting protest stickers appearing on this lawn, and we believe they are from a group that also wants to dialogue with citizens. So, are you also dissatisfied with green space? Hurry up and set out on a guerrilla action!

Special thanks: to Fukusuke Farm for sponsoring the flowers and plants, to the adults and children who joined in that day, and to everyone who gave us suggestions.