Nevogilde Community Farm

Vacant lands provide an opportunity to create temporary recreation areas. Given the transitory condition of such spaces, the principles of ‘urban acupuncture’ should guide the proposals: provide the maximum benefit with the minimum intervention and the minimum construction and maintenance costs.
The Nevogilde community garden is a proposal for a vacant land of 12 hectares in the city of Porto. It is located near the Porto seafront, in a former farmland meant to lodge, according to the Porto Municipal Master Plan, the construction of a new avenue and several single-family houses. The area is crossed by two Atlantic streams, houses a notorious collection of Salix sp., and some informal urban allotment gardens. Due to the lack of a proper maintenance, the space shows some deposits of garbage and debris, and is invaded by Cortaderia selloana.
The proposal aims to provide coherence to the space, taking advantage of its rural character and some
pre-existences. The current area of allotment gardens was organized and expanded, integrating the two streams and the corresponding riparian areas. A meadow grazed by sheep and goats was added in the east. These animals play an important role in the maintenance of the proposed garden.The existing willow forest was expanded until the north limit, taking advantage of a topography favoring water retention.
The sandy terrain at north, near the proposed community center, was converted from a motocross path into all terrain bike path. Two pedestrian paths cross the space, facilitating its use by the nearby population.