Permaculture Design for Urban Areas

What is Permaculture? Permaculture is an approach to designing landscapes that works with nature rather than against nature. Permaculture seeks to create beautiful living systems that provide food (and other essentials) for people in sustainable ways. Permaculture was founded in Australia by !ill "ollison and David #olmgren in the $%&'(s. )t combines age*old indigenous wisdom with new insights emerging from movements for sustainability around the world. Permaculture is a dynamic+ eclectic+ and creative discipline now happening world*wide. Permaculture is based on the following three ethical principles,

-are of the earth -are of the people .haring the surplus

Some Key Permaculture Principles

Observation / 0ne must have a clear understanding of their immediate environment and the surrounding bio*region to create appropriate designs. "icro*climates (warmth+ sun+ moisture etc.) and other uni1ue features of an area can be discovered and used to enhance the design. Native Plants / .ince native plants are bested adapted to and integrated within the local ecology+ they are preferred over e2otic plants. #owever+ carefully selected e2otic plants can and should be used for particular purposes such as food production when there are no e1uivalent native species. Perennial Plants / 3here possible+ perennial plants are favoured over annuals as they can become long term members of an urban plant community and generally re1uire less labour and resources than annuals. )n addition to the many species of fruit+ berries+ nuts+ and herbs that do well in 4dmonton+ there are also numerous perennial greens that can be harvested throughout the growing season to be eaten in salads+ soups+ stews etc.. Annual vegetables and herbs+ however+ also have an important place in an urban permaculture

system.

Relationships / Plants in a permaculture design are carefully selected and situated for the relationships they will have with other plants and other elements in the system. Diverse plants with diverse relationships are desired. 5hese relationships will create a synergistic effect+ creating a thriving ecological community. Elements / All elements of a permaculture design will have multiple functions. 6or e2ample+ a selected tree may provide shade for a sitting area+ berries for food+ habitat for birds+ screening of an undesirable view+ and may build the soil by fi2ing nitrogen+ thereby supporting the plants grown around it. Functions / All functions are supported by multiple elements. 6or e2ample+ food will come from many plants+ not 7ust one or two. "any different plants will be used to attract a variety of pollinators and other beneficial insects. 3ater will be harvested and retained in a variety of ways+ thereby reducing demand on city water and ensuring that the system will continue to thrive during times of drought. Zones / As a tool for site analysis and planning+ permaculture considers every system to be comprised of five 8ones . )n brief+ 9one $ is closest to the house and includes those elements that are needed most on a day to day basis (i.e. kitchen herbs and vegetables) . 9ones progress away from the house to less intensively cultivated or harvested elements all the way to 9one : which is wildland left for birds and other local wildlife. Resource Use / Permaculture systems strive to use as few e2ternal inputs as possible and to produce as little waste as possible. ;atural resources such as sunlight and water are absorbed and maintained within the system as long s possible. -omposting and mulching are used e2tensively to maintain and increase soil fertility. 3hen outside inputs are re1uired+ they are preferably sourced as locally as possible and are ideally waste from the surrounding environment. Stacking / Plants incorporated into a permaculture landscape are stacked both in space and in time. Plants will be chosen to occupy the following & layers< below ground (i.e root crops)+ ground cover+ herbaceous plants+ shrubs+ small trees+ tall trees+ and vines. .imilarly+ thought should be given into the long term development of the landscape over time+ ensuring that the system will be thriving many years from now.

Home-Scale Examples of Permaculture Permaculture is 7ust as relevant and useful for the city*dweller as it for a small farmer or alternative community. .ome very basic e2amples of how permaculture principles and design can be used in the urban setting include,

Water Harvesting / -ollecting run*off water from roofs+ redirecting it to trees+ shrubs and beds+ and storing it in rain barrels for later use is an easy+ economical and highly beneficial practice. 3ater can be further retained within the home landscape by using mulches+ close plantings and by ensuring a high level of organic matter in the soil. Perennial Plants for Foo / "ost urban dwellers e1uate growing food with a s1uare vegetable patch in the back corner of the yard. ;othing could be further from the truth= 5here are abundant possibilities for growing a tremendous amount of food*producing perennial plants in cities like 4dmonton. 6ruits+ berries+ nuts+

perennial herbs and perennial greens can all be included in an urban permaculture landscape.

!omposting an "ulching / 5here is no substitute for home grown compost= )ntensive composting allows for the recycling of resources within one(s permaculture system and contributes greatly to soil fertility+ structure and long term sustainability. .peciali8ed composting techni1ues such as sheet mulching can facilitate the generation of larger amounts of compost within the growing beds themselves. >egular surface mulching also contributes organic matter to the soil+ retains moisture+ inhibits weed growth and reduces soil erosion and soil compaction. Use of "icroclimates / -ity dwellers are blessed with numerous microclimates within their own yards. .outh facing walls+ for e2ample+ can provide an e2cellent location for heat loving plants like grapes+ tomatoes+ or peppers and can also be good locations for e2tending the growing season. ?ettuce and other greens+ for e2ample+ sown in a passive cold frame on the south side of a house can produce a harvest in late "arch or early April and as late in the season as the end of ;ovember or early December. "icroclimates can also be created+ by such techni1ues as mounding up soil for an herb spiral which will have both hot and cool+ wet and dry microclimates as well as creating additional surface area in the same amount of space. Plant Selections an Placement / 3hile the post card picture of suburbia includes a large lush lawn with @* A shrubs+ B trees and a couple of flower beds+ urbanites are discovering that their own yards provides them with enough space to incorporate many diverse plant species. )n the permaculture design approach+ all of these plants will have a particular purpose and will be placed in careful relationship with other plants. A nitrogen*fi2ing caraganna hedge+ for e2ample+ might be placed on the north side of a yard to provide a windbreak for the home+ some privacy and a heat trap for tomatoes placed on its south side. 5he tomatoes will benefit from the nitrogen provided by the carragana and will also en7oy higher rates of pollination thanks to the number of bees that are attracted to the carragana flowers. 5he carragana hedge can in turn be cut (at least once per season as it is a very fast grower) to provide material for the compost pile. 5here are countless other inter*relationships like this that can be designed into an urban permaculture system.

Forest #ar ens / "ature forests occupy all available space with lush growth. 6orest gardens model themselves after natural forest eco*systems but focus on plants that provide food+ medicines and other resources. Urban yards can also take advantage of the possibilities of using vertical space to make up for what they lack in hori8ontal space. All & layers (root+ ground cover+ herb layer+ shrubs+ mall trees+ large trees+ vines) can be occupied by plants that offer not only beauty but food+ medicine+ or other benefits as well. 3hen appropriately designed for a particular bio*region+ forest gardens provide an abundance of food in a way that is self*perpetuating+ self*fertili8ing+ self*mulching+ self*watering+ self*pollinating and highly resistant to disease. 5he following article by forest garden pioneer+ >obert #art provides an e2cellent summary of designing forest gardens for urban areas, http,CCwww.risc.org.ukCgardenCroberthart.html. 6or a listing of hardy plants for forest gardens in our climate+ link to Plants for 4dible 6orest Dardens in Alberta.

6or additional information on the growing world*wide permaculture movement+ follow the links to these websites,

Permaculture "aga8ine !ritish Permaculture Association 5he Permaculture Activist

Permaculture )nternational Eootenay Permaculture )nstitute 5he Permaculture Portal A55>A )ntroduction to Permaculture A Permaculture Primer -ontact Us (&F') BB$*AF'' G B'':*B''H I 5he Urban 6armer I All >ights >eserved
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