Community Back Garden

Isolation, a problem which can be harmful to the human's mental health, emotional support, and personal growth. When people are isolated for too long, people may feel lonely, stressed, disconnected, and depressed making it harder for people to build relationships and trust.

The Community Back Garden was created to prevent isolation. The Garden is backyards of houses connected together to form a place where neighbors can connect and have fun. I have created a physical model of what a Community Back Garden can look like. The Garden allows neighbors to make new friends, enjoy their time off with their family, and to get fresh air outside of their house.

1. Cardboard
2. Hot Glue
3. Scissors
4. Pipe Cleaners
5. Poster Paper
6. Printed Textures
7. Markers
8. Felt

I was inspired by my grandpa who is handicapped and cannot live without assistance in his daily life. He often struggles with isolation and depression due to the limit of mobility and fewer interactions with friends and family. Creating a community garden close to home would allow him to connect and feel happy more.

From enjoying the game room to sitting by the pool, the community garden has endless ways to have fun. The area would create an inclusive environment where people of all ages can enjoy.

In addition, the space would be a kid's dream to have friends in their neighborhood who have access to the community garden, game room, and the pool. With the access of the garden including many features, people of all ages would have a positive space which prevents isolation.

I have created a detailed sketch of the layout for the neighborhood and garden. The design includes the placement of each house as well as shared community features like the pool, the game room, the garden, and the walking path.

For the design to be more organized and have a visual balance, each house has to be spaced out equally. Houses can be spaced from 5 to 40 feet depending on the area which you live in. As for the model, each house is spaced 10 feet or 3 inches in model measurements.

To create my model, I used a variety of materials to form a neighborhood. Cardboard was used to construct houses and other structures which provide structure to the model. Pipe cleaners which were shaped into bushes were used to add greenery to create a more natural environment. Poster paper was used to create the base of the model and add landscape. To secure everything, hot glue was used. For details, printed textiles, felt and markers were used to enhance the overall appereance of the model.

These materials were used to create a community design to life in a creative and organized way.

My grandpa always had a strong obsession of reading. He flies by books almost as he isn't even reading them. Inspired by his love of books and reading, I created a book box which follows the system of "Bring a book, take a book" system. This feature would encourage the community to share books and read.

In addition to the book box, neighbors can connect over books they read and allow them to have a topic to talk about. The book box will strengthen the community connections.