Edible Streets has been shortlisted for an Oxford Preservation Trust Award under Community Impact! A collaboration with Oxford Brookes and Oxfordshire County Council, Edible Streets is a research initiative exploring how community-led urban greening can foster community health and wellbeing, increase awareness around food provenance and nutrition, and support local biodiversity. It aims to transform underutilised grass verges into productive green spaces, representing a sustainable use of urban land.
The project worked with residents on Malford Road, Barton, to co-create edible gardens encompassing soft fruits, perennial vegetables, and pollinator-friendly herbs in raised beds, as well as fruit trees planted within the verge. The resulting scheme offers opportunities for residents to interact with each other, with nature and wildlife, and to source food locally – sowing the seeds for a greener, more connected, more resilient community. It aims to be accessible to all, rather than only to those with private garden space.
As responsible architects, on every project we work on, we look at opportunities to positively impact people, communities, biodiversity, and environment. Get in touch if you have a project to discuss.