Abstract

This doctoral thesis defines the relationship between the urban and rural in the 21st century, and focuses on food as a key component. The fact that food is, for the most part, produced in the countryside and then transported to the city has a significant influence on this very unbalanced relationship today. The main goal was to show that it is necessary to bring agriculture, urban gardening, the breeding of domestic farm animals, and beekeeping back to the city, which would have a positive effect on both the city and the countryside. All of this is already taking place at the local level, within the neighbourhoods of our cities and through the work of self-organised activities and initiatives, which have been taken up by city residents themselves. One example of this is the community garden, a new model of gardening which offers fertile ground for growing vegetables and to test various forms of co-existence, different ways of designing spaces, the creation of alternative values, and a positive vision for the future of city residents.

I am a founding member of the cultural organization KUD Obrat, which includes architects, artists and sociologists. We started a project in an abandoned construction site. We wanted to create an experimental ground for gardens, culture and socialazing together with neighborhood residents. The project developed into a community garden Beyond the construction site (Ljubljana, 2010 - 2022). This practical casestuy was the main source of research, theoretical reflection and possible projections for the future of urban-rural relationship.