TINY HOME RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY GARDEN

DESIGN for an off-grid TINY HOME RESIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT and COMMUNITY GARDEN under Permaculture principles

 

Governments have unique powers to utilise economies of scale to build mobile homes at the absolute lowest cost possible.  One of my ongoing projects is to get governments to sponsor the manufacture of tiny homes, using best practice design such as this one: https://fb.watch/jiidDC1Fkx/  in every suburb and town, according to population and demand. 

 

There are just so many applications…roll them out  (on 9 by 2.5m trailers) to remote communities where people can adapt the design to their own specific requirements, to house seasonal workers, temporary settlements for asylum seekers and refugees, for homeless people, aged care, women’s refuges, low-cost housing and in community gardens EVERYWHERE. 

I have designed this settlement as somewhere I would love to live myself, informed by 30 years of experience living in small spaces on the land and having set up a number of gardens. It can be adapted to a homeless shelter with on-site employment in the communal garden, an aged care facility with the garden providing peace, gentle exercise and nutrition (raised beds would feature and wheelchair access), and just about any other configuration of lifestyle choice. 

 

The design is basically the same for urban community gardens for unemployed people, without the residences of course, just a caretakers cottage. My advice to state and local governments is to fund these urban community gardens according to need where unemployment is high. This will provide benefits all round with local business supplying and building the infrastructures, and local nurseries supplying the stock. Eventually the gardens could become self-supporting. 

 

Tall fencing all around is an important part of the design for security, due to future social instability which will be inevitable with worsening climate change – these fences will be densely planted with an array of edible climbing vegetation as well as topiaried fruits & nuts, all of which can be picked from both sides of the fence, benefitting the wider community. The four corners of the site is layer-planted with a food forest of fruits, nuts and vines to give every home a lovely view of greenery through their large living room windows.

 

The homes themselves will be locally constructed according to best practice design, of which this is a good example:  https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/houses/117731225/tiny-home-let-mum-keep-lonelinessbusting-social-enterprise-running

Each home will have a full-length sliding window on the side facing the fence with a narrow balcony, to give a maximum view of the forest …roof windows could add light and a feeling of space. An extended wall along the left will provide privacy. Another wider balcony runs along the length of the building with a retractable washing line.

 

Gas, water, electricity and sewerage may be connected in urban settings but off-grid options, including compost toilets, are also feasible for all services and any combination of services. All the buildings have solar panels on flat roofs feeding into the main battery bank in the community rooms via a micro-grid. Small wind turbines around the outside could also feed into the microgrid. For off-grid, each house will have a rainwater tank, and larger ones for the community and caretakers area. 

 

Wet compost, ie kitchen scraps, discarded fruits, will go either to the worm farm or into the large  central ‘keyhole’ garden, where it continually breaks down and feeds the garden. The ‘hot’ compost is kept in a row of bins – these piles are perfect to compost aggressive weeds as the heat generated within them will destroy seed and any pathogens. A mulcher will supercharge the process. The clearing around the community area could have a fire-pit for night time gatherings.