With the cost of living predicted to rise and recent studies showing that life in rural Scotland is particularly expensive, affordability of both lifestyle and housing are particularly prevalent issues. The primary consideration of this thesis is to determine whether by testing reintroducing food production into a housing program can reduce the cost of living in rural areas of Scotland. Furthermore, by incorporating the ideas of food localism within an architectural response, can a more robust community be developed which would be less susceptible to change in global food and energy markets? Additionally by developing a new housing model, can the difference in the cost of living between Rural and Urban Scotland be addressed?
Introducing agriculture into the built environment has the potential to connect people with their food source allowing for a more affordable lifestyle. To maintain a realistic method of testing
the proposal, any scheme developed will need to relate to the existing densities of the current private sector house builders. Currently, housing is being developed within a medium density
bracket of 15 to 25 dwellings per hectare (DPH) within the Carse of Gowrie. The intent of this thesis is to pursue a means of making housing in the rural environment affordable in terms
of living cost, post occupancy, by including an area of ground where occupants can reduce their dependency on expensive, small local stores by developing self-sustainable food sources. This required an understanding of the area necessary to grow enough food to satisfy the need of various household types, which will derive the degree of autonomy possible. The areas elucidated allowed for a density of development which fell out with the pre-existing developer economic frame work, questioning the viability of the thesis. Through densifying a portion of the houses to a higher DPH, additional land was liberated for agricultural pursuits. This allowed for a development of housing on a 25/75% split; where 25% of houses could be considered “affordable houses”, as per current development policy, where a provision for agricultural land was made and the remainder would be developed to a higher density. By including allotment spaces or community agriculture projects within housing, people are becoming reconnected with their food production and a healthier diet might be achieved with a signifi cantly reduced ecological footprint.
With a global, national and rural expanding population, and the implications for evermore fi nite resources, increased food autonomy will become more desirable and simultaneously more diffi cult to achieve. The FAO have identifi ed that small scale integrating farming is essential for future wellbeing; this presents a challenge to architects and town planners alike. Can the necessary provisions of growing space and agriculture act as a vehicle to provide alternative means of development, which will be both more affordable for the inhabitant, and improve the built environment simultaneously?
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