Mobile Garden Rail Car To Be Tacked on To Chicago Transit System
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 02. 1.10
Design & Architecture
Buzz up!
mobile garden photo
Image via Mobile Garden
The Mobile Garden concept dreamed up by artist Joe Baldwin just got the thumbs up from the Chicago Transit Authority. The plan is to add some green space to the transit system by transforming a rail car into a mobile garden boasting greenery and native species. The car will help commuters "visualize the possibilities for enhancing green space in the city," as Hugh Bartling puts it.
According to Mobile Garden, "The basic concept that artist Joe Baldwin came up with is to build a garden on a flatcar train and to let it travel with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as part of their regular transit service. Because of the conditions that would subject plants to the ideal plants for the mobile garden are native plants that require low water and low maintenance. This also allows the opportunity to highlight the importance of native plants in the community."
It would be really neat to travel the rails while sitting in a garden...if it isn't too cold outside. But this one would really be just for looks - something gorgeous to enjoy while navigating the hustle and bustle of a morning commute with nothing but gray metal and bundled-up travelers to look at. And it's certainly easier to enjoy than trying to bring along your own suitcase garden.
The project does hearken up PARK(ing) Day, especially one mobile garden found in San Francisco.
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