Fun Fast Forests
Sikkharini Cintantyadwisthi, Kulkiran Bedi, Helen Carter, Henry Mellen

Pocket forests: Bringing urban biodiversity and playscape into the city

Current situation in Sydney

– Second lowest tree canopy coverage (15%) of any Australian state capital, whilst close to half of this is on private land (Guardian, 2014; City of Sydney, 2013).
– Unequal access to green space based on socio-economic factors (‘the latte line’ [ABC News, 2019).
– Lack of public understanding surrounding what biodiversity is, the biodiversity crisis and efforts to protect it (Guardian, 2010).

Our Proposal

We propose an immediate response to Sydney’s lack of tree canopy and equitable access to green space in the form of Fun Fast Forests. These are modular pop-up forests that can be re-sized, re-shaped and re-located to areas they are needed most. Fun Fast Forests are intended to support and increase awareness of the Greening Sydney Plan and associated objectives.

Fun Fast Forests are composed of:

• Native species of potted trees, plants, bushes and flowers such as Eucalyptus and Jacarandas. These will be labelled with facts to encourage public engagement with biodiversity.
• Man-made structures, designed with biomimicry in mind. Individually these structures reflect the form of a tree, whilst together they manifest a native forest. Their modularity allows for a myriad of different configurations including structures of different heights and shapes. This variance is reflective of the diversity of species within a forest, in addition to the life cycle of a tree.
• Playful elements such as swings and climbing features are included within the design to encourage engagement with biodiversity through play with younger citizens.