A Carbon Garden:  A Saint Louis-Based Model for Urban Bioenergetics Carbon Capture and Storage

The Carbon Garden is a proposal for a new type of public space, one which achieves social objectives for public health and scientific objectives for the study of negative carbon emissions technologies. This study intends to contribute to the development of bio-energetic carbon capture and storage (BECCS), by converting fallow urban landscapes into carbon accumulators. The project develops a design for a biodiverse carbon capture landscape within a neighborhood in North St Louis. The design investigates the biophysical and social requirements for conducting science experiments in public space. The utilization of biodiverse algae, afforestation, and grassland plant communities for BECCS is suitable for urban conditions. Previous research shows that biodiverse urban plantings are technically feasible, low cost, compatible with social objectives and, as green infrastructure, can contribute significantly to water management. This project aims to combine these results with carbon capture objectives. St Louis has approximately 25,000 acres of privately and publicly-owned vacant lots, and 108 urban parks managed by the City of St. Louis. The possibilities for reformulating under-utilized landscapes into massive carbon capture terrains is enormous. The current project stages a science/design field experiment in a location that incorporates both public and private urban terrain. It proposes that critical ecological science experiments are undertaken in public space, where citizens and scientists can interact in attractive, functional field labs that generate real data, and provide place-based neighborhood amenities.

Research Team

Rod Barnett, WashU (Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts)
Jacqueline Margetts, WashU (Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts)
Doug Ladd, WashU (Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts)
James Aronson, Missouri Botanical Garden