The City of Mullens is a historic railroad and coal mining town settled in 1894. Mullens is located in Southern West Virginia at the junction of state highways 10, 16, and 54 where Slab Fork Creek joins the Guyandotte River in Wyoming County. As of 2017, the population of Mullens was only 1,369, less than half of Mullens’ 1960 population (U.S. Census). The City of Mullens is working hard to recover from the loss of jobs, loss of population, and the devastating flood of 2001. There are many vacant and dilapidated homes in Mullens due to the population loss and several empty and run-down storefronts in the downtown area due to the loss of businesses.
The city of Mullens is facing a phenomenon commonly known as the food desert. Mullens does not have a sufficient source of local fresh food. As a result, the common source of food is either can food or available items at the grocery which also do not have much variety in food items. The total number of households in the city is 691. With an average, every house has an area of 700 square foot open space. This means a total of more than 10 acres of potentially cultivable land can be used for urban farming.
This project aims to develop these available vacant spaces to create large scale community gardens and urban food forests. A conceptual framework to utilize potential cultivable lands and produce distribution was developed. The resulted design can play a vital role to provide nutritious food and generate an alternative source of income for the community. This project can make a significant contribution by increasing local food production in Appalachia and ensuring community food security in the face of the current climate changes.
Artist Bio
Udday Shankur Datta, Student ASLA, is a graduate student at West Virginia University (WVU). Udday wants to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation to create a robust livable community. His path towards landscape architecture stems from his passion for cities, human and ecosystem health, and a sense of urgency to preserve the environment. His passion for travel and photography has taken him to different places where he got the chance to get involved with the community. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Human and Community Development at WVU. Udday plans to work on community development projects and continue to research contemporary urban challenges as a designer and educator.