The Sunflower+ Project: StL turns previously developed urban lots into a community asset through the planting of sunflowers. With a goal of eventually spurring redevelopment of these vacant parcels, the project serves as an appropriate, scalable, and productive transitional solution.
An experiment in the realms of phytoremediation, public art, public health, education and sustainability, the project beautifies the neighborhood and enhances the usability of the land in a low impact, low cost, and entrepreneurial manner. A field of sunflowers has been planted with a repurposed rubble wall intervention marking the historic foundation line that serves as a didactic tool for learning about history and sustainability. In addition to brightening the neighborhood, the sunflowers serve the practical task of phytoremediation of the soil, while offering the potential for development of food or fuel products that could provide a source of local income. Alternative plantings will also be used to promote the remediation process year round.
The Sunflower+ Project: StL is led by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in urban redevelopment, sustainability, horticulture, soils analysis, environmental air quality analysis, masonry, graphic design and communications, civil engineering and organic farming.