Image Source: Screen capture from PeteDungey.com
One UK graphic design student has developed an interesting way of dealing with damaged roads.
Pete Dungey has become a Guerilla Pothole Gardener. What in the world is that? Well, to put it simply: he travels around on his bicycle and fills up the potholes of Britain’s roadways with nice, little gardens. His website refers to the project as “An ongoing series of public installations highlighting the problem of surface imperfections on Britain’s roads”.
However, it’s hard to tell what others think of this and I’m not quite sure how one would keep the plants from getting run over, either; though it’s still an interesting idea. One passerby was quoted as saying:
“If we planted one of those in every hole, it would be like a forest in the road.”
I say great! Let there be a giant forest in the road! Considering that there was most likely a forest (or some form of natural habitat) there before the road was ever built, it would make sense to place something natural there again. Unfortunately, most don’t seem to view it that way, but regardless of how people view the idea, it was enough to get Dungey notable media attention—including from New York Magazine and the Guardian G2.
One other thing should be of note about the project: Dungey encourages participation—provided you don’t get run over in the process. To find out more, or to simply send in images of your own guerilla gardens, check out this site.
By Heidi Marshall