After decades as a recognized architect in Europe and the United States, Ruth Meghiddo has expanded her focus to the urban blueprint and its potential to address both local and global challenges. Ruth founded Farm Urbana as part of Meghiddo Architects, AIA to provide her expertise as a certified permaculture designer. Ruth has practiced architecture in Rome, Tel Aviv, and southern California with an accomplished portfolio ranging from single-family homes to large-scale housing and urban design. She created site-specific artworks, sculptural ceramics, paintings, and digital prints as an artist. Her affinity to Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophy of Organic Architecture led her to incorporate her artworks during architectural design development in a strategic way. Some of her firm’s projects carry the in-print of her site-specific artwork. In 2012, she expanded her focus from the built environment to urban farming and local food production as a wake-up call for what we can do as architects to minimize the carbon impact and improve people’s life. Her works include educating stakeholders and explaining how her vision can have measurable results on local communities. Her experience goes from garden-farm design to large-scale permaculture master planning design. Her present-day passion for permaculture aims to transform a city lifestyle by creating food-growing areas closer to the people’s residences. Meghiddo was inspired by Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s dream of converting Paris into a “fifteen-minute city,” which has led to major pedestrian-oriented design transformations throughout the city. This short video illustrates Farm Urbana’s vision for a future that embraces permaculture design with eco-friendly urban communities that grow nutritious food locally, recycle waste, and minimize the carbon footprint. It is how we can contribute to becoming more socially and environmentally responsible.
Ruth Meghiddo, AIA Meghiddo Architects – Farm Urbana
