Our mission was to create a situation where we could harness the strength of design and apply it to a project that was meant to improve the lives of people living in a dense urban setting. Being awarded a grant from the City of Oakland and partnering with City Slicker Farms in West Oakland we determined that our program would be one related to food security, sustainability, education and self-sufficiency. Out of this, the chicken tractor workshop emerged.

Our approach to design was a collaborative one in which each participant was able to set the criteria for the design. Everyone made drawings and sketches and contributed to the dialogue. When we agreed upon a design, we then moved into construction, where we were able to share our building skills and see our design become a reality. Not only will the participants have a one of a kind completely free chicken tractor to take home with them, they will also have the basic design and construction skills to take on future projects of interest.