Cultivating Commons: A Plant-Led, Government-Supported Large Park

Cultivating Commons reimagines the edges of a subak-managed paddy landscape on the peri-urban fringe of Denpasar as a productive public park that balances agriculture, tourism, and community stewardship. As urban expansion and tourism increasingly transform agricultural land into scenic backdrops, the project challenges the separation between productive landscapes and recreational spaces by proposing a plant-led framework that enables both to coexist.

Rather than replacing rice cultivation with conventional park infrastructure, the proposal retains the paddy fields as active agricultural landscapes while introducing a flexible network of planting systems that support movement, gathering, and ecological exchange. Drawing on existing practices of commoning rooted in Balinese Hindu traditions, the project reinterprets these collective forms of land management as inclusive, negotiated practices capable of accommodating long-term residents alongside newcomers and visitors.

The design employs adaptable boundary-making strategies informed by the life cycle of banana plants, allowing park edges to shift and evolve in response to seasonal cultivation, community needs, and ecological processes. This living framework supports biodiversity, strengthens agricultural productivity, and creates opportunities for education and cultural exchange without compromising the primary function of the landscape.

By positioning the large park as a government-supported yet community-built landscape, Cultivating Commons proposes a new model for peri-urban public space in Monsoon Asia. The project reframes the park as a productive commons where farming, recreation, and everyday life are integrated, ensuring that agricultural landscapes remain places of labour, cultural identity, and collective care rather than becoming landscapes consumed solely for tourism or leisure.