YardFruit: A community grown program that connects neighborhoods through the food growing in front yards.

The concept of YardFruit was developed during the pandemic. Every day, like many people around the world, I went on long walks. As I walked through my neighborhood in Oakland, I would think a lot about how my community is experiencing food apartheid. As I contemplated ways to confront this issue, I started noticing abundant food growing on trees in my neighbors' front yards. The only thing inhibiting me from accessing this food was a welcome. This realization marked the inception of YardFruit. I asked myself, 'How might I design a symbol that serves as a universal welcome, signaling to my neighbors that it's safe to harvest from the trees in their front yards?

This concept has been in development for a few years now, experiencing starts and stops along the way. Recently, I partnered up with two students from Stanford University who are supporting the Lab with research, design, and communication of the idea. While the concept itself is fairly straightforward, it carries a significant amount of complexity due to the injustices it confronts and social norms it disrupts. Addressing these aspects thoughtfully is crucial to ensuring the safety of our communities and fostering connections between neighbors.

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