urban agriculture posts, articles, and infographics

Urban Agriculture Isn’t New

May 10, 2012 by The Dirt ASLA
with 218 views

In fact, it’s been around since 3,500 BC when Mesopotamian farmers began setting aside plots in their growing cities. In a review of urban agriculture throughout modern history at a symposium at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., a diverse set of academics and designers ranging from historians to landscape... [read more]

Visualizing the 'Edible City' in Three Minutes

May 5, 2012 by Kaid Benfield
with 322 views

The American Society of Landscape Architects has produced another great video, this one about growing food in cities. I'm a big fan of ASLA's work, in part because of their terrific skill at public and professional communications.This particular project, which according to ASLA was created with assistance from landscape... [read more]

The New Era of Urban Agriculture

May 3, 2012 by The Dirt ASLA
with 336 views

Carrot City: Creating Places for Urban Agriculture, written by Ryerson University professors Mark Gorgolewski, June Komisar, and Joe Nasr explores the new era of urban agriculture. A flux of design proposals has emerged over the last few years that respond to the increasing interest in food security and... [read more]

Making Urban Agriculture a Success [Infographic]

April 20, 2012 by Amanda Record
with 523 views

Urban Agriculture is a movement towards growing and raising more food within densely populated areas of major cities. Today, about 15% of the world’s food is now grown in urban areas. Since space is limited in big cities, you may have noticed city gardens sprouting up in smaller spaces (like rooftops or apartment balconies). [read more]

American Infrastructure: The Next Generation

March 5, 2012 by Tyler Caine
with 341 views

Tyler Caine checks out how New York is dealing with the challenges of being a 21st century city, from fixing its crumbling infrastructure to renewing its food systems. [read more]

Ideas for Reincarnation - McMansion Style

March 5, 2012 by Polly Peterson
with 174 views

The home-building boom that saw suburban lot after suburban lot popping up with the same over-bloated house—the McMansion—has now left us in over our collective heads with houses too large for one family’s pocketbook. And now we have lot after lot of gigantic empty shells of neglected homes. So it is time to start... [read more]

The North American Urban Agriculture Experience

February 6, 2012 by Aafrin Kidwai
with 276 views

In a country where, in some places, a burger barely costs a dollar while a bag of baby carrots is priced nearly thrice as much, there’s plenty of work to be done to make healthy foods affordable – and accessible. There is no denying that food insecurity (of which cheap and nutritionally inadequate junk food is a major manifestation) is a... [read more]

Bicycles and Chickens: Tour de Coops 2011

December 6, 2011 by Tazmine Loomans
with 350 views

"It is better to travel well than it is to arrive" - BuddhaThis Saturday was the third annual Tour de Coops, an event put on by the Valley Permaculture Alliance showcasing cool chicken coops throughout Phoenix. In years past, people visited the coops with their cars. But this year, urban farmer and architect Bryan... [read more]

Let’s Get Growing! Urban "Truck Farms" Take to City Streets

December 6, 2011 by TheCityFix - produced by EMBARQ
with 218 views

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010, no state in the United States had a prevalence of obesity less than 20 percent. In fact, 36 states had a prevalence of 25 percent or more and 12 of these states had a prevalence of 30 percent or more. Many factors contribute to obesity, most importantly a lack of... [read more]

The Top 7 Gifts for the Urban Gardener In Your Life

November 29, 2011 by Grown in the City
with 208 views

Ever wonder about the best gifts to get the urban gardener in your life? I’ve been extremely delighted when relatives pick up on my love of urban gardening and surprise me with the perfect gift (see here), though I understand the stress of trying to find something that’s both personal and won’t overtake a small city gardener’s... [read more]

Community Garden = Instrument of Empowerment

October 13, 2011 by Mark Lovett
with 208 views

As we get older, we too often adopt the perception that we’re also wiser, and thus in a better position to positively effect the future of this planet, but if you’ve paid even the slightest bit of attention to the news lately, those of us who have been around a while are, to a large degree, the ones who are screwing thing up.So... [read more]

Data Visualization: Where are the Farmer’s Markets?

September 26, 2011 by Grown in the City
with 229 views

Thanks to data published by the USDA, mashed up with US Census Bureau data about population, it’s possible to see where the farmer’s markets are distributed around the US. [read more]