The Future of Urban Gardening

Reader Contribution by Jessica Kellner
article image

I saw an interesting post on Inhabitat about research by the nonprofit firm Terreform Institute for Advanced Urban Research. Terreform has been considering ways to make New York city entirely self-sufficient as part of a plan called New York City Steady State (NYCSS). During the project, NYCSS collected intense data on the city’s supply and demand, and created a plan that relies heavily on urban farming on many of the skyline’s rooftops. In Times Square, solar panels would provide shade and the famous LED billboards would be tucked among vertical gardens.

(Click here to see before-and-after photos of many of New York’s famous spaces.)

The NYCSS goal was to create an alternative master plan for the city’s future that included self-reliance in areas such as food, energy, water, waste, air quality, manufacture, employment, culture, health and transport. At the end of the study, the organization hoped to compile an inventory of best practices that would be relevant to cities around the world. 

In the most recent issue of Natural Home & Garden, we profiled a group taking one step toward this more self-sufficient New York City: Eagle Street Rooftop Farm. Here, on a 6,000-square-foot rooftop farm in Brooklyn, more than 30 kinds of produce feed volunteers and staff, provide for a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, and help teach school and community groups about urban farming.

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368