What is the Real Effect of Urban Agriculture?

Rebecca Solnit poses that yes, inserting food gardens into the urban landscape results in more local fruits and vegetables, but the more important crops are things like hope, justice, and community.

1 minute read

July 8, 2012, 5:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

Solnit writes that urban gardens are more than just a row of organic tomatoes:

"Thought of just as means of producing food, the achievements of urban agriculture may be modest, but as means of producing understanding, community, social transformation, and catalytic action, they may be the opposite. When they're at their best, urban farms and gardens are a way to change the world. Even if they only produced food-it's food. And even keeping the model and knowledge of agriculture alive may become crucial to our survival at some later point."

Solnit profiles several San Francisco Bay Area urban farms, including Berkeley's Edible Schoolyard Project.

FULL STORY: Revolutionary Plots

Sunday, July 8, 2012 in Orion Magazine

Environment California Urban Farms Urban Gardens

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.