Urban Agriculture and Food System Planning
Urban Agriculture's growing popularity is yet another "Back to the Future" moment in urban planning. While many local planning policies are being modified across the country to allow for raising chickens, keeping bees, and encouraging community gardens, all of this was normal in the early part of the last century (See the poster from the World War I era below).
At this session, we explored why urban agriculture is important from both an economic and health standpoint, how it is defined, and how communities across the country are modifying their policies to allow for it and in many cases, encourage it. In addition, we heard how regions across the country are developing food system plans to interconnect activities that get food from the farm (or backyard) to the plate: including growing, processing, preparing, buying and disposing of food.
Scroll down below the presentations for a list of resources and case studies.
PRESENTATIONS
Opening Comments and Speaker Introductions
Sarada Krishnan, Ph.D. Director of Horticulture & Global Initiatives, Denver Botanic Gardens
Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems
Kimberley Hodgson, MURP, MS, AICP, RD, Founder and Principal Consultant, Cultivating Healthy Places
Marcia Caton Campbell, PhD, Milwaukee Director, Center for Resilient Cities
Kimberley and Marcia are co-authors along with Martin Bailkey of the recently released book published by the APA, Urban Agriculture: Growing Healthy, Sustainable Places
Mayor Hancock’s Denver Seeds Initiative
- Arthur M. Ortegon, Senior Policy Analyst, Office of Mayor Michael B. Hancock, City and County of Denver
- Kendra Sandoval, Community Liaison, Office of Mayor Michael B. Hancock, City and County of Denver
RESOURCES
Seeding the City
This toolkit sets forth a framework and model language for urban agriculture land use policies that communities can tailor to their particular context and needs. http://www.nplanonline.org/sites/phlpnet.org/files/Urban_Ag_SeedingTheCity_FINAL_20111021.pdf
Urban Agriculture: Growing Healthy, Sustainable Places
The American Planning Associations initiated this report to introduce practicing planners and local government representatives to the concept of urban agriculture, its different forms of practice across North America, and its connections to other social, economic, and environmental goals. The creation of this report coincides with the steady rise in popularity of urban agriculture in the United States and Canada, as evidences by coverage in the popular press, its increasingly central place within the growing local food movement, and the increase in interest in planning cities to foster both healthier residents and more sustainable communities. http://www.planning.org/apastore/Search/Default.aspx?p=4146
Urban Agriculture: A Sixteen City Survey of Urban Agriculture Practices Across the Country
This report surveys the zoning ordinances of 16 cities and explores how these cities have incorporated urban agriculture into their land use plans. Each city was chosen either because of its long-standing urban agriculture practices or because of its recent efforts to revise its zoning ordinances. All information contained within this report is current as of June 1, 2011. http://www.georgiaorganics.org/Advocacy/urbanagreport.pdf
Zoning Practice: Urban Agriculture (APA, 2010)
This article places urban agriculture in a historical context, examines regulatory approaches, and makes recommendations for planning and zoning practice. http://www.planning.org/zoningpractice/2010/pdf/mar.pdf
Making Urban Farming Legal
In its March 2010 Zoning Practice publication, the APA addressed urban agriculture and changes to zoning that facilitate the introduction of food production in cities. Conservation easements, land trust purchases and organic agriculture overlays are zoning strategies which reflect contemporary values of food connection, place and community. http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20100426_Making_urban_farming_legal
Planning to Eat? Innovative Local Government Plans and Policies to Build Healthy Food Systems in the United States
This article reviews adopted comprehensive plans from around the country that aim to strengthen their community’s food system. The plans reviewed are organized by levels of government (city and county), and more recent plans appear first. http://www.farmlandinfo.org/documents/39040/Planning_to_eat_SUNYBuffalo.pdf
Direct and Intermediated Marketing on Local Foods in the United States
This study uses nationally representative data on marketing of local foods to assess the relative scale of local food marketing channels. This research documents that sales through intermediated marketing channels, such as farmers’ sales to local grocers and restaurants, account for a large portion of all local food sales. Small and medium-sized farms dominate local foods sales marketed exclusively through direct-to-consumer channels (foods sold at roadside stands or farmers’ markets, for example) while large farms dominate local food sales marketed exclusively through intermediated channels. Farmers marketing food locally are most prominent in the Northeast and the West Coast regions and areas close to densely populated urban markets. Climate and topography favoring the production of fruits and vegetables, proximity to and neighboring farm participation in farmers’ markets, and good transportation and information access are found to be associated with higher levels of direct-to-consumer sales. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR128/
Eating Here: Greater Philadelphia's Food System Plan
Food, a good produced, consumed, and shipped throughout our region, is a major component of our region's transportation, land use, energy, and environmental systems. DVRPC's Eating Here: Greater Philadelphia's Food System Planidentifies a set of shared values and goals, key indicators, and recommendations for a more sustainable food system.
Through the plan, DVRPC and the Greater Philadelphia Food System Stakeholder Committee seeks to:
- Support local agriculture and grow the local food economy while improving profitability for farmers.
- Protect the environment.
- Ensure safety, security, and healthfulness of food and the food supply.
- Improve nutrition and reduce obesity and preventable diseases.
- Ensure residents of the region have access to enough nutritious food to eat.
- Encourage collaboration between individuals, organizations, and government agencies.
The plan follows ups on the Commission's first phase of food system planning, the Greater Philadelphia Food System Study, a large surveying effort and analysis that identified prominent stakeholders, successful programs, regional competitive advantages, recommendations for improvement, and differing interests. http://www.dvrpc.org/food/SustainableFoodSystems.htm
American Planning Association | PAS QuickNotes No. 24
Two-page overview of food systems planning. http://www.planning.org/pas/quicknotes/pdf/QN24.pdf
Principles of a Healthy, Sustainable Food System
In June 2010, The American Dietetic Association, American Nurses Association, American Planning Association, and American Public Health Association met to develop a set of shared food system principles. For the first time, national leaders in the nursing, nutrition, planning, and public health professions worked collaboratively to create a shared platform for systems-wide food policy change. Endorsed by coalition members, the principles were written to support socially, economically and ecologically sustainable food systems that promote health — the current and future health of individuals, communities and the natural environment. http://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/health/foodprinciples.htm
Food Policy Councils: Lessons Learned
What lessons can be taken from North America’s three-decade experiment in formulating local food policy? Food Policy Councils: Lessons Learned is an assessment based on an extensive literature review and testimony from 48 individual interviews with the people most involved in Food Policy Councils.
http://www.foodfirst.org/files/pdf/Food%20Policy%20Councils%20Report%20small.pdf
CASE STUDIES
Minneapolis
Sustainability Plan: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability/index.htm
Homegrown Minneapolis: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/health/homegrown/index.htm
Homegrown Minneapolis Two-Year Report: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/public/@health/documents/webcontent/convert_278371.pdf
Urban Agriculture Policy Plan: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/cped/planning/plans/cped_urban_ag_plan
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Food system planning, generally: http://www.dvrpc.org/food/
Greater Philadelphia Food System Study: http://www.dvrpc.org/food/FoodSystemStudy.htm
Eating Here: Greater Philadelphia’s Food System Plan: http://www.dvrpc.org/asp/pubs/publicationabstract.asp?pub_id=10063
DVRPC Municipal Implementation Tools #18: http://www.dvrpc.org/asp/pubs/publicationabstract.asp?pub_id=MIT018
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Agenda Packet_Urban Ag_March 15, 2012.pdf | 5.61 MB |
