City Agriculture

Sunday, September 11, 2022

City Agriculture - September 11, 2022

Sweden’s first carbon-positive district, Ljusekulla integrates agriculture throughout its 80 hectares

https://www.skanska.se/en-us/about-skanska/sustainability/h22/ljusekulla/
hat tip: We Don’t Have Time https://app.wedonthavetime.org/

Nemo’s Garden: the first ever underwater cultivation of terrestrial plants
http://www.nemosgarden.com

“Walking forest” of 1000 trees for Dutch city
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/04/walking-forest-of-1000-trees-transforms-dutch-city-aoe

Winner of the Third Urban Greenhouse Challenge
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2022/8/1/gamification-x-modularity-the-key-to-socially-impactful-community-agriculture-thats-scalable
More on the Urban Greenhouse Challenge
https://urbangreenhousechallenge.nl/info
hat tip: https://www.agritecture.com/

Artificial photosynthesis without sunlight
https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2022/06/23/artificial-photosynthesis-can-produce-food-without-sunshine
hat tip: https://www.agritecture.com/

Planting Justice - community garden and returning the formerly incarcerated to community
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/07/planting-justice-oakland-california-food-prison
Editorial Comment: I remember a gardening program in the 1970s at a MA prison and that, originally, MA prisons and state hospitals had farms which the inmates worked. As the saying goes, “You can fix all the world’s problems in a garden.”

Montreal apartment building to include basement farm
https://inhabitat.com/the-basement-of-this-apartment-building-contains-a-farm/

Ahupua’a - millennium old Hawaiian watershed agricultural system
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220818-ahupuaa-hawaiis-ancient-land-management-system

Pro and con of indoor farms
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/17/indoor-vertical-farms-agriculture
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/21/the-rise-of-vertical-farms-could-indoor-plant-factories-be-the-norm-in-10-years

First baseball stadium garden
https://www.theitaliangardenproject.com/blog/tomatoes-at-the-diamond

NYC AgTech Week 2022 - September 26 to October 1
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2022/6/23/nyc-agriculture-collective-thought-for-food-partner-for-nyc-agtech-week-2022

Wetlands park in Fortaleza, Brazil
https://inhabitat.com/rachel-de-queiroz-park-preserves-the-wetlands-in-brazil/
Editorial Comment: wetlands and water are probably the fastest and most effective way to draw down carbon from the atmosphere and expand our productive ecologies. More at http://solarray.blogspot.com/2021/04/geotherapy-not-geoengineering-please.html

Sunday, July 31, 2022

City Agriculture - July 31, 2022

The French Parliament recently approved a new law requiring all new commercial buildings to partially have their roofs covered with plants or solar panels.
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/05/05/new-law-in-france-green-roofs-on-new-commercial-buildings/

Villa M - living walled building in Paris
https://triptyque.com/en/project/villa-m-en/
https://www.v2com-newswire.com/en/newsroom/categories/commercial-architecture/press-kits/2001-01/villa-m-takes-amazon-to-paris-with-tropical-building
https://www.treehugger.com/villa-m-paris-triptyque-architecture-5271129
https://inhabitat.com/green-building-design-was-inspired-by-the-amazon-rainforest/

Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale [FARMS] - US DOE funding large scale combined farm and solar projects
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/05/05/funding-notice-foundational-agrivoltaic-research-for-megawatt-scale-farms/

USDA now has an Office of Urban Agriculture
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2022/5/10/5-focus-points-for-the-usdas-new-office-of-urban-agriculture
email for more information or to comment: UrbanAgricultureFederalAdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov

Another vertical forest finished, this one in Huanggang, China
https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/easyhome-huanggang-vertical-forest-city-complex/
https://inhabitat.com/vertical-forest-apartment-has-an-astonishing-404-trees/

Rotterdam’s roofscape - greening 10 million square feet of rooftops
https://www.c40.org/case-studies/cities100-rotterdam-mitigation-meets-adaptation-on-rotterdam-s-rooftops/
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f082078d610926644d22e00/t/621e3b2a1ee23c373149cac0/1646148404157/URBANISTEN_Rotterdam_Rooftop_Potential_EN.pdf
https://www.fastcompany.com/90755913/inside-rotterdams-quest-to-green-10-million-square-feet-of-rooftops

Green walls for air purification
https://www.naava.io/en/
https://inhabitat.com/clean-the-air-in-your-home-with-green-walls-from-naava/

NYC AgTech Week 2022 will take place September 26 to October 1st 2022
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2022/6/23/nyc-agriculture-collective-thought-for-food-partner-for-nyc-agtech-week-2022

Bringing food production back to cities
https://www.meed.com/bringing-food-production-back-to-cities

Roof garden for an automobile factory in Turin, Italy - flowers and a test track
https://www.treehugger.com/biodiverse-roof-garden-added-to-iconic-lingotto-factory-in-turin-5496690

Australian food insecurity
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/28/australia-ill-prepared-for-food-insecurity-driven-by-war-and-climate-crisis-former-defence-leaders-say
Creativity breaking out on European rooftops
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/european-creative-rooftop-network-designs-public-spaces-for-roofs/
European Creative Rooftop Network
https://ecrn.city
Rooftopedia - compendium of projects
https://www.rooftopedia.ecrn.city

Thursday, May 5, 2022

City Agriculture - May 5, 2022

Zero emissions cherry orchard in New Zealand
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/01/20/100-zero-emissions-cherry-orchard/

Follow the Food series from the BBC and Corteva Agriscience
How we might build a food utopia
https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food/how-we-might-build-a-food-utopia/
The People Building Edible Cities
https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food/the-people-building-edible-cities/

Urban Forest - 20 story carbon neutral residential green building for Brisbane, Australia
https://koichitakada.com/projects/urban-forest/
https://inhabitat.com/urban-forest-is-set-to-be-the-greenest-residential-building/

Agritecture Design - software for designing better farms, urban and rural - now in beta
https://design.agritecture.com
Example: a farm for an IKEA parking lot in NJ
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2021/9/1/could-this-new-design-be-ikeas-parking-lot-of-the-future

Treehouse with "green walls, facades and rooftops, plus water features, natural light, and ventilation strategies to green the traditional office building”
https://www.archdaily.com/974806/ronald-lu-and-partners-competition-winning-design-re-imagines-the-workplace
https://inhabitat.com/biophilic-treehouse-imagines-a-greener-office-experience/

2021 Census for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)
https://www.agritecture.com/census

Bacteriological replacement for Haber-Bosch produced fertilizers?
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2022/2/8/can-ancient-bacteria-mitigate-the-harmful-co2-effects-of-conventional-fertilizer

Black-led urban farms thrive until they have to fight for their land
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/05/black-led-urban-farms-are-thriving-until-they-have-to-fight-for-their-land

Agrico Qatar recent in-store aquaponic vertical farm at Carrefour Qatar Majid Al Futtaim City Centre Mall, Westbay, Doha
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6910156449646006272/

Refurbishing an abandoned building into a successful mall through plants
http://www.clouarchitects.com/projects/capitamall-nuohemule/
https://inhabitat.com/plant-filled-mall-used-to-be-an-abandoned-building/

Living Grid house with exterior walls designed for plantings

http://www.larchitects.com.sg/projects/the-living-grid-house
https://inhabitat.com/living-grid-house-balances-nature-with-functionality/

Net zero energy city planned for Egypt - producing more energy AND food than it consumes
https://urb.ae/projects/nexgensustainablecity/
https://inhabitat.com/first-climate-positive-net-zero-city-in-the-world/

Monday, January 17, 2022

City Agriculture - January 17, 2022

Forest Pavilion, The Forestias - mixed use development in Thailand with a central forest

http://www.tkstudio.co.th/library/5/44
https://inhabitat.com/forest-pavilion-blends-nature-with-residential-development/

Jian Mu Tower planned for Shenzen, China will be a vertical agriculture building feeding 40,000
https://carloratti.com/project/jian-mu-tower/
https://inhabitat.com/vertical-farm-building-in-china-feeds-40000-people/

The Wind River Biomass Utility and Gorge Greens currently make up the Wind River Project. Our goal is to give waste wood value and turn it into heat and power for year-round food production, along with biochar and firewood.
http://windriverproject.com

Arktecture - "green ocean" marine farm to be completed by 2022, creating "two new green areas: a food production space using salty agricultural technology and floating on the surface, and a layer of algae that will improve the underwater environment.”
https://www.n-ark.jp/en/
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2021/11/19/floating-salt-resistant-marine-farms-might-be-the-solution-to-rising-sea-levels

Agro-mining - using plants to absorb metals through the soil
https://www.mining.com/web/can-plants-that-suck-metal-from-soil-replace-mining/
https://cleantechnica.com/2021/11/25/mining-nickel-from-plants-is-possible-could-cut-co2-emissions/
NB: I remember talking to John Todd about this and doing a short experiment with basil and soil lead in the brief time I worked for Suffolk County Extension getting close to 50 years ago. Primo Levi, as I recall, may have mentioned this technique in his book The Periodic Table too.

Moss covered living walls may sequester more CO2 than trees
https://returntonow.net/2020/02/03/new-living-concrete-allows-plants-to-grow-right-out-of-the-wall/

3D printed bio-structures to increase urban biodiversity
https://www.yankodesign.com/2021/11/03/this-3d-printed-urban-reef-is-constructed-from-mycelium-to-increase-biodiversity-in-cities/
hat tip Buckminster Fuller Institute
hat tip Jenny Kastner

Green wall for a highway in Malta
https://www.infrastructuremalta.com/news/27600-plants-longest-green-wall-malta

NYC establishes an office of urban agriculture
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2021/12/28/we-interviewed-nyc-council-member-ben-kallos-on-the-citys-new-office-of-urban-agriculture-heres-what-he-had-to-say

50 meter wooden apartment building with terraces and gardens built-in
https://mei-arch.eu/en/projecten-archief/sawa/
https://inhabitat.com/award-winning-apartment-design-is-built-90-out-of-wood/

Baltimore is building an agrihood
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2022/1/11/baltimore-farmers-are-cultivating-the-citys-first-agrihood-heralded-for-its-innovation

"How Floating Agriculture Communities Can Help Adapt to Climate Change"
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2021/9/7/this-architect-modeled-an-inspiring-solution-for-self-sufficient-floating-communities

Sunday, November 14, 2021

City Agriculture - November 14, 2021

Living the Noom - near net zero energy buildings with vertical forests

https://www.yankodesign.com/2021/07/22/breathtaking-residential-building-in-mexico-comes-with-its-own-vertical-forest-and-solar-panels-on-its-terrace/

El Terreno - a community garden that is more community than simply garden in Mexico City
https://en.vertebral.mx/elterreno
https://inhabitat.com/urban-gardens-dont-get-much-greener-than-el-terreno/

Regenerative Farm Map from Regeneration Canada
https://regenerationcanada.org/en/map/
Editorial Comment: There are examples here that may apply to urban and “advanced" agriculture.

A garden in the shadow of 9/11
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/28/a-garden-at-ground-zero-what-i-learned-growing-an-oasis-in-the-shadow-of-911

“The world’s first farmscraper,” to be built in Shenzhen, China
51-story Jian Mu Tower will contain a large-scale farm system producing crops to feed 40,000 people per year, as well as offices, a supermarket, and a food court
https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2021/9/10/worlds-first-farmscraper-unveiled-by-carlo-ratti-associati-in-shenzhen

Milan will plant 3 million trees in the city, one for each resident
https://forestami.org/en/
https://www.treehugger.com/milan-urban-forestry-greening-project-5201037

Deep Medicine Circle practices "Farming as Medicine" on a one acre rooftop farm in Oakland, CA
https://www.deepmedicinecircle.org/our-work.html
https://donorbox.org/rooftop-greenhouse

Santa Clara, CA Agrihood, a development with 361 housing units and its own farm
http://www.agrihood-sc.com/plant-your-own-farm/
https://cleantechnica.com/2021/09/24/this-san-francisco-housing-development-comes-with-its-own-farm/

10 great city projects for Nature, from The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/01/10-great-city-projects-for-nature-from-vertical-forests-to-pocket-farms-aoe

Vertical farms proposed as a replacement for Berlin autobahn
https://www.morgenfarm.berlin/home-en
https://inhabitat.com/morgenfarm-proposes-vertical-farms-to-replace-berlins-autobahn/

Baltimore’s first “agrihood"
https://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bs-fe-agrihood-urban-farm-park-heights-20210924-xnonds3wuzebldxrfyj6ooqxgy-story.html
hat tip Robin Bergman

Robin Wood - an urban block made of wood which will be net zero energy in construction and operation, including a micro-forest
https://marckoehler.com/project/robin-wood-making-an-island-together/
https://inhabitat.com/sustainable-and-affordable-urban-block-coming-to-amsterdam/

PS: On November 13, 2021, the city of Boston named a square in the South End neighborhood and a day in honor of Mel King, one of the main forces in the revival of local agriculture and the rebirth of urban agriculture in Boston, Massachusetts, USAmerica, and the world. Congratulations to my mentor and friend, Mel King.