Only a decade after the last family farm in the city closed, commercial agriculture is mining "the last slice of untapped real estate in the city" to reap a bounty of benefits - from locally grown basil and bok choy to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Lisa W. Foderaro chronicles New York City's ascendance to the rooftop farming summit, as commercial agriculture operations, both soil-based and hydroponic, spread from Brooklyn to the Bronx.
The seeds of this revolution are being spread from on high. "The City Planning Department recently revamped the zoning regulations to
encourage green development, including rooftop farms, and the City
Council approved the changes," writes Foderaro. "Amanda M. Burden, the planning commissioner, credited the changes with 'creating more places for urban agriculture to take root in a dense, built-up environment.'"
And the city has good reason to support such efforts: "the rise of commercial agriculture has ancillary benefits, as well.
Rooftop farms have the potential to capture millions of gallons of storm
water and divert it from the sewer system, which can overflow when it
rains. And harvesting produce in the boroughs means fewer trucks on
local roadways and lower greenhouse gas emissions, a goal of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's administration."
FULL STORY: To Find Fields to Farm in New York City, Just Look Up

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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