Urban agriculture can provide green spaces, fresh food, and healthy activities, but urban gardeners and foragers face many obstacles.

“The concept of food production in urban areas has gained visibility in recent years in tandem with discussions of food insecurity, climate resilience, and equitable access to green space, but the challenge of understanding and representing such a diverse range of stakeholders persists.” In a piece for The Architect’s Newspaper, Melody Stein describes the steps New York City gardeners want the city to take to support their efforts.
New York’s newly established Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture (MOUA) is tasked with developing a strategic plan for supporting urban agriculture, and local gardeners have some suggestions that include tax rebates for buildings with agriculture projects that would be passed on to farmers and encouraging food production on green roofs, already mandated in some cases by the city’s sustainability initiatives.
The city can also take steps to eliminate current roadblocks to urban agriculture. “Growing or foraging edible foods in NYC Parks & Recreation–managed public space is currently illegal. The Bronx River Foodway is a pilot program that operates in exception to this rule and has allowed public foraging since 2017 to great success.” Cities can also support gardeners by providing assistance with setting up sustainable irrigation systems.
FULL STORY: A new generation of community gardeners have big goals for cultivating the concrete jungle

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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