Farming the Subdivision

This article from Landscape Architecture Magazine takes a look at the growing trend and some of the developments that are including farm spaces.

"Until recently, few similar projects have been undertaken, but the growing interest in sustainability and localism has created a market for them. More than three decades on, Farm Colony is thriving, though with its single-family houses scattered on one-to-two-acre lots and common ownership of the farmland, it may be an outdated model. But developers are responding with a variety of new mixed-use projects that combine housing with agriculture; dozens are now in the planning stages or under construction.

For potential householders, the motivations to be nearer to the food they eat can range from light to dark: at one end, a hankering for pastoral views and organic produce, and at the other, a kind of survivalism (minus the guns). The developers of these projects get a powerful branding message to distinguish them from conventional subdivisions: Buy here, and preserve the land while enjoying its bounty. Also good for developers is that farm operations can generate cash flow while the housing and retail elements are being built out. Participating farmers get a handy market for their products, and sometimes, to help them get established, a subsidy from developers or homeowners."