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

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.

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

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie