In Chicago, like in many cities, local food production comes in many forms, from small backyard crops to community gardens. Researchers are now using Google Earth to paint a more accurate picture of food production at different scales.
Cities are becoming increasingly interested in taking stock of “how much food is being produced within their limits," reports Sarah Zielinksi, adding, “[but they] can only guess at where exactly crops are growing.” After a frustrating attempt by graduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to verify a list of 1,200 supposed community garden projects in Chicago found only 13 percent of the sites were used to grow food, graduate student John Taylor turned to Google Earth for help.
"Taylor found 4,648 sites with signs of food production — like rows of plants — covering more than 65 acres in total. Visits to a selection of those sites confirmed that 86 percent were actual places of food production."
Why this confusion? "Urban agriculture is sometimes thought of as something new and trendy, but of course people have been growing food in backyards and on vacant land for generations," Taylor says. "From a planning and policy perspective, we have to consider food production at multiple scales."
Taylor's Google-aided data is being used to develop the Chicago Urban Agriculture Mapping Project (CUAMP), a catalog of all of the city's agricultural sites.
FULL STORY: How Google Earth Revealed Chicago's Hidden Farms
Scaling Up Local, Sustainable Food Production
The local food production industry so far has mostly been constrained to a niche market—expensive and available only to a small percentage of consumers. A project in Portland is working to change that.
A Central Hub for Open Data
Designed by researchers at the University of Chicago, the Plenario platform gathers all available open data for a specific area. Then it presents the data in an easy-to-use format.
The Man Who Made Chicago Easy to Navigate
Edward Brennan waged an extended turn-of-the-century campaign to clean up Chicago's then-confusing address numbering system. Though few recognize his name, Brennan's legacy lives on in modern Chicago.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
Wildlife Rebounds After the Eaton Fire
Following the devastation of the Eaton Fire, the return of wildlife and the regrowth of native plants are offering powerful signs of resilience and renewal.
LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles
LA Metro says the change is in response to community engagement and that the new design will be ready before the 2028 Olympic Games.
Paris Voters Approve More Car-Free Streets
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says the city will develop a plan to close 500 streets to car traffic and add new bike and pedestrian infrastructure after a referendum on the proposal passed with 66 percent of the vote.
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.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service