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.
Jared Green reports on an ambitious effort in Portland that is working toward developing new systems of support for local farmers committed to sustainable practices in bringing their products to institutional food buyers.
The non-profit Ecotrust runs the Redd on Salmon Street project, which recently won SXSW’s Place by Design resilience competition and is expected to open in 2016. Here's how Ecotrust pitches Redd on Salmon Street's ambition for local food industries: "The Redd will serve 'ag in the middle,' mid-size rural farmers, ranchers, and fishers who have outgrown direct-to-consumer channels, such as CSAs and farmers’ markets, and are looking to scale their business. The Redd will increase access to value-added producers, markets, and infrastructure (like warehousing, aggregation and distribution), a lack of which inhibits growth."
The project will rehabilitate two existing buildings to create an "80,000-square-foot food production and distribution facility in the Central Eastside neighborhood of Portland," according to Green. The article provides more detail about the project as well as a shout out to the other Place by Design finalists.
Kaplan Prize - The Redd on Salmon Street from Ecotrust on Vimeo.
FULL STORY: In Portland, Ecotrust Builds a Hub for Sustainable Food

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

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

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

Wisconsin Awarded $12 Million for Brownfield Redevelopment Amid Broader EPA Budget Cuts
The EPA provided the funding to Wisconsin for brownfield cleanups in cities like Milwaukee and Racine, even as broader agency budget cuts under the Trump administration raise concerns about future environmental protection capacity.

Indianapolis Advances Plans to Expand and Connect Citywide Greenway Network
Indianapolis is developing a new Greenways Strategic Implementation Plan to expand, connect, and modernize its trail system, aiming for over 250 miles of greenways that support sustainability, mobility, and community well-being.

EPA Awards $267 Million to Clean Up and Reuse Contaminated Sites
The EPA is investing the funds to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites nationwide, supporting economic growth, community revitalization, and environmental restoration.
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