Urban Food

Come Here And Take A Lesson From The Lovely Lemon Tree

Urban agriculture is a hot topic in sustainability, food, and planning circles. From roof and deck gardens to community gardens to urban farms, urban agriculture has captured the imaginations of activists of many stripes as well as gardeners and eaters. When I mention that my academic work focuses on food access in urban areas, the most common response I get is “oh, you mean like urban ag?” As this interest in urban agriculture grows, some are asking whether food sovereignty – the ability for a population to produce enough food to feed itself – is a feasible goal for American cities. 

October 11, 2012 - Lisa Feldstein

Africa's Urban Harvest

Faced with climate change and poverty, Africans are focusing on a new farming frontier: the cities.

November 28, 2011 - OnEarth

Louisville, KY Confronts Obesity From All Angles

A grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has Louisville thinking differently. "...it's not just about smart growth, it’s not just about transportation, it's not just about parks or better nutrition, it’s about all of those things and more."

June 14, 2011 - The New York Times

Widening Waistlines Weigh on Developing Cities

Cities across the developing world are dealing more with rising obesity rates as urbanization occurs, reports TheCityFix's Jonna McKone.

January 13, 2011 - TheCityFix

Fish: the Future of Urban Farming

Cityscape Farms has developed a new technique for farming fish along with vegetables in combined urban food systems that allows them to farm in developed areas.

January 29, 2010 - Good

Fixing America's 'Food Deserts'

Time Magazine looks at the problem of 'food deserts' in America- usually low-income communities that groceries have spurned, leaving only fast food and bodegas to fill the bill.

May 28, 2009 - Time

The Rise of the 'House Cow'

With the price of food climbing, some families in the U.K. are taking to keeping small Dexter cows.

August 19, 2008 - The Sunday Times

Chickens Aren't Just For Countrysides Anymore

Residents of Austin, TX are risking violation of city ordinances forbidding loud animals to raise chickens in their central city neighborhood backyards. It's partly a way to cut out-of-pocket expenses.

July 11, 2008 - Austin American-Statesman

Foraging for Food in the Urban Environment

This report from Weekend America talks with an urban food forager and looks at how to find food on the street in L.A.

March 15, 2008 - Weekend America

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.