From vacant to verdant: a look at the feasibility of urban agriculture in Orange and Durham counties

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  • February 28, 2019
Creator
  • Ander, Emily N.
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of City and Regional Planning
Abstract
  • Abuzz in the planning field is this idea of greening our cities to create sustainable, resilient places. According to the authors of Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change, "Such cities will innovate so that they become based on renewable energy, not oil; are eco-efficient and carbon-neutral; will produce energy and grow food locally; and will take other measures to reduce consumption and become sustainable. They will be transit-based (especially rail), not car-dependent, and far more in tune with nature, and they'll create much more viable and pleasant walking and cycling spaces," (DeMark, 2009). How do we create these places? I believe that urban agriculture is a crucial element to achieving sustainable, resilient communities. What is urban agriculture? Urban agriculture is a practice that has occurred for as many years as humans have resided in cities but it was only in the late 1990s that the term was coined. "Urban Agriculture is an industry located within (intra-urban) or on the fringe (peri-urban) of a town, an urban centre, a city or metropolis, which grows or raises, processes and distributes a diversity of food and non-food products, reusing mainly human and material resources, products and services found in and around that urban area, and in turn supplying human and material resources, products and services largely to that urban area," (Mougeot, 1999). Urban agriculture, or UA for short, is an academic term that encompasses but is not limited to the following agricultural activities: a pot of herbs grown on a balcony, backyard gardening, rooftop gardening, greenhouses, market and community gardens, edible landscaping, fruit trees, aquaculture, farmers markets, small-scale farming, hobby beekeeping, food composting, greenhouses, window boxes, community farming, mushroom cultivation, raising small livestock, and sustainable forestry (Collective Roots, 2008; Mendes, Balmer, Kaethler, & Rhoades, 2008). The most well-known form of UA and the most commonly found in the United States is community gardening. For this reason, this paper will often look at urban agriculture in the form of community gardening. The paper will begin by more clearly defining the research question by looking at the meaning of each component of the question and will move into the key principles that must be present for success as understood by the current literature. From there the research question will be explored from two angles, the physical feasibility and the regulatory feasibility of urban agriculture, through an explanation of the methodology and findings of each analysis. Overall findings, barriers, and limitations of the study will then be presented with the paper ending with recommendations for implementing the research that has been conducted to date.
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  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Berke, Philip
Degree
  • Master of City and Regional Planning
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Location
  • Durham, North Carolina, United States
  • Durham, North Carolina, United States
  • Hillsborough, North Carolina, United States
  • Orange, North Carolina, United States
Extent
  • 73 p.
Access right
  • Open access
Date uploaded
  • December 10, 2010

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