vertical urban farming

http://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/pressroom/plantagon-international/image/view/planta...

It looks pretty high-tech, but at least it's becoming chic to think about this as an alternative.
The rest of the world is getting on with it. We in the US seem to be last man to get on the boat.

Huh.

The 2nd Urban Agriculture Summit is going on right now in Linköping, Sweden.

http://www.urbanagriculturesummit.com/The_Summit_2013.html

I'll try to dig up more information and resulting news.

The Vertical Farm by Professor Dickson Despommier

I've read that book and I have to say that while the premise is interesting and the promise of urban farming is real and actually developing all over the world, I find that his particular flavor of urban farming is waaay too high-tech to succeed. It's so resource-intensive; I think his vision of vertical farm skyscrapers is prohibitively expensive. The systems he describes are good for brainstorming, but ultimately fall into the category of "shiny but very improbable" for me. The numbers are also lacking; in a book as long as that, he could have included some projections and theoretical spreadsheets of inputs and outputs that estimate operating costs. I also don't know why trying to fit farming into the paradigm of the concrete and steel jungle is a good idea in the first place. And what about the light issue? Unless one can absorb the cost of lighting the whole thing, sunlight is going to be scarce in a tall building.

A neat idea on paper, but I don't think it will pass the test of future resilience. I don't think such a major mechanization of food production is a good direction to take urban farming. Vertical ag on a smaller scale is a much better idea, IMO.

Yes, I saw you had it in your library, and I was hoping you'd be able to comment on it. I see from his profile that he actually comes from a Public Health background, which doesn't necessarily give him the expertise to design what he's proposing.

I'd be much more interested in hearing from other speakers at that Summit. I haven't had a chance to check whether they've written books available to the general public. (And then there is the language issue!)

In today's NYTimes is an article about Ron Finley in South Los Angeles, who has repurposed a backyard swimming pool as well as old shopping carts for the growing of vegetables. Ron Finley won a recent competition to speak at a TED conference, where his presentation on urban gardening was applauded by the likes of Sergey Brin and Goldie Hawn. Here's that link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/fashion/urban-gardening-an-appleseed-with-atti...

That is sustainable urban farming! Low-tech, re-purpose, teach one to one.

And how about a Vertical Forest?



These are nearing completion in Milan.

Same architect will begin two more in Nanjing:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/culture-design/architecture-design/vertical-fore...

Checking this out, I also came across THIS STORY.

>8 2wonderY: Same architect/designer is working on a Forest City in Liuzhou, China

The plant life is expected to absorb almost 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 57 tons of pollutants per year, and produce 900 tons of oxygen a year, while also decreasing the air temperature and providing a new habitat for displaced wildlife. Solar panels on the roofs will collect renewable energy to power the buildings, while geothermal energy will power air-conditioning, adding to the project's green appeal.

Construction to begin in 2020.

>8 2wonderY: Pretty! Made me curious to see what mention made of plant-use in A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction.

All these sources should clarify their sources of farming water, and should provide many more details on the building materials used. Any plant contact with plastic leaches into the plants ... ditto the plastic/water/plant transfer route. More details available on the human health risks of plastics is on the website co-founded by Theo Colborn, PhD, who during her lifetime was the senior scientist for the World Wildlife Fund: http://www.ourstolenfuture.org

Those vertical forests weird me out.

Looks like trees on the balconies? I see evergreens on roofs of highrises in Toronto, but nothing on this scale. Cities will need more foliage to offset all that radiant heat in future.

I love big planters on my deck. Limited by need to bring plants in for temp-appropriate overwintering, though: they're heavy, and many need cool, not warm or hot in winter. (My unheated, protected space is limited.)

Holland covers hundreds of bus stops with plants as gift to honeybees
Chiara Giordano | July 11, 2019

...The roofs of hundreds of bus stops have been covered in plants as a gift to honeybee, by (Utrecht) a city in the Netherlands.

Mainly made up of sedum plants, a total of 316 have been covered in greenery in Utrecht.

The shelters not only support the city’s biodiversity, such as honey bees and bumblebees, but they also help capture fine dust and store rainwater.

The roofs are looked after by workers who drive around in electric vehicles, and the bus stops have all been fitted with energy-efficient LED lights and bamboo benches.

...Utrecht also runs a scheme which allows residents to apply for funding to transform their own roofs into green roofs...

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/bus-stop-plants-green-roof-bees-...

The city required the local IGA store to install a green roof. The manager decided to see it as an opportunity, and planted an organic farm up there. I’m curious to know how it’s doing. This article is from 2017:

https://montrealgazette.com/business/local-business/an-iga-in-montreal-is-growin...

Just for beauty (and fresher air), a green wall at Washington U:

https://www.studlife.com/scene/2019/09/19/green-wall-breathes-life-into-east-end...

The design firm:

https://gsky.com/interior-walls/

I examined a green wall at a hospital a couple of years ago. It was outside and supposed to screen air conditioning equipment. Up close, the plants were plastic. 👎🏻

University of Michigan is publishing a study comparing the carbon footprint of urban farms and gardens to conventional agriculture. Social media is outraged with the headline, but there are nuances:

Food from urban agriculture has carbon footprint 6 times larger than conventional produce, study shows

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240122140408.htm

Community gardens on corporate sites:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2iLP_Qvpwq/?igsh=MXhsdWRvaXZjNHp0bw==

I just learned about a local garden group, Berea Earth Warriors. They grow produce specifically for the food bank. Got a tour of that facility yesterday. Very streamlined, but welcoming.