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Urban agriculture has been consid-
<br />ered iri anumber ofrecent comprehensive
<br />plans and neighborhood plans. In Seattle,
<br />the zoos comprehensive plan requires at
<br />least one ~com mun ity garden for every z,5od
<br />households in an urban village orneighbor-
<br />hood (Seattle Comprehensive Plan, Urban
<br />Village Appendix B). In response to public
<br />pressure, Vancouver, British Columbia, cre-
<br />ated amultidisciplinary taskforce represent-
<br />i ngvarious government offices and tasked
<br />it with developing recommendations for
<br />urban agriculture throughout the city (City
<br />of Vancouver, Community Services Group
<br />memo, January, zoo9). Similarly, Milwaukee
<br />has urban agriculture advocates on almost
<br />every committee for its comprehensive plan
<br />revision process. -
<br />- Inaddition to land-use planning, some
<br />cities have developed sustainability plans
<br />that address food issues, including urban
<br />agriculture: The Office of Environmental
<br />Quality in Kansas City, Missouri, included
<br />a detailed set of recommendations to pro-
<br />moteurban agriculture in its Climate Prdtec-
<br />tion Plan. The zob9 Baltimore sustainability
<br />Plan addresses both production and dis-
<br />tribution of local food, with specific provi-
<br />sions about urban agriculture.There is, for
<br />instance, a recommendation to "identify the
<br />predicted demand for urban farmed food
<br />and recommend location and distribution of
<br />urban agricultural institutions" (Baltimore
<br />sustainability Plan, Greening Chapter). Fi-
<br />nally, Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco
<br />declared food system planningthe respon-
<br />sibility ofcity government (Executive Direc-
<br />tive, )uly zoo9).
<br />URBAN AGRICULTURE PRO,GRAMs
<br />Other municipal efforts use city resources to
<br />address barriers to urban agriculture includ-
<br />ingaccess to land, soil, and water, as well
<br />as funding for development and administra-
<br />tive infrastructure.
<br />Some cities donate or lease vacant
<br />land to land trusts that organize cdmmu-
<br />nitygardens. Examples include Boston's
<br />Grassroots programand Chicago's Neigh-
<br />borspace, achy-sponsored program that
<br />allows residents to use city parks for gar-
<br />dening.ln additiontodonating land, Bos-
<br />ton provides free shipments of compost to
<br />the gardens.
<br />Several cities offertheirgardeners
<br />and farmers discounted rates on municipal
<br />water, though the infrastructure forwater
<br />varies by region. some cities, including
<br />Madison, Wisconsin, and Boston, use Com-
<br />7~
<br />munity Development Block Grants funds
<br />to develop urban agriculture projects, and
<br />other cities, such as Portland, Oregon,
<br />and New York organize community garden
<br />programs. Additionally, many cities coordi-
<br />nate orsupport farmers or public markets,
<br />eitherthrough an office ofspecial events or
<br />through a planning oreconomic develop-
<br />mentagency.
<br />ZONING AND URBAN AGRICULTURE
<br />Unlike comprehensive planning and pro-
<br />grams used [o promote urban agriculture,
<br />zoning is typically a restrictive, regulatory
<br />mechanism. However, planners interested
<br />in urban agriculture can do valuable work
<br />by reviewing and redesigning ordinances _
<br />related to urban. agriculture. For instance,
<br />landscaping rules that require all lawn veg-
<br />etation to bebelow acertain height stymie
<br />urban agriculture. Evaluating and recon-
<br />structingsuch ordinances reduces this type
<br />of unintended barrierto urban agriculture.
<br />Part bfthis reconstruction will include
<br />enabling agricultural uses nottraditionally
<br />referenced in zoning, such as limited bee-
<br />keeping. In some cases, zoning could be
<br />used to legitimize urban agricultural activi-
<br />ties. Adding an urban agricuRural zoning
<br />designation, for instance, may protect urban
<br />farms or community gardens from rapid
<br />development when land tenure is otherwise
<br />unsteady.
<br />In zoning, urban agriculture can be
<br />treated either as a district or as a use cat-
<br />egory. It is common for local zon ing regula-
<br />tions to permit a wide range of agricultural
<br />activities, including raising crops and
<br />animals, ihdesignated agricultural districts
<br />in rural areas or on the urban fringe. This
<br />approach isbeing extended to urban agri-
<br />culture insome cities, including Cleveland
<br />and Boston. Another approach is to treat
<br />urban agriculture as a useor set of uses that
<br />are permitted, conditional, orforbidden,
<br />depending on the district. Both approaches
<br />have merit, and as we will see, they are not
<br />mutually exclusive.
<br />It may be helpful for planners to think
<br />of agriculture in four categories based on
<br />two dimensions: the extent or dispersal
<br />of agricultural practices and the intensity
<br />of urban agricultural activities. The first
<br />category, extensive/intensive agriculture,
<br />includes rural and periurban farming and
<br />associated activities.The second category,
<br />less extensive/intensive urban agriculture,
<br />describes urban farms and farmers markets.
<br />The third category, extensive/less intensive
<br />urban agriculture, applies to backyard and
<br />community gardens. The fourth Category
<br />implies little urban agricultural activity. This
<br />less extensive/less intensive urbah agricul-
<br />turewas the situation in most cities until
<br />fairly recently, mostly due to the diminished
<br />interest in these activities in the mid-zoth
<br />century. Here, home gardening is contingent
<br />on personal i nterest but is neither encour-
<br />aged nor discouraged; community gardens
<br />exist, but irregularly and often outside regu-
<br />latoryregimes.
<br />ZONINGPRACTICE a.ao
<br />AMERICAN PIANNING A550[IAiION page p
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