Bringing Farms to the Heartland — of Suburbia

Today on the Streetsblog Network, St. Louis Urban Workshop looks at the concept of “agriburbia” — a way to bring some meaningful food production to suburban sprawl:

In St. Louis, some farming goes on right next to the airport.

[It’s] basically the integration of agri-business and suburban development. The idea is introduced in three ways: introducing food gardens into
yards of less than one acre, utilizing land awaiting the next economic
boom and developing “farm-cultured” communities…

But St. Louis offers many opportunities to
bring agriculture close to our homes. Flying into and out of St. Louis
on a regular basis I often have an excellent view of suburban
agriculture. A wedge of land on the east side of I-170 at the eastern
end of Lambert’s main runway is being used as an active farm.

Whether
it be corners of underutilized land near our airport, wedges of land
next to an Interstate or vacant lots awaiting development, there is a
great opportunity to create sustainable and locally produced food. 

More from around the network: World Streets rounds up the always rich seasonal report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, which this time includes a crucial study of consumer housing preferences and the implications for future development.

And we have two tales of suburban churches. One, according to Greater Greater Washington, is looking to possibly raise funds by repurposing its huge suburban lot, perhaps as a walkable neighborhood. Another, we learn from Indianapolis’s Circles and Squares, is considering surrendering its historic building to the wrecking ball and selling its prime location to a CVS.

Very different visions of the suburban future are emerging. Which will prevail?