ABSTRACT
Designing for urban agriculture requires multidisciplinary knowledge. Designers, as discussed in the previous chapters, must synthesize a full spectrum of environmental factors and human inputs-including growing systems, the nutrient cycle, sustainable water supplies, access to sunlight, farm operation, finances, marketing, and community integration. Juggling so many disciplines is a challenge, but it also opens opportunities for integrative collaboration. This chapter will discuss how design professionals in multidisciplinary teams can shape urban agricultural projects. It will also describe typical roadblocks to establishing farming operations in cities, in particular, issues relating to code and policy, as well as recent changes in municipal regulations that improve feasibility. Despite the challenges, design professionals have developed many approaches, illustrated here by a diverse array of innovative projects. The exemplary work of several outstanding firms will be highlighted in a series of concluding profiles.
