Urban Farming in Boston

briv

briv

Senior Member
Joined
May 25, 2006
Messages
2,083
Reaction score
3
What do you think about this?

From a BRA press release:

Mayor Menino Announces Zoning Changes to Allow Farming Pilot in Dorchester


Pilot program opens door to urban agriculture in Boston, making two vacant city-owned parcels available for farming.


Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced the adoption of a progressive text and map amendment to the city’s zoning code, passed at the Zoning Board Association meeting this morning The amendment will allow the city to move forward with an Urban Agriculture Pilot project, making use of two vacant city owned parcels in Dorchester at 23-29 Tucker Street and 131 Glenway Street. The update zoning code will allow the land be farmed to provide fresh and healthy food for sale to local neighborhood residents and businesses.

“Boston is at the forefront of the urban agriculture movement and with this zoning amendment we are taking a proactive approach that will allow us to further explore the benefits of urban farming,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. “This project is an opportunity to take underutilized city land and put it to productive use. Community gardening brings neighbors together and it creates a new way to get healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables into neighborhood stores.”

In 2010, Mayor Menino launched the Urban Agriculture Initiative to increase access to affordable and healthy food, particularly for underserved communities. At the time, the zoning code did not allow for urban farming as an acceptable land use on these parcels. To support the development of the Pilot Urban Agriculture Project, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) explored ways to amend the zoning code. Through a series of public meetings, staff from the BRA, Neighborhood Development, and Mayor Menino’s food initiatives team worked with the community and residents to ensure that the zoning amendments would be appropriate for the area and support the desired farming and gardening activities.

The zoning amendment establishes an Urban Agriculture Overlay District within the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood District, which will improve public health and environmental sustainability and promote economic development by supporting the local production of fresh food. Use of the land will be limited to the cultivation of plants, herbs, fruits, flowers, and vegetables and composting of materials produced on the site.

The Urban Agriculture Initiative is part of Mayor Menino’s overall food agenda and mission to increase access to affordable and healthy food. By bringing farming into the community, the program aims to increase education and knowledge around healthy eating and food production, particularly among youth; and promote economic opportunity by increasing partnerships with, and/or between, local and regional food producers, and increase healthy food supplies to local schools, organizations, institutions and corner stores.

In July 2011 the city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Pilot Urban Agriculture Project, to put several vacant Department of Neighborhood owned properties in Dorchester to productive use for farming. Initially, each property will be leased based on a rate of $500 per acre, which based on lot sizes, will be roughly $125 to $200 per year for a term of five years. The term may be extended if farming is successful.
Click to expand...
 
I have not read into it and this is based on title-reading only:

This further separates the fabric of our urbanized areas in the name of some "green" effort to make people "buy local". From my limited knowledge on it, it is a waste of urban space and is actually less "green". I mean, hey, farm all you want on the roof, but farming instead of infilling? Wut?
 
Did anyone see the ridiculous article in the Metro a few days ago about Boston 50 years from now? Essentially, they were predicting the future will look like the Jetsons in 50 years (just like they thought what the year 2000 would look like in 1950). Urban/high-rise farming was one of the topics. Looks like that's coming closer to reality. I'm curious to see if this actually works out.
 
I agree that infill is preferable to micro-farming, but the lots are still zoned for development. This is just a case of utility pending something better. Also, the two groups that will be running the farms are mostly known for rehabilitative services for victims of domestic violence in one case, and recovery from substance abuse in the other. The real purpose of these "farms" will likely be therapeutic.

I do like the idea of roof top farming, though.
 
If anything, the city should go further and pass an ordinance that allows any resident to farm any piece of property that is sitting empty and undeveloped, until such time as it is developed.
 
Boston has a lot of land useages ranging from high density niehborhoods to parks, the arboretum and cemetaries -- i don't think that converting a few acres from vacant lots to productive market gardens / greenhouses will hurt anyone -- I'd draw the line just past free range chickens -- I don't think the neighbors woulld want an urban hog farm

Remember that the city is still absorbing and converting the former Boston State Hospital site -- that of course would have been the prefered location for this initiative
 
datadyne007 said:
Did anyone see the ridiculous article in the Metro a few days ago about Boston 50 years from now? Essentially, they were predicting the future will look like the Jetsons in 50 years (just like they thought what the year 2000 would look like in 1950). Urban/high-rise farming was one of the topics. Looks like that's coming closer to reality. I'm curious to see if this actually works out.
Click to expand...

I saw that article, and thought it was utter crap. I mean, seriously? Give me a year to work on a book and I'm sure it would trounce the one in the article.
 
BostonUrbEx said:
I saw that article, and thought it was utter crap. I mean, seriously? Give me a year to work on a book and I'm sure it would trounce the one in the article.
Click to expand...

I literally face-palmed from LMA to NEU and after I got it out of my system, continued on with the paper.
 
Question: Does urban farming imply only crops, or could it include livestock? If the former, its a silly idea. If the latter, then its a horrendous idea.
 
So... does anyone want to do a little reading up on urban farming before they start yelling they ignorant opinions? Anyone?

Pro tip to BostonUrbex: Don't ever start a sentence off with "I haven't read into it but...". It turns anything else you have to say on that topic into white noise.

[/rant]

Aaaaannnnyway. Since most people don't seem to have a realistic understanding of what urban farming is let me throw some knowledge at you.

The point of urban farming is not to grow crops/raise livestock as a means to "green" up a city or to compete with large landed farmers. The point is about getting healthy food to the least fortunate in a way that brings a community together and betters the urban environment.

Obviously the best use of urban land is for development. But a plot of land in a ghetto is far less valuable than one in the heart of downtown or a posh neighborhood. The places where urban farming is being promoted are the poorest sections of the city where it doesn't make sense to develop every plot of land.

Also the residents of these areas usually have the terrible options for healthy food (see: food deserts). Even worse is that this creates a cycle where each generation is deprived of healthy food options and are not aware of their options.

The point of urban farming takes a community with high poverty, low healthy food options, and lots of demoralizing vacant lots and tries to educate the people about healthy eating by teaching them how to grow their own food. Hands on education like this does wonders to build community by getting people active and participating in their community. To top it all off at the end of the day they go home with a new skill and good food.

Community gardens also transform a neighborhood from a bombed out dystopia into a lush and beautiful place to be. They function as parks in areas that don't have real parks. They also improve the air quality in areas that are notorious for having the highest asthma rates in a city.

So I applaud Menino for taking this step and I see this as a very progressive program that should be introduced in more place.
 
Also, I don't see a problem with 'livestock', if by that you mean chickens. Urban chicken raising has been growing in popularity recently, so it makes sense to extend that to community gardens and urban farms.
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
So... does anyone want to do a little reading up on urban farming before they start yelling they ignorant opinions? Anyone?

Pro tip to BostonUrbex: Don't ever start a sentence off with "I haven't read into it but...". It turns anything else you have to say on that topic into white noise.

[/rant]

Aaaaannnnyway. Since most people don't seem to have a realistic understanding of what urban farming is let me throw some knowledge at you.

The point of urban farming is not to grow crops/raise livestock as a means to "green" up a city or to compete with large landed farmers. The point is about getting healthy food to the least fortunate in a way that brings a community together and betters the urban environment.

Obviously the best use of urban land is for development. But a plot of land in a ghetto is far less valuable than one in the heart of downtown or a posh neighborhood. The places where urban farming is being promoted are the poorest sections of the city where it doesn't make sense to develop every plot of land.

Also the residents of these areas usually have the terrible options for healthy food (see: food deserts). Even worse is that this creates a cycle where each generation is deprived of healthy food options and are not aware of their options.

The point of urban farming takes a community with high poverty, low healthy food options, and lots of demoralizing vacant lots and tries to educate the people about healthy eating by teaching them how to grow their own food. Hands on education like this does wonders to build community by getting people active and participating in their community. To top it all off at the end of the day they go home with a new skill and good food.

Community gardens also transform a neighborhood from a bombed out dystopia into a lush and beautiful place to be. They function as parks in areas that don't have real parks. They also improve the air quality in areas that are notorious for having the highest asthma rates in a city.

So I applaud Menino for taking this step and I see this as a very progressive program that should be introduced in more place.
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting a real, educated response. This is precisely the issue at hand here. Dorchester has a great opportunity to start up community gardens.

community-garden-intro.jpg

community-gardens.jpg

community-garden.jpg
 
My family often kept chickens in our urban household. Fresh eggs each morning were great, and we saw the chickens almost as pets. It is a very viable option for backyard cultivation, just as much as a vegetable garden. Just have to watch out for the late of West Roxbury coyote's friends.
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
So... does anyone want to do a little reading up on urban farming before they start yelling they ignorant opinions? Anyone?

Pro tip to BostonUrbex: Don't ever start a sentence off with "I haven't read into it but...". It turns anything else you have to say on that topic into white noise.

[/rant]

Aaaaannnnyway. Since most people don't seem to have a realistic understanding of what urban farming is let me throw some knowledge at you.

The point of urban farming is not to grow crops/raise livestock as a means to "green" up a city or to compete with large landed farmers. The point is about getting healthy food to the least fortunate in a way that brings a community together and betters the urban environment.

Obviously the best use of urban land is for development. But a plot of land in a ghetto is far less valuable than one in the heart of downtown or a posh neighborhood. The places where urban farming is being promoted are the poorest sections of the city where it doesn't make sense to develop every plot of land.

Also the residents of these areas usually have the terrible options for healthy food (see: food deserts). Even worse is that this creates a cycle where each generation is deprived of healthy food options and are not aware of their options.

The point of urban farming takes a community with high poverty, low healthy food options, and lots of demoralizing vacant lots and tries to educate the people about healthy eating by teaching them how to grow their own food. Hands on education like this does wonders to build community by getting people active and participating in their community. To top it all off at the end of the day they go home with a new skill and good food.

Community gardens also transform a neighborhood from a bombed out dystopia into a lush and beautiful place to be. They function as parks in areas that don't have real parks. They also improve the air quality in areas that are notorious for having the highest asthma rates in a city.

So I applaud Menino for taking this step and I see this as a very progressive program that should be introduced in more place.
Click to expand...

Nice. Said it all.
 
I will say after living in Cleveland for three years, a city with an abundance of empty lots, urban farming has been a boon both to the neighborhoods in terms of providing healthy food option and education as well as by providing activity and responsibility to what would otherwise be a very idle youth community.
 
Some folks in my neighborhood are suggesting this as an alternative to the proposed casino development at Suffolk Downs. The site was farmland before the track was constructed, so it's not out of context in terms of land-use.
 
Having them sprinkled around is fine and cute, but if we start talking acres upon acres, then we're just deconstructing a city. When I think of a city, farms are way down on that list. So this along w/ open space in general, needs to be kept in check IMO.
 
GW2500 said:
Having them sprinkled around is fine and cute, but if we start talking acres upon acres, then we're just deconstructing a city. When I think of a city, farms are way down on that list. So this along w/ open space in general, needs to be kept in check IMO.
Click to expand...

GW -- Would you consider the multiple acres of land devoted to the Victory Gardens in the Back bay Fens to be deconstructing or cute -- they aren't quite sprinkled around

Actually my wife and I enjoy taking walks from the MFA though the formal Fens then the Victory Gardens and then on to Newburry St. -- this is particularly good in the late Spring and ealy Summer when the City is about 2 weks ahead of us deconstructed anti-urbanites in Lexington. It's also a lot of fun to see people still growing Basil when ours has to be indoors in the mid to late fall.

Of course since as Charlie MTA is always advising we need to learn from history --and I think the Victory Gardens are remnants of even larger ones which existed during WWII in Boston and many other Urban areas

http://www.fenwayvictorygardens.com/stroll.html


"The Fenway Victory Gardens represent the nation’s last remaining of the original victory gardens created nationwide during World War II....The Fenway Victory Gardens are located on 7 acres of the Fens, one of six Boston Parklands that were designed as the historic “Emerald Necklace” by Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1800s. Today, the famous Prudential building towers over the garden's more than 500 plots, each approximately 15’ by 25’. "
 
Let's put it like this. What makes central park great isn't so much central park but the Manhattan that sorounds it. Without the city it's just a country club that wouldn't be all that special, it certainly wouldn't have a large number of people in it. Same can be said about the fens or Boston Common as well. Basically parks without urban fabric around them makes it a Lynnfield center, a forgettable place.
 
Is anyone talking about acres and acres of pig farms and factory farms? I thought this was essentially a zoning thing mostly to allow the chickens and temporary use of vacant lots?

Take your hands away from your pearls, please.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top