Urban Farming on the Rise

08.06.12

San Francisco Planning and Urban Research recently hosted a lively presentation and panel about urban farming in the Bay Area and beyond. Panelists included the spirited Novella Carpenter, who wrote the 2009 classic Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer (If you ever decide on a whim that you are going to raise hogs in your back yard, read this book first: it will help dissuade you from what could be one of the worst decisions of your life!). Also participating was Sarah Rich, author of the recently published Urban Farms, a book that chronicles the rise of urban farming throughout the USA. One of the more memorable examples shown was Brooklyn Grange, a for-profit enterprise with rooftop farms located in Brooklyn and Queens. Their farmed area adds up to about 2 acres, which have so far generated over 40,000 lbs of vegetables which are sold to restaurants and directly to the public. With your average regional shopping center having somewhere around 20 acres of flat roof, it is conceivable that these could one day host the odd beehive or chicken coop, in addition to rows of tasty vegetables. Could the popularity of urban farming usher in the next phase in the evolution of the green roof?

Yann Taylor

Yann has been designing retail and mixed-use projects for more than 25 years. After working in the UK and the US on a number of different building types (residential buildings, civic buildings, healthcare), he landed at Field Paoli and has never looked back. His focus is on how the public realm is experienced: how can the buildings we design create lively and energetic environments that allow for positive social interactions between friends as well as strangers? Some of the may groundbreaking projects he is proud to have designed include the master plan for Victoria Gardens in Southern California; the redevelopment of Broadway Plaza in the San Francisco Bay Area; the first Whole Foods store to include a full brewery; and the conversion of an old garment factory into the open-air Forum Cuernavaca, located just south of Mexico City.

Beyond the office, you’ll find Yann enjoying his daily bicycle commute to and from work; doing research on the great public markets and food halls of London, Paris and Barcelona; and reflecting on the subtleties of experiential urban design. Yann is a frequent speaker and panelist; most recently he moderated a panel for the Urban Land Institute's Fall meeting on the challenges faced by restaurants and retailers in San Francisco and shared his thoughts on the joys of an urban walk with James Cook on his "Where We Buy" podcast

Although he is energized by the richness and vitality of urban retail environments, some of Yann's favorite buildings tend to be located at the end of long dirt roads: it's nice to get away sometimes.

Urban Farming on the Rise

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