The document discusses integrating sustainable food systems into urban planning from rural to urban areas. It describes a "transect" with different zones from rural to urban and examples of agricultural uses within each zone, ranging from large commercial farms to small urban gardens and markets. The goal is the harmonious interaction of food production, distribution, and sales within and among communities.
2. AGRICULTURAL URBANISM
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
the harmonious interaction of sustainable
T3
food systems into all levels of the
neighborhood
T4
production, distribution and selling
of food within the
T5
community
T6
3. THE TRANESCT
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
natural zone
T2
rural zone
T3
sub-urban zone
T4
general urban zone
T5
urban center zone
T6
urban core zone
4. natural zone
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
SILVA CULTURE
T2
PERMACULTURE
T3
FORAGING
HUNTING
T4
FISHING
T5
T6
5. Rural Zone
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
Farms from
T2
Large to Small
T3
T4
T5
T6
6. Large Scale
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
Large Scale Farms
T2
20 + acres
farming at this scale requires machinery
T3
and support infrastructure
including
T4
feed and seed stores, processing facilities and
distribution centers.
T5
T6
7. large scale
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
20+ acres
8. farm fields
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
9. farm fields
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
10. farm fields
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
11. orchard
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
12. vineyard
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
13. vineyards
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
14. vineyards
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
15. bee hives
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
16.
17. medium scale farms
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
5-20 acres
T2
Specialty farms, Family farms,
Legacy farms, Kitchen gardens, CSA and
T3
Community gardens
Nurseries,
T4
Many small farms can be hand tended or have
limited times of machine use and spraying.
T5
Large compost piles
T6
Farm Stands and Markets,
Feed stores and Garden centers
18. medium scale
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
5-20 acres
20. legacy farm
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
a formal working farm
Mount Vernon VA
21. billings farm vt
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
a working dairy farm
T6
22. Family fARM
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
23. urban farm
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
24. niche crops
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
25. CSA
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
community supported agriculture
T2
a prepaid subscription to a farms produce for the season
T3
weekly supplies of veggies, herbs, fruit, eggs, cheese,
meat, and flowers
T4
delivered to a central drop-off point
T5
T6
26. co-ops
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
Little Rhody Foods
a co-op of local farmers producing
T2
eggs and milk
distributed to local grocery stores
T3
T4
T5
T6
27. the food project
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
bringing inner city and suburban kids to the
farm
T2
growing food
developing leadership skills
T3
and bridging diversity gaps
T4
T5
T6
28. 4-H clubs
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
teaching young children about
T2
animal husbandry
growing food
T3
T4
T5
T6
29.
30. small Scale farms
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
1/2 - 5 acres
Market Gardens
T2
Edible yards, Community gardens,
Schoolyard gardens,
T3
Container gardens
Small animal husbandry
T4
Farmers Markets, Garden Centers, Green Grocers
Screening and fencing to separate neighbors
T5
and street
T6
small compost piles
31. small scale
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
1-5 acres
49. bee hive
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
50. CHICKENS
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
51. sheep
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
52. goats
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
53. cows
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
54. Village Cows
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
55.
56. intra-urban zone
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
Community gardens, Schoolyard gardens
T2
Yard gardens
Container gardens, Roof gardens
T3
Balcony, Window and Terrace gardens
Market Halls, Market Squares and Streets
Farmers Markets and Push Carts
T4
Green Grocers, Cheese Mongers, Butcher
specialty stores
T5
Hardware Stores
Small Garden Centers
T6
Compost Recycling and Small Bins
57. yard gardens
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
front gardens kitchen gardens
58. front yard
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
59. front yard
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
60. back garden
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
61. edible yards
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
62. edible yard
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
63. kitchen garden
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
64. kitchen garden
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
65. kitchen garden
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
66. kitchen garden
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
67. intra-urban
DRAWING BY JAMES WASSELL
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
50-5,000 square feet
I began thinking about how to grow food as part of civic life, and how to include farmers within traditional town designs to expand the range of choices available to people and settlement patterns. Young farmers in particular may want to inhabit walkable communities, and farm on a small scale, either for their own cup-boards or as specialty growers suppling restaurants and local markets. This presentation diagrams in broad strokes the possibilities for knitting a range of farm scales, from the large to the very small, into the urban fabric. The possibilities to also integrate farming with other open space objectives, conservation easements etc, can also benefit the town as a whole by protecting watersheds and thus reduce flooding risks and storm water management costs, provide greenways for wildlife and recreation.
The transect: is a geologic cross section through a region intended to describe a sequence of environments, originally analyzing natural ecologies, but also apt for describing a range of human habitats.
The Rural to Urban transect is a useful tool to ensure that building patterns are planned in a contextual manner and that the relationships between buildings and the public realm are appropriately scaled.
Permaculture best describes the types of sustenance activities that take place in the natural zone. Loosely defined, these “farming” practices closely mimic natural ecologies, and knowledge of the land, plants , animals and seasons is key in cultivating wild food.
At whatever scale that farming is practiced, stewarding the land in a sustainable manner, to preserve the health of the soil and biodiversity of genetic material, will be increasingly important to insure the productivity of the land for future generations. Bio-remediation of marginal or degraded land, especially close to the urban core and edge can reverse decades or centuries of neglect and bring fertility and abundance back to wasted landscapes.
Regionally, certain areas are known for being conductive to particular types of crops. Farmers, out of necessity, form co-ops to support the infrastructure they need to be successful. Grains, orchards, dairies....
As little as 50 years ago, 70% of Boston’s food was grown within a 30 mile radius. (Check Facts)
To be self sufficient, an early american farmer needed 100 acres. Many people had much smaller farm yards or kitchen gardens, 1-5 acres (Check facts) and raised most of their own fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, etc.
It is possible to re-conceive even large scales farms re-woven closer to civic life.
This farm, Los Poblanos, near Albuquerque New Mexico, supports a CSA and is pioneering lavender as a compatible crop for the arid southwest. Acequias, the traditional irrigation method of sluices and ditches are still maintained as part of their cultural practices. Heritage live-stalk breeds such as navajo sheep were brought back from the verge of extinction. The chef at the Inn takes advantage of the fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs produced on the farm.
Winter wheat is helping restore the fertility these fields as part of a systematic program of crop rotations.
This Tuscan landscape was once so depleted it resembled a moonscape. Centuries of over grazing and shortage of able farmers due to conscription, was turned around after the first world war. Now it is the verdant image we have of Tuscany
Agricultural landscapes are an important part of our cultural heritage.
George Washington’s Georgian farm is an example of a rationally planned farm, which was known as exemplary for it’s progressive husbandry practices.
This legacy farm is a model of conservation and sustainable land use. As a heritage farm, values that are essential to community and human spirit are celebrated.
New Town St. Charles, Missouri north of St Louis, founded in 2003, built this organic farm with community plots as an asset for it’s residents.
Many restaurants support specialty crop growers for sources of seasonal and local produce.
CSA’s also create an important means of preserving agricultural land through conservation easements and guarantee a source of income for the farmer.
an example of co-operative ventures enabling small farmers to successfully compete with large scale operations.
Vacant land converted into community gardens, transforms blighted lots into nuclei for strengthening neighborhoods.
Located in the fens, part of Olmsted’s emerald necklace, this is one of the oldest continuously tended community gardens in the country.
A community playhouse as part of a neighborhood garden.
by studying village plans, planners can re-evaluate lotting in order to preserve agricultural lands, building in clusters and keeping the most labor intensive and kitchen gardens close to home.
HADLEY MA, incorporated in 1659. The Connecticut valley, also called Pioneer Valley, has some of the best farmland in all of New England, and has been farmed continuously by European settlers for over 350 years.
Long Meadow in Hadley is a mile long civic green that spans across the peninsular plain defined by a bend in the Connecticut River. Farmsteads, dating back hundreds of years, are aligned with formal setbacks and fronts to the green. Farm fields stretch continuously in the backs with barns and other farm structures behind the houses. (the green is 330 feet wide, includes the street right of way).
The crossroads forms a civic center with meeting halls, school, businesses, taverns,
This landscape is fast disappearing to rural sprawl and big box strip development.
A greenway path along the river provides an alternate travel route for bicyclists and walkers to North Adams and Amherst.
This plan is interesting, note the size of the allotments compared to the house lots.