SITUATING URBAN AGRICULTURE

URBAN PLANNING MASTER’S THESIS

Urban agriculture has the potential to address multiple concerns simultaneously in dense urban spaces. Where and how urban agricultural interventions are sited within cities are critical questions to ask as governments, municipalities, and urban planners address the need for healthy and resilient food systems as well as environmental resiliency. This thesis explores the potential for planners to utilize digital mapping methodologies and multi-criteria decision making analysis (MCDA) in a way in which socio-economically vulnerable neighborhoods and neighborhoods facing environmental vulnerability can be addressed simultaneously.

This research demonstrates this process by utilizing a geospatial mapping model that incorporates multiple layers of collected, classified, and rastered data on the current state of food access, rates of health, economic need, and water and heat risk that New York City currently exhibits. The results of this model are applied to each of the tax lots in New York City, thus identifying exactly where the greatest socio-economic need and environmental vulnerability exists.

When analyzed together different sets of core targeted areas are identified and evaluated for potential available and appropriate land and rooftop areas that can be conducive to three different types of urban agriculture — ground level farms, rooftop open-air farms and rooftop greenhouses.