A new generation of community gardeners have big goals for cultivating the concrete jungle
We need to identify young people who will keep these spaces going. If you love being in the gardens, join them.
By Melody Stein
The Architect’s Newspaper
November 1, 2023
Excerpt:
Gil Lopez, one of the 11 gardeners behind Smiling Hogshead Ranch, knows that the cost of land is a major barrier to growing affordable food at scale in the city. “There’s no agricultural zoning in New York City,” he said, but went on to propose an idea: “If a building hosting an urban agriculture project could get a portion of their tax reduced because some percentage of their property is zoned agricultural, and those savings were passed directly on to the farmer and not to the developer or building owner, farming could be more affordable.” He also believes that existing sustainability measures could be leveraged to encourage agriculture: “New York City has mandated that new buildings over a certain size have to have a solar or green roof. If we could make these food-producing places, we could really start moving the needle on this.”
On a grassroots scale, Lopez believes that reclaiming the commons is a critical start. “It’s important to encourage designers to design spaces that incorporate food production, but the onus doesn’t end with the designer. The management of the space must be taken into account.” Growing or foraging edible foods in NYC Parks & Recreation–managed public space is currently illegal. The Bronx River Foodway is a pilot program that operates in exception to this rule and has allowed public foraging since 2017 to great success. Lopez and others believe that foraging restrictions are evidence of the racist and classist systems that have produced and perpetuated food deserts and widespread food insecurity. Architects and designers could be change-makers in this realm. Lopez included a call to action in our conversation: “I think it’s important for designers to weigh in on these things legislatively and to be advocates.”
