1. Spatial Evaluation for
Urban Agriculture Site
Selection in Syracuse, NY
By Bianca Dygert
In partial fulfillment of:
Master of Professional Studies
Graduate Program in Environmental Science
Environmental and Community Land Planning
State University of New York
College of Environmental Science
and Forestry
December, 10, 2013
3. Introduction – Community Garden Benefits
Strengthens local, sustainable food
production
promotes education about the food
system
reduces the “food miles” between
production and consumption
enhances green space
creates “green job” opportunities
makes fresh, nutritious food
available
-(McClintock, 2010)
Promotes local pride
Promotes citizen participation
especially in poorer communities
that may be lacking in other public
amenities
alternative to corporate
agriculture
-(Baker, 2005; Lawson, 2005).
4. Introduction – Community Garden Benefits
Increased vegetable consumption,
decreased sweets consumption
“Gardeners were more active than
non-gardeners in community projects,
and shared their vegetable wealth
with family, friends, passers-by, and
church food pantries, thereby
becoming nutrition change agents in
their own right”
-(Blair et al, 1991)
Means for improving safety in higher
crime areas
Solutions for criminal activity in teens
in inner-city schools
Increased awareness of self and
community
Decreased involvement in gangs and
crime in general
-(Fusco, 2001)
5. Introduction - Syracuse
Syracuse Grows
Mission:
“Syracuse Grows is a grassroots coalition of
individuals, gardens, and community collaborators
working to cultivate a just foodscape in the City of
Syracuse. We provide advocacy, programming,
education, and resources to support food justice and
community development through community
gardening and urban agriculture.”
-(Syracusegrows.org)
341 Midland Avenue Community Garden
Eastside P.E.A.C.E. Community Garden
Expeditionary Learning Middle School Garden
Hawley Green Vegetable Garden
Highland Park Children's Garden
Isabella Street Tapestry Community Garden
Karibu Community Garden
Lipe Art Park Community Garden
Rahma Clinic Edible Forest Snack Garden
Stone Soup Community Education Garden
Filtrexx Garden Soxx Community Garden
Southwest Community Farm
West Newell Street Community Garden
Westcott Community Garden
6. So why Syracuse?
Still unclaimed vacant land with potential use for agriculture
More gardens = more food
Crime
Fractured neighborhoods
7. Planning Process –Urban planning through spatial analysis
Despite overwhelming support among researchers that community garden
programs lead to a variety of quality of life improvements, standard site
selection methodology for community gardens has been only incorporated in a
limited manner
To do this it is first necessary to create an urban planning site selection data
set from which to work in order to save resources.
8. Methodology
Goals stated in the City of Syracuse Sustainability Plan (suitability and
availability)
Closely followed McClintock’s 2010 study “Cultivating the Commons”
Developed a GIS suitability guide and inventory list
Multi-criteria selection with overlay mapping
9. Methodology – City of Syracuse Sustainability Plan
Chapter 3 – Food Systems
Goal 3.2.2.2 - identify an area to develop a food
center where food-related businesses can cluster
Goal 3.3.4.1 - to create an inventory of city land for
urban agriculture (availability and suitability)
Food Deserts
Image credit: City of Syracuse Sustainability Plan, pg 44
10. Methodology - Criteria
Suitability –
slope – 30% or less
land cover – bare earth or grass/shrup
Availability –
open space, vacant lots that are publicly owned by a government organization, tax
delinquent, and/or seizable by the city
11. Methodology - ArcGIS
ArcGIS 10.1 and 10.2
Simplified multi-criteria selection and overlay mapping
Collected shapefile data for boundaries, instrastructure, zoning, and land cover
Raster data for physical geography (DEM)
Extent clipped to boundary of Syracuse
12. Methodology - Layers
Tax parcels
Tax delinquent, seizable property by government
DEM
Slope extracted from DEM
Existing community gardens
Roads
Boundaries
Land cover
Data obtained from NYS GIS clearinghouse, CUGIR, USGS.gov and Jonnell Robinson (Syracuse University)
13. Methodology – Parcels
Tax parcel data was obtained
from Jonnell Robinson
(Syracuse University)
Tax-delinquent, seizable and
vacant land was selected
22. Results
Large area of vacant land in the west side
Could be broken up into several gardens, or a larger-scale urban farm
Some smaller areas in the south-west side
Potential for small scale, localized garden
26. Discussion
Utilizing remote-sensing tools such as ArcGIS can provide urban planners and
community gardeners with an opportunity to conduct necessary preliminary
research in a fairly inexpensive and timely manner.
Free data
Free trial software – Student year trial and free 60-day downloadable trial
27. Discussion
Extensive background research was most time consuming, yet necessary
Proficient knowledge and use of software made data analysis more efficient
and less time consuming
Delays in project due to outside factors
28. Future Studies
Site visits
Light availability
Allocation of water resources
Updated food desert map
Soil testing
Survey local residents for opinion
29. Conclusion
Community garden benefits
Neighborhoods take initiative in food production
Save money on store-bought produce
Healthier options
Social benefits
Increased physical activity
Self-awareness
Reduced criminal activity
30. Conclusion
Organizations such as Syracuse Grows are able to help groups select plots,
develop layouts, allocate funds and resources, and provide a community
outreach for other gardens.
Spatial analysis allows groups like Syracuse Grows and the City of Syracuse by
having data on hand
Inventory of vacant seizable land that fits the requirements for urban
agriculture allows them to simply select and analyze a plot of land that has
been pre-selected based on multi-criteria analysis
31. Conclusion
Community gardens in Syracuse are currently very successful
Additional gardens would provide the west side and lower west side of the
city with more food options for lower income neighborhoods
More gardens = more food
Large amount of vacant plots
32. Thank You!
I would like to thank:
Dr. Stewart Diemont
Dr. Margaret Bryant
Dr. Jonnell Robinson
Dr. Evan Weissman
33. Bibliography
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GIS Data Sources: Jonnell Allen Robinson (Syracuse Univeristy), NYS GIS Clearinghouse (gis.ny.gov), CUGIR (cugir.mannlib.cornell.edu), US
Geographical Survey (USGS.gov)
Editor's Notes
Let me first talk to you about community gardens and their benefits.