8. ROAD MAP
1. Who we are and why are we here
2. What is urban agriculture
3. Marrying site and use
4. Three frameworks: site evaluation, urban ecosystem, consensus building
5. Beyond urban agriculture
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
9. PART 1: URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS
PART 2: FRAMEWORK
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
10. SESSION GOALS:
• Look at how the evolution of urban
agriculture is transforming sites
• Take an ecological approach to
site selection and program
development
• Present three frameworks to guide
and empower site reuse
• Showcase transformative new
models of urban reuse
PRESENTATION GOALS
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
11. Who are we?
A community developer An environmental problem solver A city planner
Melinda Stylos-Allan Walker Holmes Seth Zeren
Financial Education Manager, Skeo Solutions and The Trust for Chief Zoning Code
Roxbury MA Public Land Official, Newton, MA
INTRODUCTION
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
18. FOR DECADES, URBANISTS HAVE DEFINED THE CITY IN
FRAMEWORK
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS OPOSITION TO THE RURAL
21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
19. A NEW GENERATION IS RECLAIMING THE TRADITION OF URBAN
FARMING, URBAN GREENING & REDEFINING OUR URBAN FUTURE
FRAMEWORK
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
20. INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY CONNECT URBAN
AND RURAL AGRICULTURE
FRAMEWORK Source: Except, Integrated Sustainable Design
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
21. LESSONS FROM THE NEW URBAN AGRICULTURE
• Adoption of hydroponics and aquaponics and changing market for food
is creating new opportunities
• Business models are immature and evolving rapidly
• Startup schedules out of sync with regulatory timelines
• “You need to have friends in the right places”
• Planning is just one challenge out of many
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
22. UNINTENTIONAL
BARRIERS
Zoning approvals
Building permits
Health regulations
State and federal regulations
APPROVALS PROCESS
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
23. PLANNERS AND
FARMERS
Entrepreneurs must lead, but need
allies
Planners can:
• Remove barriers
• Create new zoning
• Lead community visioning
• Create incentives
• Identify Sites
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
24. PART 3: MARRYING SITE AND USE
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
25. Actual Site Lofty Idea Reality = Chaos
Photo: Walker Holmes
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
26. Actual Site Lofty Idea Reality = Chaos
Photo: Walker Holmes
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
28. All Photos: Walker Holmes
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
29. PART 4: THREE FRAMEWORKS
PART 3: SPECTRUM OF APPROACHES
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
30. FRAMEWOR
K 1:
Site
Evaluation
Characteristics and context
Limitations and opportunities
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
31. Reuse Planning at Superfund
Sites
EPA’s goal: protect human health and the environment
Four Components:
1. Stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution
2. Strategic analysis and reuse plans
3. Education, tools, and training
4. Implementation strategies
31
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
32. Superfund Reuse Planning
Phase Activities
Reuse Assessment Reuse goals
Site characterization
Reasonably anticipated future land use
Reuse Plan Reuse scenarios
Stewardship options
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
33. Site-Driven Example
John Garland Park, Kansas
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
39. FRAMEWOR
K 2:
Urban
Ecology
Ecology of people, community,
businesses, buildings, nature
Interpreting ecological health
Become a catalyst for beneficial
feedbacks
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
46. Industrial Ecology
The study of the flow of materials and energy through industrial systems
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
47. Life Cycle Analysis
“Cradle to Grave”
Tracking environmental impacts from extraction through production,
distribution, packaging, use, and disposal
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
48. Industrial Symbiosis
Sharing services, utilities, and by-products among diverse industrial actors in order to add value,
reduce costs, and lower environmental impacts
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
52. The Plant, Chicago
“Plant Chicago is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting sustainable food production, entrepreneurship, and
building reuse through education, research and development.”
THE PLANT, CHICAGO
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
53. KEY CHARACTERISTICS:
•Growing system and crops
•Business model
•Market
•Mission
•Site selection
•Regulatory avenue (how were
they permitted)
THE PLANT, CHICAGO
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
54. CITES AS DYNAMIC FLOWS OF PEOPLE,
GOODS, MATERIALS & SERVICES
Source: Swiss Biomas Flows
FRAMEWORK URBAN & INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
55. Measure flows and reservoirs
• Inputs and wastes
• Energy and heat
• People
• Money
Inventory environment
• Networks
• Buildings
• Streets
• Parks
• Institutions
• Businesses
Can’t do everything, strategically
target what is essential to know
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
56. Integrating into the biosphere
• Carbon cycle
• Nutrient cycle
• Hydrological cycle
• Lower environmental impact
Look for balance…
• Efficiency
• Resilience
• Fecundity
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
57. FRAMEWOR
K 3:
Consensus
and
Collaboration
Expanding the pie
Power and politics
Beyond Robert’s Rules
Perception and vision
Flexibility and stability
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
65. It’s all in how you
look at it
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
66. Consensus Building Process
Pre-meeting
assessment
Working with Neutral facilitated
champions meetings
Building on points Managing
of light expectations
Creating new Structuring follow-
community groups up
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
67. Rose Kennedy Greenway,
Boston
URBAN ECOLOGICAL TOOLS 21 OCTOBER 2012 | SNEAPA CONFERENCE
73. Takeaways
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Don’t get trapped in routine processes. Come at your site with fresh strategies and
metaphors. It will shake up your vision and lead to healthy growth.
• Urban agriculture is great, but not always the answer. Let site and context guide your
reuse planning.
• Study the feedbacks, flows, and points of light. Craft a solution that is resilient in an
evolving dynamic system.
• Put in a lot of pre-work, invest in neutral facilitation and consensus building.
Forge a stable, long-term consensus vision.
