Synopses & Reviews
Plum and pear trees shade park benches in Kamloops, British Columbia. Tomatoes and cucumbers burst forth from planters at City Hall in Provo, Utah. Strawberries and carrots flourish along the sunny sidewalks of a Los Angeles neighborhood.and#160; The idea that public land could be used creatively to grow fresh food for local citizens was beginning to gain traction when Public Produce was first published in 2009, but there were few concrete examples of action. Today, things are different: fruits and vegetables are thriving in parks, plazas, along our streets, and around our civic buildings.
This revised edition of Public Produce profiles the many communities and community officials that are rethinking the role of public space in cities, and shows how places as diverse as parking lots and playgrounds can sustain health and happiness through fresh produce. But these efforts produce more than food. Revitalizing urban areas, connecting residents with their neighborhoods, and promoting healthier lifestyles are just a few of the community goods we harvest from growing fruits and vegetables in our public gathering spots.
Taking readers from inspiration to implementation, Public Produce is chock full of tantalizing images and hearty lessons for bringing agriculture back into our cities.
Review
andquot;Nordahl is a visionary who shows how easily cities could promote urban agriculture to the great benefit of all concerned. This book is at the cutting edge of todayand#39;s food revolution. Read it and get your city council to sign up!andquot;
Review
andquot;As part of a small but growing group of local food advocates that includes Gary Paul Nabhan, Michael Pollan, and Alice Waters, Nordahl has produced a work that approaches the subject from the creative new angle of producing food in very public places.andquot;
Review
andquot;This vital book shows how growing food on public land can transform our civic landscape, sprouting the seeds of biodiversity, sustainability, and community.andquot;
Review
andquot;Backed up by research and statistics, Public Produce is a sobering look at our current situation and a rallying cry for getting involved and making a change. For me, Nordahl gives solid reasons for the why and how to get involved today.andquot;
Review
andquot;Public Produce is valuable for its detailed examples of urban agriculture that go beyond the familiar community garden, backyard garden, and urban farm, and provides numerous ideas for municipalities ready to take a more active approach to urban agriculture.andquot;
Synopsis
Why plant trees that only provide shade when they could yield fruit as well? Why not take advantage of sunny patches at the outskirts of parking lots to grow carrots and strawberries, free for the harvesting? The idea that public land could be used creatively to grow fresh food for local citizens was beginning to gain traction when
Public Produce was first published in 2009, but there were few concrete examples of action. Today, things are different: fruits and vegetables are thriving in parks, plazas, along our streets, and around our civic buildings. This revised edition profiles numerous communities and community officials that are rethinking the role of public space in cities, and how our most revered urban gathering spots might nourish both body and soul. Taking readers from inspiration to implementation,
Public Produce is chock full of tantalizing images and hearty lessons for bringing agriculture back into our cities.
and#160;
About the Author
Darrin Nordahl is an award-winning writer on issues of food and city design. He completed his bachelors degree in landscape architecture at the University of California at Davis and his masters degree in urban design at Cal-Berkeley. From 2006 to 2012, he was the City Designer at the Davenport Design Center, in Davenport, Iowa. He currently lives and writes in Berkeley, California and is the author of
Making Transit Fun!,
My Kind of Transit, and a forthcoming book on local food traditions in Appalachia.
Table of Contents
Flashback: Notes on the Updated Edition
Introduction: A Guerrilla on Strawberry Street
and#160;
Chapter 1. Food Security
Chapter 2. The Cost of Healthy C0alories
Chapter 3. Public Space, Public Officials, Public Policy
Chapter 4. To Glean and Forage in the City
Chapter 5. Maintenance and Aesthetics
Chapter 6. Food Literacy
and#160;
Conclusion: Community Health and Prosperity
Acknowledgements
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index