Who's charming banter on "This Week in Parasitism" I've enjoyed immensely is a huge advocate of this stuff (vertical farming).
Some of his ideas on this can be found at http://bigthink.com/dicksondespommier/ideas
Now personally I'm very much inclined to think it's all a crock myself, just another 'trendy tend' with no sound economic basis. But for those interested Dr. Despommier may be its best advocate, and well worth checking out. Who knows? Maybe he's actually on to something. I remain skeptical, but he's a smart guy and well worth listening to, agree or disagree.
Paris could one day get a taste of the tropics.
The French architecture firm SOA has come up with a greenhouse project that would make fresh, local tropical fruit — bananas in particular — more accessible in the cooler climate of Paris.
The design, called Urbanana, is a vertical, six-story, all-glass greenhouse that would fit between already existing buildings. Unlike many vertical farm designs that stand alone in the form of a farm tower, this design is “easy to insert into the urban fabric,” according to SOA’s website.
It would also be a type of mixed-use development for urban farming. It would have a restaurant, shop, and educational area on the ground floor and the farm above. So while it would take up space in an already dense urban area it would still be an active place. “Its operation is based on the economic development of the sector rather than the single sale of the fruit,” SOA website explains.
Growing popular tropical fruits in these types of greenhouse structures makes sense. While it would use space efficiently, it would also be a way to reduce energy use for transporting the fruits long distances from the tropics to cities with cooler climates. Besides, fresh bananas taste so much better.
Images courtesy of SOA
(h/t GOOD)
