Foodtops on Fire
June 27, 2010 
6 Comments
Over the last year I’ve gotten all fired up over rooftop gardens as a means of growing nutritious food without the use of chemicals or genetically modified organisms. Rooftop farms improve food security, benefit city residents, the natural environment and the local economy in a variety of interesting and unexpected ways.
Outstanding examples of rooftop agriculture can be seen in cities like New York, Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles. The Eagle Street Farm in Greenpoint Brooklyn is possibly one of the best examples of rooftop gardening in the nation. This farm sits on top of an old warehouse covering 6,000 square feet. Kale, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, radishes, peas, and herbs all grown on the roof are delivered to residents and local restaurants through a community supported agriculture model.
What about the rooftop farm possibilities right here in Spokane? Our built environment boasts a variety of roofs and walls that could support urban farm operations. There are a few rooftop container gardens and the Main Market Co-op greenhouse, but there are yet to be any food growing endeavors that produce on a large enough scale to regularly supply residents and restaurants. Imagine an urban farm on top of the Jensen-Byrd building, the Wonderbread building on Lincoln and Broadway, or even on top of the Spokane Transit Authority storage and maintenance center!
Local developers, property owners, universities and community colleges could be engaged to assist in developing rooftop farms and other forms of urban agriculture in our city. Supportive developers and property owners are essential to the success of urban farming; they hold the keys that open onto the roofs of Spokane. The City and the County could help by writing or re-writing ordinances that are conducive to urban agriculture.
The universities could bring their programs together to develop an “Urban Agriculture Institute of Spokane” which would research and develop best practices and models that could be applied in other cities. Urban farming would greatly benefit the people, natural environment, food culture, and local economy, as well as reinforcing Spokane’s reputation as an innovative and creative city.
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I see it too.
Very cool. I think urban farming is very interesting. Well I just planted potatoes out here last week way late but still.
Also in the space program they found that plants grow faster with an atmosphere of carbon dioxide. And also the low fluid-shear from the zero gravity
massively increases growing time.
Neither are very feasible for urban farming but it would
be interesting to try a 100% CO2 atmosphere in a small
to medium-large greenhouse.
I am glad this idea is being brought up, our rooftops are such a waste of space.
Former Mayor John Powers toosed the roof top garden idea around in 2003. He was inspired while visiting Chicago (at Spokane Taxpayers expense). He was voted out decisively in the 2003 Primary.
What I didn’t notice in the roof top garden musings however is that Roof Top Gardens absorb heat; which translates into a cooler, more energy efficient building in the summer.
I would have some concerns about the chemicals used to seal roofs leaching into any food products as well as the air quality of a city downtown. With some research and testing however, this problem could be eliminated.
Perhaps growing plants whose products are not used for food might be a better plan.
The Hermano wrote, ” Our built environment boasts a variety of roofs and walls that could support urban farm operations.”
That is if they don’t tear down all the buildings for parking lots.
While this is a good idea and I would like to see more of this, we should be supporting local farms and strengthening our region’s agricultural economy on all fronts.