What would it mean to live in cities designed to foster feelings of connectedness to the ocean? As coastal cities begin planning for climate change and rising sea levels, author Timothy Beatley sees opportunities for rethinking the relationship between urban development and the ocean. Modern society is more dependent upon ocean resources than people are commonly aware of--from oil and gas extraction to wind energy, to the vast amounts of fish harvested globally, to medicinal compounds derived from sea creatures, and more. In Blue Urbanism, Beatley argues that, given all we've gained from the sea, city policies, plans, and daily urban life should acknowledge and support a healthy ocean environment.

Plants need nutrients, air, water, and light with a little warmth to survive. Traditionally these have been provided by soil, but hydroponic techniques allow plants not only to survive but also to thrive by gaining the perfect balance of nutrients from a regulated solution. This book looks at the flood and drain method, drip feed, Nutrient Film Technique, aeroponics, and aquaponics. It offers a detailed examination of nutrient content and the strength of solution, advice on how to grow a variety of plants and how to control pests, a simple-to-follow guide to how to arrange and automate a greenhouse, and step-by-step instruction on how to build your own hydroponic systems. Without the need for stooping or weeding, hydroponics is ideal for anyone with back problems or mobility impairment, and superb for children, who can follow and monitor the plants’ growth.

Plant production in hydroponics and soilless culture is rapidly expanding throughout the world, raising a great interest in the scientific community. For the first time in an authoritative reference book, authors cover both theoretical and practical aspects of hydroponics (growing plants without the use of soil). This reference book covers the state-of-the-art in this area, while offering a clear view of supplying plants with nutrients other than soil. Soilless Culture provides the reader with an understanding of the properties of the various soiless media and how these properties affect plant performance in relation to basic horticultural operations, such as irrigation and fertilization.

Comprehensive coverage of passive solar greenhouse design including material selection, building methods and how to store thermal energy using a variety of simple and innovative strategies. Over a dozen case studies provide real-life inspiration, capped off with how-to guidance for building a durable, energy-efficient greenhouse. Variations include underground and aquaponic greenhouses and integrating solar panels to grow off-grid, year-round.

This full-color guide offers a complete overview of edible landscapes from the planning, designing, and funding to the management and maintenance of these communal spaces and ecodestinations. Featuring case studies of innovative projects, it offers complete coverage of a dozen typologies including community gardens, CSA farms, edible estates, edible roof gardens, guerilla gardens, vertical wall gardens, and farm-to-table gardens, among others.

The "how-to" guide for a new generation of farmers from the author of Farm City and a leading urban garden educator. In this indispensable guide, Farm City author Novella Carpenter and Willow Rosenthal share their experience as successful urban farmers and provide practical blueprints-complete with rich visual material-for novice and experienced growers looking to bring the principles of ethical food to the city streets. The Essential Urban Farmer guides readers from day one to market day, advising on how to find the perfect site, design a landscape, and cultivate crops. For anyone who has ever grown herbs on windowsills, or tomatoes on fire escapes, this is an invaluable volume with the potential to change our menus, our health, and our cities forever.

Growing a Sustainable City? offers a critical analysis of the development of urban agriculture policies and their role in making post-industrial cities more sustainable. Christina Rosan and Hamil Pearsall's intriguing and illuminating case study of Philadelphia reveals how growing in the city has become a symbol of urban economic revitalization, sustainability, and - increasingly - gentrification. Their comprehensive research includes interviews with urban farmers, gardeners, and city officials, and reveals that the transition to "sustainability" is marked by a series of tensions along race, class, and generational lines. The book evaluates the role of urban agriculture in sustainability planning and policy by placing it within the context of a large city struggling to manage competing sustainability objectives. They highlight the challenges and opportunities of institutionalizing urban agriculture into formal city policy. Rosan and Pearsall tell the story of change and growing pains as a city attempts to reinvent itself as sustainable, livable, and economically competitive.--AMAZON

Public Produce makes a uniquely contemporary case not for central government intervention, but for local government involvement in shaping food policy. In what Darrin Nordahl calls "municipal agriculture," elected officials, municipal planners, local policymakers, and public space designers are turning to the abundance of land under public control (parks, plazas, streets, city squares, parking lots, as well as the grounds around libraries, schools, government offices, and even jails) to grow food.

This fascinating edition includes a variety of for-or-against viewpoints on urban agriculture. Essays include discussing urban agriculture as a viable solution to food insecurities, the economic sustainability of urban agriculture, the impact of urban agriculture on specific groups, such as women in developing countries, and the future of urban farming.

Most of us live in cities. These are becoming increasingly complex and removed from broad-scale agriculture. Yet within cities there are many examples of greenspaces and local food production that bring multiple benefits that often go unnoticed. This book presents a collection of the latest thinking on the multiple dimensions of sustainable greenspace and food production within cities. It describes the diversity of 'urban agriculture' and seeks a balanced representation between the biophysical and the social. It deals with urban agriculture across scales - from indoor plants to farm-scale filtration of greywater. A range of examples and initiatives from both developed and developing countries is described and evaluated.

This book provides comprehensive information on the rapidly developing field of urban horticulture for sustainable use of land resources and creating a better environment. It presents peer-reviewed chapters from leading international researchers in the field of horticulture technologies, environmental issues, urban horticulture, and landscaping and its role in society. It covers a wide array of topics on this subject and constitutes a valuable reference guide for students, professors, researchers, builders, and agriculturists concerned with urban horticulture, city planning, biodiversity, and the sustainable development of horticultural resources. Urban horticultural technologies facilitate the efficient use of available land in urban and residential areas, helping meet the demand for fresh fruits and vegetables to feed ever-growing urban populations. The amount of green space in urban areas is dwindling due to rising land prices, while the climbing numbers of multi-story buildings are producing various environmental and health issues. Technological advances provide tools and techniques for high-density and vertical cropping in small areas, promoting efficient and sustainable resource utilization. As such, urban horticulture is gaining importance in city planning - not only to bolster the food supply but also to improve the aesthetic value, environmental conditions, landscape, and business environment, while also reducing the consumption of fossil fuel in transportation.