[Community_garden] MBA's Discover "Agriburbia"

[James Godsil]

The Agriburbia™ Concept

http://www.agriburbia.com/

Agriburbia™ is an innovative and growing design movement that integrates
aspects of agrarianism with land development.  Agriburbia™ includes
characteristics of New Urbanism, modernism and historic preservation, and
other environmentally sustainable principles of real estate development.

Agriburbia™ combines the positive social, cultural, physical and financial
characteristics from both the urban and rural lifestyles to create an
entirely new landuse concept. Agriburbia™ integrates food production as an
integral element in the community design, social network, and financial
viability of the neighborhood.

Agriburbia™ promotes and supports the following policies and principles in
each mixed-use community:

   -

   Agricultural Production:  No loss of agricultural value or revenue
   ("Green Fields" development), or production of 30% of dietary requirements
   of the project or equivalent cash from sales crops, or combination thereof.
   -

   *Locally Grown Food:  *Production of a significant portion (30 to 50%)
   of dietary requirements grown within or in the immediate surrounding area of
   the community
   -

   *Conserves and Promotes Natural Resources:*  Appropriate and efficient
   use of natural resources to provide housing, transportation, recreation and
   fresh food through creative, harmonious land planning and landscape
   architecture for the community.  This includes use of alternative energy
   sources as well as land and water.
   -

   *Self Sufficiency:  *Provide a commercially viable opportunity for
   enhanced self- sufficiency for community residents, tenants, and guests.
   -

   *Sustainable Energy Practices :  * Integrate solar and geothermal
   technology to provide sustainable energy sources for the community.
   -

   *Financing:*  Incorporate established entities (Metropolitan
   Districts, HOAs) to finance both traditional infrastructure (streets, water,
   sewer) and environmentally friendly agricultural infrastructure (drip
   irrigation)


Example Agriburbia™ Design Project

An example of the Agriburbia™ land planning design is this 640-acre parcel
in Southern Weld County, Colorado.  It includes for 980 homes, including
multi-family town homes to two (2) acre permaculture home sites.

Each Agriburbia™ mixed-use campus is centered on an agrarian concept where
traditional suburban landscaping and open space is replaced with orchards,
vineyards, and other perennial crops for the benefit of the neighborhood and
surrounding communities. A limited amount of active recreation area is
provided. The balance of the open space is designed as productive organic
agricultural landscape. These lands will be owned and actively managed by
the Home Owner's Association (HOA) or Metropolitan Districts. Private farm
contracts will be awarded for these prime, organic agricultural parcels. It
is anticipated that Agriburbia™ will provide agricultural opportunities
within and outside the community.

In addition to this shared resource, each mixed-use campus is designed to
have a significant number of home sites capable of useful agricultural
production. Infrastructure such as non-potable water will be provided for
these privates home sites. The home owner will have the option to
participate in the community agriculture production. The positive and
productive results of and Agriburbia™ mixed-use campus will be the
combination of public and private production of agricultural products for
the community and neighboring communities.

---------------------------------------------

 Please send an e-mail to Bill Moyers exhorting him to devote a program to
the idiocy of industrial agriculture and the promise of local, urban, and
schoolyard farms and gardens.

"Bill Moyers" <moyersonpbs at thirteen.org>


and cc Moyersalert at milwaukeerenaissance.com, por favor
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