世界最大都市紐約 即將變身為大型城市農場？
恆定~~鼓勵市民務農，在陽台上種植有機蔬果也不錯
社企流– 2014年9月30日
過去六年，關注都市與環境議題的非營利組織Terreform曾試圖想像，若紐約八百萬市民的飲食完全自給自足，會是什麼樣的情景？
「聽起來有些不合理，」Terreform 負責人麥克索爾金（Michael Sorkin）說到，「我們發現若充分利用垂直農場並改變飲食習慣，可實質供應紐約市民每人每天獲取2,500卡路里；但估計同時約需25座核電廠之能源以支持農
場運作。」
即使城市無法真正轉型成巨型農場，此研究也幫助都會區有更多永續經營之選擇。研究員們也同時評估是否能把所有食材都種在離城市一百哩以內的地區，或至少種在紐約州內。此項研究為大型計畫（NYC Steady State）的
其中一環 ，其最終目標為讓紐約市從生產能源到資源回收一切都自給自足。索爾金認為人類需要為在地球上的行為負起責任，且紐約應帶頭做起，因紐約客算是高消費者。作為一個都會人，索爾金希望了解若城市擔起社會責
任，能做到何種程度。
此計畫設計涵括之廣－從摩天大樓到肉類生產（雖然索爾金認為若每個市民都為了環境永續發展而吃素，事情會變得簡單的多）、將屋頂改造成社區食物中樞、或是將街道打造為花園。他們檢視了在紐約被濫用的資源，例如
街道，並認為若將街道的一半寬度從車道改為行人專用，就可以作為農場、托育中心、或是各式各樣的公共設施。
不過該團隊也找到幾項都市食品生產的限制，像是難以在垂直農場栽種咖啡。即便如此，團隊仍試著突破既有限制，例如當他們了解紐約的咖啡有一半以上來自於海地之後，便提議讓海地人民透過賣給紐約客咖啡來換取在紐
約接受教育的機會。
Terreform持續研究自給自足的方式，未來甚至計畫編撰一部包含各種技術及型態的百科全書，提供給其他有興趣發展自給自足的各城市使用，期許能不斷擴展「自給自足」所涵括的概念。
資料來源：This Is What New York Would Look Like If The Whole City Was A Giant Urban Farm
The New York City (Steady) State is considering what it would mean if the city's 8 million residents were entirely self-sufficient, from the food they eat to the fuel they burn.
For the past six years, the urban research nonprofit Terreform has carefully considered exactly what New York City would look like if everything New Yorkers ate was grown inside city limits.
“At some level, it’s absurd,” says Michael Sorkin, who leads Terreform. “We discovered that with intense use of vertical agriculture and a change in diet, we could in fact physically provide
the facilities to grow 2,500 decent calories for every resident in New York. But the energy estimates were so enormous we estimated that 25 nuclear power plants would be required.”
Amsterdam Ave.
Still, even if cities don’t necessarily become giant farms, the research can help point urban areas toward more sustainable choices. The researchers also looked at options for growing all food
within 100 miles of the city, or growing everything within the state. “We looked at 100% autonomy--what effort that would take, what forms, what living arrangements--and we then look for some more
reasonable response,” Sorkin says.
The research is part of a larger project called New York City (Steady) State, which will eventually detail how the city can be entirely self-sufficient, from energy to waste. It’s intended as a
counterpoint to things like ecological footprints, which generically measure environmental impact. Here, the researchers are looking at specific and direct impacts in a confined area.
"It’s a matter of taking responsibility for one’s effects on the planet," Sorkin says. New York is a good place to start because New Yorkers, as Americans, are enormous consumers."
Why look at consumption on the level of the city? "Nation-states seem to be incompetent, and multi-nationals seem to be badly motivated," he says. "As an urbanist, I wanted to know what a city
could actually accomplish if it decided to truly take responsibility."
Sunnyside, Queens site
The design includes everything from a skyscraper devoted to meat production (though Sorkin notes that it would be a lot easier, sustainability-wise, if everyone in the city became vegan), to
rooftop "neighborhood food hubs" and streets that are turned into gardens.
"We’re looking at all sorts of resources that we think are misused in New York, like streets," he explains. "This is the largest area of space in the public realm. Imagine if we took half of the
street out of the automobile realm and put it in the pedestrian realm: There could be farms, there could be daycare centers, there could be all sorts of public amenities."
They found a few limits for food production; coffee, for example, is hard to grow in a vertical farm. Even in that case, they tried to find a local connection. After learning that Haiti grows
enough coffee to supply half of New York's needs, they've proposed an agreement between the two locations: Haitians could be given education at schools like Columbia in exchange for selling New
Yorkers coffee.
After Terreform completes research on other aspects of self-sufficiency, like energy, it will be putting together a resource for cities to use in planning. "We're compiling an encyclopedia of the
technologies and morphologies that could be used for cities around the world that are interested in moving in the direction of autonomy," Sorkin says.
And they continue to push the boundaries of what self-sufficiency can mean. "We're always asking a question about the nature of the membrane around the city," Sorkin says. "What would it be
permeable to, what protections would have to be given to local production. It's an armature for speculation."
