URBAN GREENING
"Urban Greening” means more than growing grass on vacant lots. It's benefits exceed well beyond the obvious but worthy common uses of land as side yards for residents, community gardens and pocket parks. Greening utilizes tracts of land for commercial scale urban farming and orchards. Green space in cities benefit residents and wildlife, allowing for micro industries to contribute to the local food, flower, and landscape materials economy. Greening can stabilize neighborhoods by restoring a sense of good health and public safety, leading to higher property values.
urban greening ideas
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Stormwater & Drainage
Environmental
Stewardship
NeighborhoodImpact
Expense/
Cost
Red Tap/
Zoning
DIY
Income
Potential
Orchards and Tree Groves
If you already have some capital and time to wait for the investment to create returns, plant an orchard or tree grove. The options are almost endless: think of an urban pick-your-own berry farm, small-batch maple syrup production, or cultivating rare apple varieties for local hard cider makers! You can even integrate this into other business models, for garden to fork authenticity on your menu.
Community Garden
Gardening on a small scale brings communities and families together in a different way. Sharing in the bounty of a harvest is a particular joy infrequent in urban contexts. Help change that by gathering your neighbors to plan and build a garden for themselves, or provide it as an amenity for residential tenants.
Composting
Keep food waste out of landfills while helping to reverse climate change, little by little. Composting sequesters carbon in dirt while turning food waste into living soil to produce better food next season! These operations require some work to maintain, can be combined with other options, and is a viable business opportunity when done at a large scale.
Rain Gardens
A Rain Garden is a shallow depression that collects storm water as it runs off a less pervious surfaces. It is used to treat impervious areas up to 1,000 square feet. Rain gardens generally need at least 6" ponding depth and 12" to 18" soil media with 6" to 12" stone storage layer under soil media. Rain Gardens are designed to store water under their surface and not create a standing water situation after the rainfall. Standing water attracts insects. Rain gardens do not.
