Farming Chicago: Prospects for Higher Education Support of Sustainable Urban Food Systems in the U.S. Heartland

Abstract

The article highlights recent food policies in Chicago with the goal of exploring how higher education institutions can contribute to development of sustainable food resources for residents of North American cities. Thousands of Chicago residents face daily challenges accessing fresh food due to income constraints and/or lack of proximity to food retailers. Concomitantly, the city's high dependency on imported food, often from thousands of miles away, is countered by growing interest in local production in community gardens and urban farms. The article outlines efforts at redeveloping Chicago into a thriving producer of fresh food through advocacy, policy making, and planning; and curriculum and community engagement efforts at Chicago area universities and colleges that exemplifies higher education's role in creating a just and ecologically sustainable urban food system. The examples illustrate the importance of multiinstitutional collaboration, often driven by community-based advocacy groups that facilitate local food research, technical assistance, and policy initiatives with support from universities and colleges. The article therefore highlights the supportive role urban higher education institutions can play in building food systems that support the local food economy, contribute to improving the natural environment, and expand access to nutritious fresh food for those with the least wherewithal.

Digital Encounters in a Postcolonial Frame: Mnemotechnics and Mimicry in Architectural Productions

“…1 It emerged in the 1800s as a food hub and shipping terminus in the Midwest that provided the growing urban centers along the East Coast with food. 2 Today, the city is known for its strong urban agriculture networks of home gardens 3 , community gardens, school gardens, educational farms, and related job training programs. 4 The non-profit Advocates for Urban Agriculture was one of the groups that helped establish these networks.…”