Wall Street Journal Credits Brooklyn Law Study for Fueling Push for Urban Farming

New York City has the largest urban agriculture system in the country, including community and rooftop gardens and greenhouses, as well as “vertical farms,” windowless rooms aglow with LED lights for nurturing herbs and lettuces to life. And yet new growers are often unable to break into the urban farming business, stymied by confusion and lack of regulations. Thanks to Brooklyn Law School’s Center for Urban Business and Entrepreneurship (CUBE) and a seminal white paper written by CUBE fellow Tatiana Z. Pawlowski ’17 examining urban agriculture in New York City, the future of urban farming may open up significantly.

A bill submitted to the City Council on July 20, introduced by Councilman Rafael Espinal and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, calls for a comprehensive urban agriculture plan with updated zoning and building codes, as well as a possible office of urban agriculture.

The Wall Street Journal prominently featured CUBE in a story about the push for urban farming in New York City.

“Clearer regulations would also help growers attract investors,” said John Rudikoff, who leads the center. “Venture capital and investment banking are going to remain on the sidelines because there’s no municipal assurance that these uses they might be investing in are permitted.”

Read more:
Urban Farming Gets New York City Council Attention, The Wall Street Journal, July 20, 2017

Watch the CUBE event Growing Greens in the Grid: The Future of Urban Agriculture in NYC