The concept of Agrihood is a program based on creating biodiversity and growing food locally & sustainably using regenerative farming techniques and educating/training youth & community.
I served as a sustainable landscape consultant for the first urban agrihood in the United States. CNGF helped to develop the The Core Companies’ Agrihood project, both in design and technical expertise, by creating a regenerative farm model and by building community partnerships. The project is located in Santa Clara, California.
The CORE Companies is a corporation that specializes in low-income senior housing. As a non-profit community development partner and sustainable land-use consultant, we helped to develop a medium-dense, low-income, affordable and market rate urban village with a working farm, community gardens and native landscaping. This $200,000,000 urban Agrihood will be Silicon Valley’s first-of-its-kind urban farm community.
The Agrihood is a new model of urban living that incorporates affordable, medium-density housing within a self-sustaining environment that includes a working farm and offers numerous programs for wellness education. This is a truly innovative project, unlike any other in the United States. The Agrihood will include a working farm, native landscaping, and innovative methods of water conservation and waste management. It incorporates practices that will sequester more carbon, produce abundant food, clean the air, and promote biodiversity, all while being adjacent to six stories of urban apartment buildings. Nearly 20% of the 6-acre parcel will be devoted to native gardens, food gardens, walking trails, and a working no-till farm.
By utilizing renewable energy, community gardens, native landscaping, and a design that integrates nearby attractions, such as Westfield Valley Fair and Santana Row, Agrihood has the potential to become a beacon of sustainability in an area of limited environmental innovations.
