(30a) Pittsburgh: Urban Agriculture and the Food-Energy-Water Nexus

Cities rely on external supply chains for food, energy and water. Urban areas are growing and the dependence on reliable supply chains for these resources grows. The interdependence between the infrastructure and connections of providing these resources has become increasingly significant. Urban agriculture provides an opportunity to address Nexus challenges. Urban agriculture benefits include increasing food resilience and improving stormwater management. Ancillary benefits can also include the potential to reduce the amounts of materials sent to landfills (through composting), the reduction urban heat-island effect, and reducing wastewater treatment loads – all of which come with energy reduction benefits.

Pittsburgh lost a substantial portion of its population during the transition away from its industrial roots as the ‘Steel City.’ A legacy of the population decrease includes empty and abandoned lots (e.g. over 8,000), aging infrastructure, and areas of decline that have created food deserts and challenges associated with the interdependence of food, energy and water. Pittsburgh has implemented multiple initiatives to address this challenge that will realize the benefits from urban agriculture (e.g. a 23 acre urban farm; community driven revitalizations that include energy efficient housing, stormwater infrastructure, rainwater management, and agriculture spaces).

This analysis examines urban agriculture strategic options, the potential benefits, and the challenges. Options include agriculture options (e.g. geoponic, hydroponic, aeroponic systems), water management options (e.g. water reuse), waste management (e.g. biochar as soil enhancer and carbon storage), and energy option (e.g. distributed generation).