Summary aNalySiS
The typical suburban neighborhood in Northampton consists of expansive, flat, quarter- to one-acre lawns surrounding residences. The primary soil type in this district is an outwash loam, which is fairly well-suited for cultivating food.
Suburban development Farmland Major Roads
1 mi
2 mi
diStrict capacity For cultiVatioN (The following are estimated figures)
• 5,500 acres of land, of which roughly 850 acres are open fields currently used as farmland or could provide suitable conditions for large-scale cultivation
coNStraiNtS • A culture that values large lawns instead of front yard gardens, with assumptions that food cultivation and residential living are mutually exclusive. • Due to, among other things, the separations large lawns cause and other cultural norms, suburban neighbors tend to interact less than their urban counterparts and have less public space in which they can fraternize, collectively care for, or mutually benefit from.
• 200 to 500 acres of lawn space
• Primary soil type: outwash loam, fairly well-suited for food cultivation • Majority of slopes: 0 - 8%, appropriate for food cultivation
&
opportuNitieS
• Expansive, flat lawns offer optimal conditions for food cultivation. • Over 300 acres of Northampton State Hospital Land is under an Agriculture Preservation Restriction (APR) and could accommodate food cultivation.
• Development has encroached on agriculture land. • Lack of sidewalks, bike lanes, buses, and other alternatives to automobile transportation decreases car-free accessibility to supermarkets downtown. Feed NorthamptoN disTricTs
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