Hayes Valley Farm
San Francisco, United States · Operator: Hayes Valley Farm (community collective)
Overview
A temporary-use urban farm that turned freeway ruins into a food forest.
Citizen participation
Over 20,000 volunteers took part; run as an urban agriculture education and research site.
Operating model
Interim free use of demolished-freeway parcels until development arrived.
Impact
Conceived as interim use from the start; it closed on 31 May 2013 to make way for a condo development. Lesson: even a thriving 'interim use' farm must vacate as agreed.
Crops
- vegetables
- cover crops
Scale
8,903 m² — 約2.2エーカーの旧高速道路跡地。2013年5月31日閉鎖 (closed May 2013)
Sources(2)
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
Related cases
Keep Growing Detroit
USDetroit, United States
A Detroit non-profit supporting over 2,000 gardens, working toward a food-sovereign city where residents grow much of the produce they consume by activating vacant lots.
visitdetroit.com+1
Growing Home
USChicago, United States
Growing Home runs USDA-certified organic urban farms on vacant Chicago lots and offers a 14-week paid job-training program to people with barriers to employment, using agriculture as a vehicle for personal and community renewal.
growinghomeinc.org+1
Detroit Farm-A-Lot Program
USDetroit, United States
A $240,000 grant program launched by Eastern Market Partnership and City of Detroit Office of Sustainability in February 2026. Prioritizes Black- and Indigenous-led farms, youth-led projects, and initiatives in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Recipients (including Grow Moore Produce, Brightmoor Artisans Collectives, Chang Hill Tribe, and Leilu Gardens) advance food access, climate education, and sustainable agricultural practices through December 2026.
michiganmamanews.com+1
South Central Farm (community garden)
USLos Angeles, United States
One of the largest urban farms in the US (~14 acres), active from the 1990s to 2006. A vacant lot seized for an incinerator that was never built became a self-organized garden where immigrant residents grew traditional crops as a hub of food and culture.
en.wikipedia.org+1