Urban Agriculture and Sustainability in Chicago

Urban Farm DB summary

A study of Chicago, United States, examines the experiences and perspectives of low-wage earners, job trainees, and Black youth participating in various urban sustainable development initiatives — including those tied to local food and urban agriculture. It notes that popular accounts of sustainability efforts have largely reflected the perspective of white, middle-class, college-educated volunteers and social entrepreneurs, and argues that such initiatives have historically benefited white middle-class people while sustainable development has in fact reproduced and worsened existing inequality for poor people of color. The study aims to inform debates in urban and environmental sociology about achieving more equitable distributions of power.