Chicago's history and urban development have been connected to its role as a food hub and driver of technological innovations in the food industry. In the 1970s, the city started redefining its relation to agriculture by integrating various forms of urban agriculture. Today, the city is known for its strong network of community gardens, educational farms, and job training programs. Over the last decade, the city has also attracted various entrepreneurial controlled environment production facilities, such as hydroponic greenhouses, rooftop greenhouses, and vertical indoor farms using innovative growing methods and economic models. Other urban farms deploy hybrid models that combine a robust social agenda with emerging, economically-driven food production systems. These multi-layer urban agriculture operations with strong community and commercial objectives contribute to community empowerment and urban revitalization. This comparative analysis concludes a three-part mixed-method investigation of Chicago's foodshed and urban agriculture networks, which move in scale from the Metropolitan region, City of Chicago, and organizational networks to this smallest scale of specific physical locations and architectural spaces. The investigation relies on publicly available datasets and online data collected by the author. It analyzes urban agricultural networks through (1) GIS-based mapping; (2) a review of organizational structures; and (3) an analysis of critical building projects, with a focus on the award-winning Farm on Ogden in the North Lawndale neighborhood and The Plant in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. This analysis of pioneering projects may inspire other community-minded projects and cities to establish innovative pathways. The identified novel approaches will help legislators, community leaders, planners, and architects to provide for growing urban populations, create common spaces, develop frameworks to support regionally sustainable food production, promote social equity, and improve the well-being of historically marginalized communities.

INTRODUCTION In the diverse field of urban agriculture practices, an increasing number of operations cultivate produce using hydroponic (soilless) systems with high-tech enclosures to increase productivity and locate the growing system in and on buildings. Together with indoor farms, plant factories, and other building-related (often vertical) forms of agriculture, rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) constitute a relatively novel approach to crop cultivation that aims to conserve resources by moving food production into cities (Specht et al., 2014). RTGs are an innovative enclosure type used to practice Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) in cities. CEA systems allow for resource-efficient year-round production with recirculating systems that conserve water and nutrients. Due to the high level of controls that produce consistent growing conditions, CEA systems increase crop yields (Shamshiri et al., 2018). RTGs simultaneously embody the technological know-how of CEA hydroponic production facilities, the innovation of Building-Integrated Agriculture (BIA) growing systems, and the potential to produce directly for urban markets.

Please find a preprint of this chapter on ResearchGate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aquaponics is a circular food production system that combines fish and plant cultivation. Its benefits can further the urban agriculture movement through sustainable food production, community support, and education. While the growing system is well understood, its prospective integration into cities, regional foodsheds, and circular economy require detailed consideration from both built environment and economic perspectives. The proliferation of aquaponic operations beyond backyard hobbyists has emerged recently as technology has evolved to support industrial scale production. In this context, existing operations are analyzed based on their technical attributes, economic viability, and sustainable benefits. Five key operation types are described and examples of each are discussed. The chapter concludes with a preliminary understanding of how urban aquaponics can contribute to sustainable food systems and further the regenerative aims of the circular city model.

Please find a preprint of this chapter on ResearchGate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) have become an iconic symbol for integrating Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) in cities and have greatly inspired urban agriculture advocates, architects, and planners. Despite this positive image, few large RTGs have been built, and even fewer successful RTG farm operations exist. While built examples have shown how to master technical requirements, it is still challenging to make an economic case for commercial food production on urban rooftops and justify the high upfront investment for RTGs. This chapter identifies significant challenges and opportunities for investing in this innovative, high-tech urban farming typology based on the in-depth analysis of two exceptionally successful commercial rooftop greenhouse operations in North America – Lufa Farms in Montreal and Gotham Greens headquartered in New York City. The chapter reviews technical, practical, and legal difficulties in constructing greenhouses on roofs, establishing production systems and distribution models, as well as elaborating financial strategies for raising investment capital and pursuing business expansions. Besides considering these technical, operational, and economic factors, the study identifies typology-specific opportunities to generate additional value, marketing opportunities, environmentally sustainable building performance, and social benefits for urban communities. The chapter reflects on how RTGs can be peri-urban production facilities, contribute to new multi-purpose food centers in cities, and provide additional social services to urban dwellers. With their ability to add to multiple dimensions of sustainability, RTGs are poised to generate impactful contributions to new urban and regional food systems.

Aquaponics is a circular food production system that combines fish and plant cultivation. Its benefits can further the urban agriculture movement through sustainable food production, community support, and education. While the growing system is well understood, its prospective integration into cities, regional foodsheds, and circular economy require detailed consideration from both built environment and economic perspectives. The proliferation of aquaponic operations beyond backyard hobbyists has emerged recently as technology has evolved to support industrial scale production. In this context, existing operations are analyzed based on their technical attributes, economic viability, and sustainable benefits. Five key operation types are described and examples of each are discussed. The chapter concludes with a preliminary understanding of how urban aquaponics can contribute to sustainable food systems and further the regenerative aims of the circular city model.