Possibilities For the Urban Grower: Finding Sites in the City of Atlanta using Geographic Information Systems

Urban agriculture and the local food movement have taken main stage both in academic discourse and public and political media. Socio-environmental downfalls of our current industrial food systems have been highlighted, compelling the public and political spheres to engage in activities that support the integration of local, urban food-growing systems. This thesis aims to contribute to that integration by examining possibilities for urban agriculture within the city limits of Atlanta. Through geospatial analysis methods and consultation of city and county property records, possible future sites were ascertained using socioeconomic and ecological factors, with 21 key neighborhoods found to have the greatest potential and need to transform existing land use for agricultural purposes. This research contributes to the larger goal of systemic integration of urban and local food systems into our current economic, political and social landscape, and the study is framed using social theoretical insights from urban geography. While further examination of these urban agricultural food systems is vital, this thesis contributes to broader discussions about urban environmental sustainability and supports the roots of the local food movement by identifying possible sites for food cultivation and food markets