ArchDaily featured a sensible vertical farming design by Tim Stephens, a New Zealand architect. In the midst of dense buldings in highly populated urban areas, urban residents could cultivate their own food in buildings that offer individualized plots set into compact terraces. The farms includes winding paths and distinct levels that provide a "sense of adventure and discovery;" the idea is that residents will bump into each other while tending to their plots, increasing social interaction.

Stephen's Urban Farm project includes a set of configurable plots that can be scaled based on the needs of individual farmers and families. Stephens told ArchDaily: "In providing these farming plots for the community to use, the precinct will become a hub for social activity and interaction, something sorely missing in many existing communities." With increased population growth expected for the world's urban areas, Stephens believes food production will need to occur within urban areas soon.

In another example of a vertical farm concept that could become reality, Metropolis magazine's POV  blog noted that Weber Thompson's latest vertical farm concept was presented to city officials and business people in Newark, New Jersey, to relatively positive reviews. " This is probably because, unlike previous vertical-farm designs, Weber Thompson's sane, grey, industrial-style facility looks like it can actually be built." POV describes some of the other more utopian vertical farming concepts that have been created in the past.

Learn more about vertical farming through an ASLA interview with Columbia University Professor Dickson Despommier, who has been leading the charge for these types of buildings. Also, check out Despommier's new book.  

Image credits: (1) Tim Stephens / ArchDaily, (2) Tim Stephens / ArchDaily, (3) Weber Thompson / Metropolis POV blog