Growing NZ cities eat up fertile land – but housing and food production can co-exist

Cities around the world face a similar dilemma: population growth and housing shortages mean urban expansion often encroaches on rural productive land.

Fertile soil is one of the reasons why many cites were originally set up in certain sites, but now the loss of these food-producing landscapes to urban growth is widely recognised as a concern to local food security.

The edges of cities – the “peri-urban” zone – are critically important for urban resilience.

This short article, free to republish under Creative Commons,  summarises research that worked with communities to re-think the potential for this land.