EDIBLE CITY SIDEWALKS AND PARKS

During my college days in the City Beautiful Chandigarh, while walking or cycling its streets, I wondered why not grow mango or other fruit trees beside the flowering Gulmohars and various decorative plants on the city sidewalks. The idea always received rejection and was even laughed at by my friends.

But ever since, it remains seeded in my odd or weird reasoning without realizing that “edible parks and gardens” and even sidewalks are becoming increasingly popular in cities worldwide.

For example:

The High Line Park in New York City features a 4,000-square-foot vegetable garden yearly yields over 500 pounds of fresh produce.

The Adelaide Central Market in Australia features an urban rooftop garden that supplies fresh produce to the market’s food vendors.

The Amaliehaven Park in Copenhagen, Denmark, features an extensive herb garden and an apple orchard.

The Kibera Public Space Project in Nairobi transformed a dumpsite into an edible park. The park features a community garden and a market selling fresh produce.

In many cities, the trend is already catching up when front lawns now grow vegetables, herbs plants and grape vines. And we often see vacant city lots going green as community gardens to produce a variety of food plants.

The next in line in urban green revolutions are the street sidewalks. Why not?

They offer plenty of space to grow large and small trees, vines, shrubs, and plants that produce fruits, nuts, and all other edible products.

The fruit trees provide the same greenery and beautification.

For example, the spring blossom from the no-cherry fruit trees can be replaced with fruit-bearing cherries as we’ll get the same allure and charm plus the natural fruits. The same goes with walnut, almond, other nut trees, apple, pears, grapevines, blueberries, etc., offering beauty and benefits for city dwellers.

Besides providing greenery, purifying the city atmosphere and creating sustainable, healthy, and vibrant urban spaces, the edible sidewalks and park project will give fresh supplies of fruits and vegetables that may bring down the prices of these products.

Otherwise, soon an apple a day will be a dream away.

-by Promod Puri