Nation's Largest Public Food Forest Gets a Chance to Grow in Atlanta

A new 7-acre public food forest is part of an initiative to ensure every resident of Atlanta has access to fresh food by 2021.

1 minute read

May 29, 2019, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Fruit Trees

Aytunc Dilber / Shutterstock

"An ordinance passed last week by the Atlanta City Council paves the way for the creation of Atlanta’s first public food forest," reports Sean Keenan.

The urban food forest is planned for a 7-acre wooded area in the neighborhood of Lakewood Heights. According to Keenan, the food forest will be the largest in the country. There are 70 public food forests around the country, as mapped by Sustainable America.

"The legislation, pushed by councilmembers Carla Smith, Matt Westmoreland, and Jennifer Ide, calls on the city to pay $157,384 to The Conservation Fund, the environmental agency that purchased the land in 2016 after the plot was abandoned," according to Keenan.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 in Curbed Atlanta

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Close-up of green ULEZ sign in London, UK.

Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution

Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.

46 minutes ago - Smart Cities World

Multicolored tulips in Descanso Gardens, Los Angeles, CA.

Spring Spectacle: Thousands of Tulips Bloom at One of LA’s Top Gardens

Descanso Gardens, one of Los Angeles County’s most beloved botanical destinations, is welcoming spring with 35,000 tulips in bloom, creating a breathtaking seasonal display expected to peak in late March.

1 hour ago - NBC 4

Power lines and towers at dusk.

Ratepayers Could Be on the Hook for Data Centers’ Energy Use

Without regulatory changes, data centers’ high demand for energy would be subsidized by taxpayers, according to a new study.

2 hours ago - Governing