Agrihoods emerged in the 1990s as a master-planned alternative to the golf-centered communities of the past. Many of these developments are going strong, and gaining in popularity.
"In today's modern, fast-paced world, [families are] seeking the perks of a more bucolic lifestyle without sacrificing the convenience of the burbs or the advantages of being near a larger city," according to Clare Trapasso. "It's led to the rise of an emerging type of suburban community, centered around farms, dubbed 'agrihoods.' Specific numbers are tough to come by, but more have been cropping up in recent years from coast to coast."
Trapasso begins the story by visiting the experience of one family at Serenbe, "a housing development built around a working farm, just an hour outside the city [of Atlanta]," that is one of the best-documented examples of agrihoods. Trapasso also discusses housing costs and daily life on agrihoods. The article also includes a final twist in its description of the agrihoods concept: an urban example from the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative: a 3-acre farm revitalizing a struggling neighborhood in Detroit's Lower North End.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research