Mayor Kasim Reed, Wal-Mart and Sustainable Atlanta Announce Urban Farm Design Competition

$35k Wal-Mart investment to transform vacant lot across City Hall into a working farm

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Wal-Mart representatives and officials from the Office of Sustainability and Sustainable Atlanta announced today a competition to design an urban farm on a vacant lot across from City Hall. The Trinity Avenue Urban Farm Design Competition was launched to support the city’s effort in establishing an effective and inspirational model for urban agriculture and furthering the city’s pursuit of becoming a Top 10 sustainable city. In addition, as part of Wal-Mart’s initial funding, there is a $25,000 award to the winning submission.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to create a sustainable and accessible greenspace in the heart of downtown that will serve as a model and educational tool for similar projects in the future,” said Mayor Reed. “I want to thank our partners at Wal-Mart for their generous support of the urban farm and their commitment to bringing fresh produce to inner-city neighborhoods.”

Supported by Wal-Mart, the design competition will transform the site of the old traffic court building – vacant for several years – into a thriving demonstration farm. “We are honored to support this project which will ultimately promote local foods, create jobs and build community,” said Wal-Mart Regional General Manager Karen Brewer-Edwards.

With the ultimate goal of showcasing how fresh food can be grown locally and sustainably, the competition will promote creativity and innovation in the design of the farm, as well raise awareness of the farm itself. The Office of Sustainability is consulting on this multidisciplinary project with Sustainable Atlanta, the Atlanta City Council, the University of Georgia School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Georgia Organics and Truly Living Well.

“By engaging a consortium of city leaders and experts from outside organizations, this cutting-edge demonstration project has the potential to inform a wide range of stakeholders on the benefits of local food programs,” said Sustainable Atlanta Director Suzanne Burnes.

The contest is open to students, educators and professionals across Georgia in fields related to urban agriculture and landscape architecture. Interested competitors must register online at http://www.trinityavenuefarm.org by October 15 and submit proposals by November 1. Once the winning design is chosen, the preparation of the land and design installation will begin immediately, with the farm scheduled to open to the public by the spring of 2012. There will be a $25,000 grand prize awarded to the winning submission.

The demonstration project will support the City of Atlanta’s “Power to Change” sustainability plan and its commitment to bring local food within 10 minutes of 75 percent of all residents by 2020. “The Trinity Avenue farm will be a living visual of the city’s dedication to sustainability,” said Office of Sustainability Communications Manager Aaron Bastian.

“Local, sustainable and organic food practices have numerous health and environmental benefits,” said UGA’s Director of Environmental Sciences Susan Varlamoff. “Local food is often fresher, eliminates negative externalities, such as carbon emissions, and supports our local economy. We applaud Mayor Reed and the city for joining the local food movement by showcasing urban agriculture right in the heart of downtown.”

About the Trinity Avenue Urban Farm
The City of Atlanta intends for the Trinity Avenue Urban Farm to be a productive, crop-producing plot of land and a designated space for innovative projects. Visible to anyone who visits City Hall, the project aims to inspire community awareness and interest in local, sustainable food systems and to encourage citizens to take these practices home. Through this demonstration project, urban agriculture initiatives in local communities can become more widespread, effectively working to support and maintain healthier lifestyles in every neighborhood while saving money on families’ grocery bills. For more information and to enter the design competition, please visit www.trinityavenuefarm.org.

About the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability
The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is focused on instituting environmental protection practices into Atlanta city government. It aims to do so by improving the city’s environmental programs and policies such as water and energy conservation, solid waste and emissions reduction and recycling. To fully expand its commitment to sustainability, Mayor Kasim Reed has pledged that the City of Atlanta will become one of the Top 10 most sustainable cities in the United States. To that end, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability utilizes Recovery Act funding across 16 different programs. These programs are designed to motivate and support community efforts that aim to enhance environmental quality, while supporting jobs and long-term economic growth. For more information about Atlanta’s efforts to create a more sustainable city, please visit the Office of Sustainability’s page within the Mayor’s Office tab at www.atlantaga.gov (www.atlantaga.gov/mayor/sustainability.aspx).