Stephen Pantalone
UEP 232
Assignment 1 – Project Topic Interest and Spatial Questions
Mapping Potential Vertical Farming sites in Boston
1) The new revolution in food is buying “local” and when possible organic food. The
environmental and economical benefits of buying locally are gaining momentum in
popular media outlets. However, there are limits to the amount of farmland available
and the duration of the farming season in different geographic regions of the United
States. The potential for eating “local” is currently limited, unless new sources of
food production are implemented.
Alternative farming methods that allow for indoor growing (generally called vertical
farming) could potentially expand these limits. The purpose of my GIS project would
be to identify potential sites within the Boston for both indoor (vertical) and open
space farming. I would use data on vacant buildings, open parcels, brown fields or
other unused properties. I would also map existing farms surrounding and within
Boston to understand the current food production. My target audience would be city
officials and state politicians interested in urban farming and sustainability.
2) Spatial Questions
o Where is the greatest concentration of vacant buildings
o Where is the greatest concentration of vacant parcels of land or brownfield sites
o Where are the food deserts in Boston
o What communities in Boston do not have access to farmers markets
o What areas of Boston have the greatest unemployment (potential for job creation)
3) References
The University of Cornell Crop and Soil Department developed a Food Shed mapping
model that allowed users to see foodshed areas for 125 population centers within New
York. With proper data the model can also be used to map foodsheds in other states.
Cornell used data on agricultural land (quantity, soil quality, etc) to determine the
capacity of food production relative to the distribution of population.
America Farm Land Trust mapped the foodshed of San Francisco using a 100 mile
radius from the city center. To understand how much of the food consumed in San
Francisco could be produced locally the researchers investigated food production (by
type) as well as the consumer statistics (by type). The GIS maps help the user
visualize food production and consumption data around San Francisco.
4) If you know existing data sources (GIS, tabular, maps, or other) to support the
projects, please also list these and indicate whether you have free access to them
I should have free access to census data and maps from Mass GIS. Information on
farming production may be more difficult to capture but I will look at the
Massachusetts farmer’s market association. Since vertical farming on a large scale
does not exist yet, I will need to rely on organizations that have calculated production
capabilities. There is a professor out of Columbia who has done significant work on
vertical farming.
Mapping the Watershed of Lake Cochituate
1) I am interested in water runoff, its impact on the water supply, and ways to mitigate
damage and stress on infrastructure through LID and other mechanisms. My GIS
project would be to map the watershed of Lake Cochituate, land uses within the
watershed and areas of greatest risk to runoff. My map would help planners visualize
the watershed and easily indentify problem areas. Experience in mapping a
watershed would also be helpful for the water resources class I expect to take in the
fall.
2) Spatial Questions
o What is the watershed of Lake Cochituate
o What are the land/use patterns around Lake Cochituate
o Where are the potential contamination points in the watershed
3) 2 references – preferably peer reviewed
I have not read the entire articles but the Garbrecht article is peer reviewed and
discusses watershed modeling. There is also good information on the ESRI and EPA
websites.
4) If you know existing data sources (GIS, tabular, maps, or other) to support the
projects, please also list these and indicate whether you have free access to them
I know that the watershed for Lake Cochituate has already been mapped so the data
on the watershed area as well as contamination points should be readily available
from the town or the state. Land use patterns surrounding the lake should also be
easy to find via Mass GIS. There is also the potential to learn more about ARC
Hydro and how I might use that for my project. I expect that most of the information
will be free.
Creating the Urban Forest
1) This GIS project would involve mapping potential green spaces in Boston – or
perhaps only a certain neighborhood. These areas would include roofs, walls,
medians and sidewalks. By calculating the total space available for plants, trees and
soil I could then estimate how much water would be saved from the sewer system and
how much Co2 would be removed from the air. This topic would also point to
environmental justice issues as I imagine that the communities with the least green
space will be poorer.
This mapping idea is part of my general interest in creating “urban forests” which I
think would have great societal impacts. I believe that while we are social creatures
we have an innate affection for nature and life that it brings. To me sustainability is
the cradle to cradle process the nature has already perfected. However, many cities
have removed this exposure to nature with the exception of city parks. This map
would help to visualize and quantify the potential for urban forests.
2) Spatial Questions
o Where is the areas without plant or tree cover
o What is the rooftop coverage potential
o Where are potential medians
o Where are potential Green Wall spaces
3) 2 references – preferably peer reviewed
4) If you know existing data sources (GIS, tabular, maps, or other) to support the
projects, please also list these and indicate whether you have free access to them
I should be able to use existing maps and the supporting census data and areal
photographs. I should also be able to find data on the existing tree inventory and
open space. I envision difficulties in finding data or existing maps on roof top cover
and certainly green wall space.
Other Ideas (without actual questions or references)
Mapping the misallocation of community resources
1) A potential thesis topic (in the fuzziest sense) is the allocation of resources in
communities. For example, I believe that children (through high school) and
retirees/elderly people are underutilized and underserved populations. If towns, cities
or states had tools to identify and match excess capacity and needs they could
potentially creates programs to address those inefficiencies. I have many theories of
public policy changes in education, retirement ages and retraining programs that
would help alleviate those inefficiencies.
I don’t know if this is really a possible project, scientifically – i.e. whether I would be
making assumptions based on my own opinion. However, it definitely something I
am thinking about for a potential thesis.
2) Spatial Questions
o Where are high schools in relation to senior centers
o Where are single parents in relation to retirees
o Where are other part time jobs
o Where are the greatest needs for jobs in comparison to the supply
Mapping a portion of the high speed rail plans
1) In the fall I researched the potential for high speed rail (HSR) in the United States.
The interest in HSR has grown because of the administrations financial support. I
think it would be interesting to map one of the designated corridors in GIS. One of
my interests is to research economic development along transit corridors. I don’t
know if it’s possible but I was thinking about mapping development or potential
development in GIS.
Mapping Dedicated Bus Lanes
1) Another idea is mapping traffic patterns along Washington Street in the Southend.
When the Washington street redevelopment was completed in 2000, there was
supposed to be a dedicated bus lane that also tripped the stoplights. However, it is
certainly not a dedicated bus lane and is not a speedy trip. I have an interest in
dedicated bus lanes (with actual physical barriers) and wonder if it would be possible
transfer the interest to GIS. Perhaps looking at traffic patterns, existing bus routes?
Other
Mapping Mountain top removal, affects on streams
Social Investing – keeping it local. Investors finding local businesses