Rooted in Rosemount: Promoting Urban Agriculture Systems

Abstract

This project was completed as part of a year-long partnership between the City of Rosemount and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (http://www.rcp.umn.edu). The City of Rosemount is a growing suburban community with a shrinking agricultural sector. Supporting both its agricultural roots and plans for urban expansion has proved to be a delicate balancing act for the City. The goal of this project was to explore opportunities to capitalize on the existing local agricultural economy in Rosemount by supporting locally grown food and value-added agribusinesses. In collaboration with city project lead Eric Zweber, a planner for the City of Rosemount, a team of students in PA 5242: Environmental Planning, Policy, and Decision Making researched strategies for urban agriculture systems and provided recommendations for strategies in Rosemount based on local needs, community culture, and existing assets. A final report, presentation, and poster from the project are available.