Urban Agriculture: Chicago Suburb Gives a Yarden the Stinkeye

Urban agriculture and home gardening at the mercy of the Neighborhood Association? It's a tough period of time as we shift from the old mentality of manicured lawns and decorative ceramic trolls to pea trellises and cucumber vines. And there will probably be some bumps along the way.

A Chicago suburbanite has been growing his front yard for food. And it raises a lot of questions about the legality of food independence. So far, the act of growing food for personal use is not illegal; rather, it is left up to neighbors to decide what is best for their neighborhoods.  More or less, this is probably the best and most democratic  method of neighborhood sustainability for now, except when trouble comes days like ours where a serious economic decline in which unkempt front lawns of abandoned or repossessed houses invite a further plunge in already slumping real estate values.

Shortsighted factoring of illiquid values - like real estate -  can easily cause neighborhoods that would gladly reap the benefits of a neighborhood garden (in both beauty and nutrition) during prosperous times will turn to the courts when they see numbers plummeting from their net worth. This is what happened in the suburban neighborhood of Northbrook, outside of Chicago, Illinois. According to Thomas Poupard, the director of community planning for the village, "[Vegetable gardening] doesn't quite fit Northbrook's regulations for front yard use." So this statement begs the question: what is the regulation for front yard use? It really depends on the neighborhood. So if you're planning a garden, it's probably wise to check.

It's good to note, also, that the community is not requiring that the homeowner remove his garden this season, but asking that he not continue it next year. And maybe by next year they can come to an agreement within the community that will satisfy all parties.

In a few years, real estate values will rise, and there will be less complaints - and though I hope otherwise, there will be less gardening in front yards. The fact is that home gardening is usually spurred by the economic distress of a community in the first place. Hopefully it's continued in more plentiful times and we continue to see the vested interest in food independence, autonomy and prosperity that accompanies the "victory garden" ethic.

I'm curious to your opinions about this kind of thing, specifically those of you that live in areas with either a vigilant neighborhood association or a home owner's association and how you would react to a neighbor with a front yard garden for the sake of food diversity, independence and urban agriculture.

Photo credit: American Homeowners Resource Center