Call for New Ruralism

The New Ruralism principles and approach are outlined in A Call for New Ruralism published in Frameworks, the annual magazine of the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design.

Local Market and Multifunctional Agriculture Assessment for SACOG

SAGE contributed to the production of an assessment on the potential of Sacramento region agriculture to increase its own viability and the sustainability of the region, by supplying more of the region's nutritional needs and other public benefits.

This assessment white paper is part of SACOG's Rural Urban Connection Strategy (RUCS), a look at the region's growth and sustainability objectives from a rural perspective. In the same way that Blueprint is an economic development strategy for urban areas, the RUCS project will be an economic and environmental sustainability strategy for rural areas.

Click here to view information about the RUCS.

San Francisco Foodshed Assessment

SAGE, in collaboration with AMR and the American Farmland Trust (AFT), produced a feasibility study about the potential of the City of San Francisco to get more of its food from local sources as a means to increase urban public health, regional agriculture viability, and urban-rural linkages.

The Assessment led to the convening of the Mayor's San Francisco Urban-Rural Round-table, which SAGE helped lead.

Click here to download the Assessment.

Fresno’s South East Growth Area (SEGA) Plan

SAGE consulted with Calthorpe Associates on the development of community farming and local food systems as significant, integral elements in the sustainability of a proposed 13,000-acre City expansion.

SAGE's report included case studies and a typology for a range of urban agriculture and community farming systems.

Coyote Valley Greenbelt Report

SAGE developed the Coyote Valley Greenbelt Report for the City of San Jose, as part of the Coyote Valley Specific Plan. The report includes an existing conditions description, compiled interviews with over 100 stakeholders, and an overall assessment of the challenges and opportunities for creating a non-urban environment supportive of agriculture.

The Coyote Valley is a large expanse of farmland, orchards and homes on the southern edge of San Jose, in an area once known as the Valley of the Heart's Delight. Targeted for development, the San Jose City Council envisioned a 3,500 acre Coyote Valley Greenbelt that would be a 'unique non-urban environment supportive of vibrant small-scale agriculture, conservation areas, and homesites.'

Prior to producing the Greenbelt Report, SAGE participated on the production of Getting it Right - Coyote Valley Vision Plan - a plan to link the need for new jobs and housing with the need to preserve prime urban-edge farmland. SAGE proposed an innovative approach of a community food belt that aims to match housing and jobs and food needs and that frames urban agriculture foremost as an urban amenity.

Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems Assessment for Festival Ranch Master Planned Community

SAGE prepared a Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems Assessment for Festival, a proposed new master-planned community near Phoenix, Arizona.

The development considered 'food' as a major element that impacts sense of place, natural resource stewardship, education, environmental footprint, and public health and wellness. The SAGE assessment is 75-page document outlining strategies that planned communities can use to establish healthy food systems. It also includes guiding principles and research data that form the basis for an implementation plan.