Metro eyes sky-rise farming

Metro eyes sky-rise farmingSurrey may be home to region's first vertical greenhouseKelly Sinoski, Vancouver SunPublished: Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Rooftop gardens and vertical greenhouses could be a sign of the times in Metro Vancouver as the region wrestles with ways to tackle a global food crisis and the effects of climate change.

And Surrey could lead the trend, with at least one developer considering building a so-called vertical farm in Whalley, which is slated to become the region's second downtown.

Vertical farms could potentially be as high as 30 storeys, with glass walls, solar panels and an irrigation system to grow beds of produce inside.

"We're trying to look at the future and the future is going to be some form of urban agriculture," Surrey Coun. Marvin Hunt said. "I'd like to see it right in the city centre."