MVRDV’s proposal from a few years back (2001) for ‘Pig City’, a set of towers with pigs raised in the ultimate high density strikes a more recent chord with our current fascination with all things urban gardening and vertical farming – and perhaps a dischord in the recent Swine Flu pandemic. While the tongue-in-cheek nature of this project is obvious, with anything semi-satirical, there’s a mountain of opportunity hidden in the folds of this proposal. So as the chicken coop at our urban homestead begins to transform from idea to reality – it makes me think of the pros and cons of urban animals in the cycle of civic ecology, as well as tapping into rooftops and buildings – complemented by open space and vacant lands not just for vegetable, but animal production. Now about the smell…

:: image via City Farmer News

Some text on the idea, via Inhabitat: “In 2000, pork was the most consumed form of meat at 80 billion kg per year. Recent animal diseases such as Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth disease are raising serious questions about pork production and consumption. Two opposing reactions can be imagined. Either we change our consumption pattern and become instant vegetarians [unfathomable!!] or we change the production methods and demand biological farming.”

:: image via Inhabitat

:: image via City Farmer News