Imagine inverting the medieval village: instead of fields radiating outward from a walled center, homes encircle a working farm. These "agrihoods" are sprouting across California, placing food production — not parking lots — at the heart of community life. They promise resilience in a warming world: capturing rainwater, cooling scorching pavement, feeding neighbors with arugula harvested within the month. As one designer notes, agrihoods offer "active open space that actually generates commerce" — bridging the developer's need to build and the community's hunger for green. Yet the vision requires more than romance. Water systems, crop selection, storage, staffing — all must be resolved before the first seed goes in the ground. When done well, though, these farms don't just grow tomatoes. They cultivate a different way of living together.
