Notes From the Field: Visiting Agritopia
The Agritopia logo on the side of a building
This is the first in a series of blog posts describing our field visits to other agrihoods that we plan to visit in 2025.
On 3/10/2025 I visited the first agrihood of the year. The site, Agritopia, is located in Gilbert, AZ just outside of Phoenix. Agritopia sits on 166 acres of mixed use development and boasts 11 acres of urban farmland.
I arrived in the vicinity of Agritopia just before noon on a Monday afternoon. As I approached in the rental car, I noticed the citrus tree-lined sidewalk on the perimeter of the development and passed a street labeled “Agritopia Loop” before I found a parking lot behind a restaurant.
I wandered away from what appeared to be the epicenter of Agritopia and headed towards the residential area. I passed the white picket fenced fields where the annual crops were growing. The dirt path was lined on either side by fields and the housing straight ahead made a for a unique terminating vista.
A dirt walking path between cultivation fields, leading to Agritopia’s residential district
I ducked into the narrow streets where the Agritopians reside. I was struck by the largeness of the homes, many of which were sided with stucco. The lots were impressively small for such large homes and distance from the homes to the curb was also very space efficient with narrow streets. I continued my trek down the side streets of the neighborhood spotting young citrus trees, bushes and gravel beds where a Midwesterner expects to see grass.
An image of Agritopia’s residential community
After a short hike, I made it into what seemed to be the core of the residential community. In one section, there were a dozen or so homes arranged around a courtyard which was bisected by a sinuous path. The houses were large with small lots and prominent porches which showed signs of frequent and good use. Mature trees hovered overhead and grass and lawn furniture adorned the courtyard. These homes designed around a courtyard had a pocket neighborhood vibe and provided an excellent sense of enclosure.
A courtyard in Agritopia surrounded by houses
It was noon on a Monday so I didn’t expect to see many people out and about but I did see a group of young kids picking oranges from one of the trees that separated the agriculture area from the residential area. They were dissecting the orange and talking about birds as I walked by. These citrus trees grew without the fanfare expected of an urban food forest, rather they were planted neatly and spaced as one would expect an ornamental tree row planting.
An orange tree in Agritopia
After making a loop around the interior of the development, I arrived at the commercial center and found a farmhouse cafe teaming with families and birds in the outdoor seating area. I had already eaten but, it was time for second lunch! Near the outdoor seating area was a great tree! It was broad trunked and sprawling. I ate my meal of biscuits and gravy and watched the servers water the tree with the remains of water pitchers following each
After my meal, I explored the agrihood further. I wanted to see some more of the design elements they used. I noted several and snapped some photos of their community mailboxes, a chair made from a tree stump, a shipping container building, and their farm inspired design choices.
I decided to take another peak at the farm portion of the agrihood and I’m glad I did! I followed a different trail this time and discovered a portion of the farm that I hadn’t seen before - it was the community gardens. Raised beds intermingled with garden sheds and lawn furniture. It just so happened to be the first day of the an agricultural themed spring break camp for children. As I walked past I could hear a teacher encouraging children to find earthworms within the dirt!
A bit further down in the community garden area, there were families taking a stroll through the paths of raised beds. I got the impression that going for walks through the garden area was a regular occurrence for individuals and families who lived there. The development’s designers made some smart choices by locating the agricultural portion so centrally which ensures that you’d have to walk through or by the farm to get from the residential portion to the commercial portion.
Agritopia’s community gardens
All in all, I thought Agritopia was a well designed development with a lot of excellent design features. It was clear that the designers applied many best practices in their development of the natural, social and built environments.
Built Environment Notes: I thought they did a great job with limiting the amount of impervious surface in the community. I liked some of the design features such as the shallow setbacks, narrow roads and courtyards. There were several businesses including restaurants, coffee shops and at least one bar that I saw. They had 4 over 1 apartment buildings in an area that I didn’t explore much. They all seemed walkable but somewhat separated from the residential portion. What would it be likely to more fully integrate and intersperse the residential and the commercial?
Social Environment Notes: Unfortunately, I didn’t spend enough time in Agritopia to thoroughly assess the relevant dimensions of its social environment but from what I saw the community was vibrant and close knit. I saw several families out on walks, I saw kids picking fruit and feeding birds. I saw the signs of people enjoying their patios and common areas. I saw children gathered in a community garden and learning together. Given the strength of the built environment, I can see it facilitating social interaction and making a strong social environment possible as well! There happened to be a spring break camp that week in the community gardens but what would it look like to have children learning onsite every single week of the year?
Natural Environment Notes: I loved the positioning of the farm within the community and the citrus trees which lined much of the perimeter and the groves. However, I didn’t see much land that was intentionally wild or anything resembling hedgerows. I also saw a lot of exposed dirt without mulch or cover crops. I don’t know much about the growing conditions in Arizona so I can’t rule out the possibility that there’s a good reason for this. But I wonder what it would be like to have more wild spaces for kids and for biodiversity?