Event aims to strengthen Buffalo’s support for equitable urban agriculture policy

Jerome Kaufman’s son, Dan, says his dad was the best editor he’s ever had. That’s high praise given that Dan now writes for The New Yorker and The New York Times.

Dan Kaufman will offer opening remarks at an event Oct. 29 at UB, where dozens of his father’s colleagues and former students will gather to honor the late Jerome “Jerry” Kaufman, an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kaufman devoted his life to improving urban education and race, central city planning, gender in planning, ethics and food systems.

The event will also launch a new book in Kaufman’s honor, titled “Planning for Equitable Urban Agriculture.” The book — which was produced by more than 50 individuals, many of whom Kaufman trained and worked with — is dedicated to the memory of Jerome L. Kaufman, whom the editors note “taught [them] how to ask the right questions, seek just solutions and act on them.”

The event will take place from 4-7 p.m. in 403 Hayes Hall, South Campus. It is open to the public both in person and via Zoom; attendees must register online. Space is limited, and only registered attendees will be admitted.

It’s believed that Kaufman’s early preoccupation with planning ethics helped today’s planners know to ask, “Who is planning, who is being planned for, and at whose expense?” These are among the questions that will be tackled by this group of scholars, advocates and urban growers. The gathering both celebrates Kaufman’s legacy as a mentor, scholar and practitioner, and serves as a call to action for individuals to help local governments invest in urban agriculture instead of just regulating it.

Event organizers hope that the city of Buffalo will strengthen its support for equitable urban agriculture. Many other cities — including Boston, Austin, Detroit, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. — have already established supportive urban agriculture municipal policy. Representatives from Boston and Dallas will be at the event to share insights from their cities.

Kaufman blended the roles of activist, practitioner, scholar and teacher throughout his professional life. He was a quintessential planner, diving into disparate questions if the answers got him strategically closer to making places work better for people, especially those pushed to the margins. Principles of fairness and justice were a central tenet of his life and work. He wrote about ethics, food systems, race, and gender and planning, among other topics.

More information about the symposium is available on the UB Food Lab website.