The idea was to allow for more light and air in dense, vertical areas, and to have developers give back to the city a little bit for what they were gaining by building bigger. But vague rules led to the creation of inaccessible, inhospitable spaces with little or no public benefit.

We all of course know the story of Noah’s Ark -- of massive floods sent by a disgusted God to wipe out our corrupted civilization except for Noah, who, with his family, builds an Ark to save pairs of animals to eventually repopulate the planet. The contemporary take on the story has some new twists.

Sarah Rich and Nicola Twilley discuss the impact of food systems on the physical city in advance of Foodprint NYC, an event at Studio-X.