For more "realistic" vertical farming, take a look at those who are doing it today. Chicago has www.plantchicago.com, a work in progress with a limited budget and a lot of useful information that they would share with you. And http://www.psfk.com/2010/08/the-newark-vertical-farm.html is a recent plan that isn't too space-aged to consider trying.

NOTE: alicia chaa's idea "vertical farming" has been merged with this one.

"greenhouse skyscrapers ,,fitting in with the esthetics of glass condos ,,except they are productive rather than consumptive!!
Advantages of Vertical Farming
Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, dependng ... more

greenhouse skyscrapers ,,fitting in with the esthetics of glass condos ,,except they are productive rather than consumptive!!
Advantages of Vertical Farming
Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)
No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests
All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers
VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water
VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services
VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface
VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of
evapotranspiration
VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible
parts of plants and animals
VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)
VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers
VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers
VF creates new employment opportunities
We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on
earth
VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps
VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical
LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production.
VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water
and land for agriculture"

NOTE: Brenna's idea "Build stacked floor farming buildings" has been merged with this one.

"Build new buildings for growing produce, with stacked floors that are purposed to have soil on the floor areas for growing produce. Air temperature is monitered and air kept as fresh as outdoors. This building idea will create giant greenhouse land, whle ... more

Build new buildings for growing produce, with stacked floors that are purposed to have soil on the floor areas for growing produce. Air temperature is monitered and air kept as fresh as outdoors. This building idea will create giant greenhouse land, while taking up less space."

The more modern version is vertical farming.

For more than a decade, Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier has argued that agriculture needs to expand upwards, not outwards. Forget the noble farmer in his fields; enter the 30-story greenhouse running on solar energy and urban wastewater, churning out food year-round.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/12/is-the-world-re/

You can buy yours right now and become a poor farmer working long hard back breaking hours for little pay.

VALCENT PRODUCTS INC. (VERTICROPTM) is a leader in the development and manufacturing of commercial vertical crop technology for global markets. Valcent is a pioneer and leader in eco-technology with its core research and development in sustainable, renewable, and intensive agricultural products.

http://www.valcent.net/s/Home.asp

But alot of this would end up growing marijauna.

Although an alternative would be to house people in chicken coop skyscrapers and save the land for farming.

@ Arthur & alicia chaa, those two ideas have been merged.

Hey there alicia chaa,

While you've listed a fair complement of details in your description, this idea has already been put forward under the heading "local food production, vertically!". Instead of creating a competing entry for the same idea, why not delete this entry, add you votes to the existing one, and include your list as a supporting note in the entry's comments section? Anyway, just a thought.

Advantages of Vertical Farming
Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)
No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests
All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers
VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water
VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services
VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface
VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of
evapotranspiration
VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible
parts of plants and animals
VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)
VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers
VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers
VF creates new employment opportunities
We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on
earth
VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps
VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical
LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production.
VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water
and land for agriculture