Anywhere You Can
In 1996 Alan Chadwick picked a rocky, sunburnt hillside at UC Santa Cruz with scraggly weeds at between two redwood groves. His area had little or no growth potential in the traditional sense. The weeds were the first to die after the spring rains. They were brown most of the year. He simply trucked in the soil and nutrients he needed, terraced a little, and went to work.
You might do the same. Pick a place with the most sun in the planting area. The sun is the only factor you can't control. You can use growing lights in areas that have little or no sunlight, but first weigh the cost of locally available veggies versus the amount you'd be spending on light.
A note on light calculation:
How much for light? You can calculate the cost roughly by reading the box at the store. Your local bill is presented in kilowatt-hours. The figure on the box should read in watts. If it says "100 watts," that means it uses 100 watts in 1 hour. Since 1 kilowatt is 1000 watts, in 10 hours your 100w bulb eats up (10x100) = one kilowatt.
But let's say that they want to fool you, and you read, on the box, "2 amps." More math, but not much. Volts times Amps equal watts. Since our homes in the US run on roughly 120 volt systems, you multiply 120 volts times 2 amps, getting 240 watts. Since 1 kilowatt = 1000 watts, 240 watts is about 1/4 of that. In about 4 hours, then, you're at a kilowatt. You can do this with any electrical appliance, by the way. A fun project for parties you never want to be invited to again.
The upshot is that if you live in an area without sunlight and you pay a lot more for a tomato at the store because of that, the additional cost of grow lights is warranted. But if you can, pick the best-lit position in your yard for the most sunlight; morning sun is best.
You can put this garden on a concrete driveway or deck, but you will be using a LOT of soil, building what will be a 4 x 12 x 2 foot tall planter. I don't know the economics of this, but cost could be an issue.
But then, how about a community garden? These are coming to life in many urban areas with some success. The closer to you, of course, the better. In the first year especially, you'll find yourself going back and forth a lot, doing single tasks that later are combined and more efficient.
In some community gardens, tools are shared, in others, crops are traded. Be sure and meet as many of the participants as possible before getting involved. There might be people, rules or customs that make you feel uncomfortable.
Now, I've heard many people say, "If you don't find a community garden, start one!" These people usually have big, bright eyes and tilt their head to one side while saying this to you. They fill the conversation with helpful hints on removing bloodstains from the carpets and repairing old apple dolls. They' have pictures all over their house of them working at community sewage management commissions and church socials. If you're one of these people, go for it. But if you're a first timer not willing to put in hours negotiating irrigation fights and dealing with accusations within every step of the process? Participate, but don't initiate. This is your first year: you’re here to try to grow crops and save money. Start modestly, pay attention, and you will succeed. Then you can be an irritating acolyte.