from what little research i have done it all depends on the variety as to how agressive they grow and spread. i am thinking of it as an easy to use light weight building material but there are variteies suitable as food species Bambusa vulgaris and Phyllostachys edulis.

Bambusa vulgaris is an open clump type bamboo species with lemon yellow culms with green stripes and dark green leaves. The shoots are edible and remain buttercup yellow after cooking. It can tolerate minor frost. It is a preferred species for erosion control. It can grow up to a height of 12 m, and a thickness of 8 cm

Phyllostachys is a genus of bamboo. The species are native to Asia with a large number of species found in Central China, but can now be found in many temperate and semi-tropical areas around the world as cultivated plants or escapes from cultivation. Most of the species spread aggressively by underground rhizomes and some are considered invasive species in areas outside their native range, particularly in North America.

The stem or culm has a prominent groove, called a sulcus, that runs along the length of each segment (or internode). Because of this it is one of the most easily identifiable genera of bamboo.

There are approximately 75 species and 200 varieties and cultivars of Phyllostachys. The largest grow to be about 100 feet (30 m) tall in optimum conditions. Some of the larger species, sometimes known as "timber bamboo", are used as construction timber and for making furniture.

careful selection of the correct variteies would provide you with a continuing source of building material, which could be traded and a source of food