Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2019·Global

Would a sustainable city be self-sufficient in food production?

Gaston E. Small, Robert McDougall, Geneviève S. Metson

International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics

Urban Farm DB summary

This study analyzes the potential benefits and costs of urban agriculture, comparing tradeoffs in different sustainability metrics. It assesses how optimal urban agriculture varies by context, such as maximizing production in dense areas versus filling vacant land in post-industrial cities. The research also examines urban agriculture's role in making food systems resilient and includes a case study comparing resource use and pollution for lettuce production via outdoor urban agriculture, indoor urban agriculture, conventional methods, and cross-continental transport for one U.S. metropolitan area.