Research & reports

Carme Melo Escrihuela · International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning · Spain (Valencia)

The evolution in the preservation, management, and planning of l'Horta de València, a historical Mediterranean huerta in Valencia, Spain, was assessed. It is argued that negative changes and impacts in l'Horta are not simply the outcome of global dynamics but result from the region's planning trajectory and landscape management approach. This approach has been shaped by a lack of territorial and supra-municipal perspective and the primacy of culture, identity, and heritage aspects over the landscape's productive dimension.

Jean-Christophe Levassor · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · France

This study addresses social divisions in Le Pile, east Roubaix, France, where over 40% of residents live below the poverty line. It states that without proactive policies, social divisions will worsen, and initiatives like urban farming and zero waste will only have a limited effect beyond a small circle of insiders. La Condition Publique aims to recreate ties among various actors to support urban renovation and foster resilience in this deprived neighborhood.

Sofia Nikolaidou · Manchester University Press eBooks · Europe

This chapter examines new forms of urban gardening, often involving informal and temporary reuse of vacant land, and their impact on urban green space governance and planning practices. Using examples from Greece and Switzerland, it highlights differences and similarities in practices, social and institutional contexts, and collaborative governance patterns. The study calls attention to the critical role of the temporary nature of these initiatives, which affects new configurations of urban green areas and public space, and related planning practices.

Marco Picone, Filippo Schilleci · Nova Science Publishers (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.) · Italy

A critical essay examining an urban-garden participatory process underway as part of Palermo, Italy's "Laboratorio Palermo città educativa," launched by the municipality in 2015 to convert abandoned or degraded public green areas into urban gardens for educational activities across all ages, in the name of neighborhood community reappropriation. The paper argues that in a context of austerity urbanism, it is easy for the municipality to exploit the absence of public investment to mobilize active citizens as protagonists of urban change, and that the idea of creating urban community gardens—like other recent slogans such as smart cities and creative cities—tends to become a universally praised, virtuous development model without scrutiny. It further notes that the lack of an effective regulation governing the use of public green spaces in the city continues to create obstacles to the solutions proposed by the thematic working table. The author concludes that field-based qualitative research is still needed to determine whether these reappropriation processes conceal neoliberal dynamics that delegate a false decision-making power to citizens while using them to fill current political vacuums.

Anne Barbillon, Christine Aubry, François Nold, Stéphane Besançon, Nastaran Manouchehri · Agricultural Sciences · France

This study assessed health risks from soil trace metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, copper, and zinc) at three urban farms near Paris (Ile-de-France region), evaluating two main exposure pathways: soil and vegetable ingestion. All three farms had soil trace-metal levels above geochemical background values and the thresholds used in France as reference values for sludge spreading. Using a Hazard Quotient (HQ)-based risk assessment (HQ being the ratio of estimated daily intake to tolerable daily intake), the riskiest scenarios were urban farmers working on-site daily year-round (HQtot = 1.02), child gardeners (HQtot = 1.29), and regular child consumers eating exclusively the farm's vegetables under a maximalist scenario (HQtot = 1.6). The adult gardener scenario followed (HQtot = 0.9), while the lowest-risk scenarios were adult consumers (HQtot = 0.62) and farm workers (HQtot = 0.45).

Sofia Biffi, Cleandho Marcos de Souza, L. G. Firbank · Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment · United Kingdom

Seventeen urban food production sites of varying sizes in and around Leeds, UK, selected from an open-source database, were surveyed using pitfall traps to assess the abundance and diversity of epigeal invertebrates (beetles, springtails, and spiders) in relation to soil characteristics (organic carbon, moisture content, pH) and site area; soil productivity was assessed by growing radish (Raphanus sativus) under uniform conditions. The study found no correlation between epigeal invertebrate abundance or diversity and either site area or soil characteristics. The authors state this indicates there is, as yet, no evidence that urban food production sites are too small to draw on ecosystem services delivered by epigeal invertebrates.

Anne Barbillon, Christine Aubry, Nastaran Manouchehri · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France

This French guide, "R.E.F.U.G.E.," developed by AgroParisTech, sets out a four-step methodology to help urban-planning actors in the Île-de-France region assess and manage soil contamination risk before establishing urban agriculture on available land: a historical and environmental site study, a sampling strategy, interpretation of soil analyses, and, where warranted, a formal health risk assessment. Based on France's national methodology for managing polluted sites and soils, it is intended as a first harmonized technical tool for the field and was slated for a testing phase applying it to future urban agriculture projects. The abstract itself does not report contamination measurements or findings from any specific site; it describes the assessment procedure rather than presenting soil contamination data.

Will Thompson · Plinth · United Kingdom

Published 12 June 2019, this piece estimates that UK charities spend around 15.8 million hours a year on grant monitoring reports, roughly £204 million in staff time. It assumes an average of 40 hours per grant, about 391,280 grants distributed per year and an average grant of around £50,000. Charities with at least one full-time-equivalent member of staff typically juggle five to ten different funders, each asking for similar information in different formats at different times, so the administrative load accumulates without producing learning. The estimate draws on interviews with ten people at small and medium charities reporting to six local authorities and more than fifty funders.

Anna Trembecka, Anita Kwartnik-Pruc · Sustainability · Poland

This study analyzed data on the number and area of allotment gardens, their distribution across Poland, and the process of regulating the legal status of land occupied by allotment gardens. The research identified the number and area of family allotment gardens in Poland, along with the range and types of claims against them. The study found that land occupied by family allotment gardens requires protection and legal status regulation, which is difficult due to various entities submitting claims to these areas because of their attractive urban locations.

Martin Dawson, Mike Hutchins, Nuria Bachiller‐Jareno, Steven Loiselle · Freshwater Science · United Kingdom (London)

A citizen-science study from 2014 to 2016 assessed water quality in a 5.6-ha urban community garden in southwestern London, using borehole water. Measurements of specific conductance and tryptophan-like fluorescence were taken over 28 months. The study found no evidence of external contamination sources or temporal changes in water quality. However, significant variations in water quality between boreholes were directly linked to on-site manure storage and use, and local geological conditions.

Károly Kacz, Ádám Varga · Annals of the Polish Association of Agricultural and Agribusiness Economists · Europe

A survey in the Western Transdanubia region investigated major problems in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) within short food supply chains, involving farmer organizations and consumers. The analysis identified the insufficient market power of CSA organizations as the most influential factor. This finding suggests a significant constraint on the effectiveness of CSA models in the region.

Fikret ALINCAK, Mehmet Ali Öztürk, Tuğba TURAK · The Online Journal of Recreation and Sport · Turkey (Gaziantep)

This study investigated the pedagogical expectations of 25 classroom teachers in Gaziantep, Turkey, regarding playgrounds in school gardens, using open-ended questions and content analysis. The findings revealed that teachers perceived school gardens as inadequate and unsuitable for students' levels, and considered the areas unreliable. Teachers concluded that playgrounds should be wide, have diverse game tools, be educational, and have corrected ground for student safety to support children's development.

Cécile Le Guern, Liliane Jean‐Soro, Béatrice Bechet, Thierry Lebeau, Dorine Bouquet · Land Degradation and Development · France

Urban allotment gardens in Nantes, France, were found to have soil contamination, with lead (Pb) levels ranging from 100–400 mg kg−1, posing health risks. Local actors collaborated to characterize soil, evaluate sanitary risks, and discuss management options. The most frequent solution was replacing polluted soils with clean soils, while other strategies included on-site management of excavated soil, non-accumulative cropping, or changing land use.

Marek Kopacki, Krystyna Rysiak, Mariusz Szmaraga · Annales Horticulturae · Poland (Lublin)

This 2014 study near Lublin, Poland, evaluated the decorative qualities and health of Tithonia rotundifolia in urban plantings, including a botanical garden and allotment gardens. Observations at the end of the vegetation period revealed disease symptoms, and mycological analysis of dead plant parts identified isolates of fungi from eleven genera. Dominant and dangerous pathogenic genera, Alternaria alternata and Botrytis cinerea, were found to affect T. rotundifolia.

St Clair, Rebecca, Hardman, Michael, Adams, David, Armitage, Richard, Barry, Veronica, Larkham, Peter, Sherriff, Graeme · Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) · United Kingdom

This paper reviews the diversity of urban agriculture (UA) activities in England, from small-scale guerrilla gardening to large community projects. It suggests that UA is under-theorized, with previous research focusing on practicalities and activism. The paper highlights UA's problematic contribution to food production and warns of the 'local trap'.

Lena Partzsch · · Germany (Freiburg)

This chapter examines agency and accountability in food localization projects in Freiburg, Germany, using two case studies: Regionalwert AG and Luzernenhof. Regionalwert AG defines agency through the market, while Luzernenhof, a CSA, relies on trust and charity. It was shown that while food localization is often portrayed as "best practice," it also implies decisions about alternatives, raising questions of agency and accountability.

Piotr Krzyk, Bogusława Kwoczyńska · Problemy Drobnych Gospodarstw Rolnych / Problems of Small Agricultural Holdings · Poland (Cracow)

This study quantitatively assessed the conversion of agricultural land to investment purposes in Cracow's Mogiła and Wyciąże neighborhoods from 2010-2013, based on local plans. It also addressed soil quality, heavy metal content, and pH. Analysis of spatial management plans for these areas indicated a systematic decline in the share of biologically active areas.

Irene Håkansson · Journal of Cleaner Production · United Kingdom (London)

A quantitative study using data from nearly two thousand urban agriculture projects across metropolitan London investigated the geographically uneven distribution of urban sustainability experiments. Spatial statistical analyses indicated that gentrifying and income-deprived neighborhoods disproportionately often provide distinct urban milieux for initiatives to emerge, while already gentrified or otherwise advantaged urban neighborhoods have a disproportionately low number of projects.

Arlinda Sheqiri, Parna Rastgo · Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering - A · Europe

A study on the use and value of green school grounds in developing countries was conducted across five schools in Podujevo, Kosovo. The findings revealed that the potential of green school grounds in most studied cases has not been utilized. Opportunities provided by the municipality and environmental NGOs are insufficient, suggesting a need to rethink the design and use of green school grounds in developing countries.

Mireia Ercilla‐Montserrat, Pere Muñoz, J.I. Montero, Xavier Gabarrell, Joan Rieradevall · Journal of Cleaner Production · Spain (Barcelona)

This study measured heavy metal content in air and hydroponic lettuce leaves at four sites in Barcelona, including high-traffic areas, to assess potential contamination from atmospheric pollution. The results showed that heavy metal concentrations in lettuce leaves were below EU-legislated limits in all cases, and air concentrations were less than 50% of legislative limits. The study concluded that Barcelona's air heavy metal content is low and not a source of contamination for urban crops, even near high-traffic areas.

Pascale Scheromm, Christophe‐Toussaint Soulard · Geographical Research · France

This paper provides a spatial analysis of agriculture in three mid-sized French cities, focusing on professional farms. It confirms the existence of significant agricultural spaces within cities and the persistence of field-based, market-oriented agriculture. Key determinants in the observed dynamics include the cities' geographies, the impact of land speculation and urbanization on farmers, and the resistance and adaptation processes implemented by some farmers.

Jane Entwistle, Patrick M. Amaibi, John R. Dean, Michael E. Deary, Daniel Medock, Jackie Morton, Ilia Rodushkin, Lindsay Bramwell · Environment International · United Kingdom

This study assessed gardeners' lead exposure in urban agriculture sites (UAS) to improve the derivation of soil assessment criteria. Researchers sampled nearly 280 paired soil and crop samples across 31 UAS gardens in the United Kingdom and measured blood lead levels (BLL) of 43 gardeners and 29 non-gardening neighbors. While 98% of sampled soils had lead concentrations above the current UK UAS soil guideline (80 mg/kg), all participants' BLL were below 0.1 mg/kg despite high soil lead. The study indicated that soil-to-plant concentration factors (SPCFs) used for UAS significantly over-predicted lead uptake.

Matthew Reed, Evy Mettepenningen, Paul Swagemakers, M.D. Domínguez García, Ingrid Jahrl, Marlinde Koopmans · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Europe

This paper examined urban food governance in four European city-regions: Bristol (UK), Ghent (Belgium), Vigo (Spain), and Zurich (Switzerland). The case studies demonstrated the role of citizens in urban food and the challenges this presents to city-region governance. Urban food activists, through horizontal networking and clear communication of demands, have raised significant questions about how cities are governed.

Marie Gisclard, Richard Raymond · Institut français d’études anatoliennes eBooks · Turkey (Diyarbakır)

This article examines the Hevsel Gardens in Diyarbakır, Turkey, which face sustainability challenges due to the city's growth and an asymmetric relationship where the city dominates the gardens. It highlights the unbalanced relationships between the gardens and the city, stemming from a lack of quality and quantity in water resources. The coexistence and competition of three socio-political projects, including centralized political networks and farmer-specific adaptations, call for a re-examination of this relationship and an alternative to the concentration of powers in the metropolis.

Bas Spierings, Ilse van Liempt, Emiel Maliepaard · Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie · Europe

A study of social inclusion and exclusion processes in and around the Wijsgeren community garden in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Positioned against a literature that has largely emphasized and celebrated community gardening's benefits, it examines the practices and experiences of both gardeners and non-gardeners, and identifies specific exclusionary barriers based on non-ownership and non-membership operating in and around the garden.