Research & reports

Clive L. Spash, Andreas Exner, Stephanie Arzberger, Livia Cepoiu, Carla Weinzierl · WU Research · Europe

A study analyzing how edible city initiatives emerge, who creates, supports or impedes them, and how they develop, focusing on the relationships between city administration/government actors and civil society. Based on interviews with city administration, government and civil society actors and case comparisons drawing on media reports from Austria, Germany and France, it found that unlike community gardens, the City of Vienna does not yet substantially support the edible city idea. It concludes that edible city initiatives emerging from joint activity between city administrations/governments and civil society actors have the greatest potential to foster civic action and collective empowerment.

Luís Loures, Ana Pereira, Rui Alexandre Castanho · WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT · Europe

Using urban agriculture in Porto (Oporto), Portugal, as a guiding case study, this article works to recover and re-establish a continuous productive urban landscape. It expands existing urban planning policy and proposes new policy for protecting and inserting this continuous productive landscape into urban design while accounting for the urban/agricultural dichotomy and its processes, flows, and systems. Drawing on research focused on recovering Oporto's ancient rural ring, the article defines urban agriculture as a method for reliably integrating it into urban space planning, concluding with a newly defined urban farming network for Oporto that connects rural areas within the city to rural areas outside it.

Eugenio Antonio Climent López, Raúl Lardiés Bosque, Samuel Esteban Rodríguez · Boletín de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles · Spain

Since the 2008 crisis, alternative economic practices to the dominant system have proliferated, especially in urban areas where new social movements have taken stronger root. This study examines Zaragoza, Spain, governed in the previous legislative term by a new-left coalition, one of the so-called "councils of change." It selected practices operating at the local scale through unconventional procedures: community urban gardens, agroecological consumption markets and groups, community currencies (time banks, barter markets, and social currency), and self-managed social centers. A qualitative methodology combined semi-structured interviews with closed questionnaires and participant observation. These practices were found dispersed across the urban space and linked to urban social movements and local politics. The study concludes that their impact is limited in quantitative terms, but that they hold broad transformative potential owing to the characteristics of their practitioners and the support of local administration.

Per-Anders Langendahl, Maria Tunberg, Suvi Kokko · · Europe

Smart urban agriculture — food produced in closed, controlled and digitally augmented environments such as vertical farms, plant factories and aquaponics systems — is found in cities worldwide and is said to produce fresh food year-round using fewer chemicals and fewer food miles. However, critiques of smart urban agriculture note it is a marginal activity that often produces food with low nutritional value and requires energy-intensive artificial lighting. Using qualitative research methods, this report examines the development of smart urban agriculture in Sweden, identifying experimental and entrepreneurial initiatives and analyzing them in relation to high-level policy agendas such as food policy, smart cities and digitalisation. The findings show Swedish smart urban agriculture broadly consists of technology-oriented entrepreneurial start-ups and experimental initiatives split into production-oriented (mainly herbs and leafy greens), community-oriented (prioritizing social benefits), and technology-oriented (developing and supplying digital solutions and services) types. However, product output was limited to a small variety of financially high-margin crops sold at premium prices. In relation to high-level strategic agendas, smart (urban) agriculture is recognized for environmental and social benefits such as mitigating flooding.

Michael Hardman, Andrew Clark, Graeme Sherriff · Agronomy · United Kingdom

Using a qualitative approach across the UK's largest urban farm and a range of other urban agriculture (UA) sites, this study examined the barriers to upscaling city farming. Evidence pointed to urban soil contamination and hesitation about growing crops in cities as a core issue preventing UA from scaling up, alongside public hesitancy and financial barriers, despite the practice's potential social, environmental and economic value through job creation, biodiversity enhancement and shorter food supply chains. The paper concludes that public hesitation, financial barriers and soil quality prevent development, and calls for a more pragmatic approach to these barriers.

Ezgi Duman, Beyza Şat · Journal of Design Studio · Turkey

A case study examining urban agriculture potential in Ataköy, Bakırköy, Istanbul, against the backdrop of Istanbul receiving 42.5% of Turkey's internal migration in 2019 according to TUIK (Turkish Statistical Institute). Using literature review together with feasibility and field studies based on the R-URBAN strategy, the study examines idle industrial areas and vacant lots in Ataköy for urban agriculture potential, and develops a scenario and implementation model for the area.

Isabel Müller, Karina Pallagst, Patricia Hammer · Ra Ximhai · Germany

A case study of Kölner Neuland e.V., an urban gardening project that revitalized part of a 44,000 m² former industrial brownfield in Cologne's Bayenthal district, Germany, framed as a "Green Innovation Area." Based on a literature review and an expert interview, the study examines the project's history, financial aspects, marketing measures, and goals, then assesses its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It reports the project is evaluated "quite positively" overall, while also noting that some aspects show a need for action, and it formulates recommendations in the areas of financing, public perception and management/control for future development of the project and similar brownfield-revitalization efforts.

Emanuele Sommariva, Nicola Canessa, Giorgia Tucci · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Europe

An article links the role of ecosystem services to growing research and development funding attention to green infrastructure and urban greening strategies, positioning ecosystem services as a new parameter for assessing urban green infrastructure and re-naturalization processes that counteract climate-change effects such as flooding and heat islands while promoting conservation, resilience, and biodiversity of natural habitats. It identifies urban agriculture and community gardens as playing an important role in securing socio-ecological benefits at the local level and promoting access to healthy, "Zero Km" food sources. Drawing on the European project Creative Food Cycles, the article outlines ideas for circularity and recycling of waste across the food chain.

Rafael Bláquez Madrid, Ricardo Martín de Almagro, José Mora Jordano, Ángel Lora González, Encarnación Taguas Ruiz · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Spain (Barcelona)

This entry records a paper on territorial stewardship strategies through urban gardens, presenting descriptive indicators meant to extrapolate the experience of IMGEMA (Córdoba's municipal environmental management body) in Córdoba, Spain, published in Cuadernos de Ordenación del Territorio, No. 5, 2022, by authors Rafael Bláquez Madrid, Ricardo Martín de Almagro, José Mora Jordano, Ángel Lora González, and Encarnación Taguas Ruiz. Only this bibliographic information is available; the record contains no description of methods or findings.

Danielle Purkiss, Ayşe Lisa Allison, Fabiana Lorencatto, Susan Michie, Mark Miodownik · Frontiers in Sustainability · United Kingdom

A citizen-science study invited 9,701 UK residents to test how biodegradable and compostable plastics actually degrade in home composting. Many items, including certified products, failed to fully break down; 60% of TUV OK Compost Home-certified items were still clearly visible afterward. The authors conclude home composting is not an effective or environmentally beneficial disposal method for these materials in the UK.

Jan Eelco Jansma, Sigrid C. O. Wertheim-Heck · Land Use Policy · Netherlands

A paper (Land Use Policy, vol. 117, 2022, article 106104) analysing the peri-urban development of Oosterwold in Almere, the Netherlands, where 51% of the planning area is allocated to agriculture and left to residents' self-organisation. It classifies Northwest European peri-urban agriculture into three types and examines how new residents shaped the planning process, finding that agricultural practice in Oosterwold developed toward 'hobby garden farming'.

Isabelle Anguelovski, James J. T. Connolly, Helen Cole, Melissa Garcia-Lamarca, Margarita Triguero-Mas, Francesc Baró, Nicholas Martin, David Conesa, Galia Shokry, Carmen Pérez del Pulgar, Lucia Argüelles Ramos, Austin Matheney, Elsa Gallez, Emilia Oscilowicz, Jésua López Máñez, Blanca Sarzo, Miguel Angel Beltrán, Joaquin Martinez Minaya · Nature Communications · Europe and North America (28 cities)

A 2022 test of the green gentrification hypothesis across 28 cities in 9 countries in North America and Europe, using a spatially weighted Bayesian model, in response to the limited quantitative evidence on the temporal relationship between new greenspaces and gentrification across whole cities. The study found a strong positive and relevant relationship lasting at least a decade between greening in the 1990s–2000s and gentrification occurring between 2000 and 2016 in 17 of the 28 cities — which also means no such relationship was established in the remaining 11, so greening does not invariably produce gentrification. The analysis further determines whether greening played a 'lead', 'integrated' or 'subsidiary' role in explaining gentrification. It supplies cross-city quantitative backing for the argument that new green infrastructure, including greenspace and community gardens, can create social and racial inequalities in access to the benefits of greenspace; the sample is confined to North America and Europe.

Störtkuhl B. · Architectus, No. 3(67), pp. 25–37 · Germany

Studies how the self-build Reichsheimstätten, originating as a late-Weimar crisis measure, became central to Nazi housing policy aimed at 're-rooting' the population in German soil, using Breslau as a case study.

Molenveld A., Voorberg W., Van Buuren A., Hagen L. · Public Management Review · Netherlands

Fuzzy-set QCA of 14 Dutch urban gardens with partnerships among citizens, public authorities, and private actors, identifying financial independence, institutionalization, and a small core volunteer group as key to garden durability.

Barbara Sowińska-Świerkosz, Malwina Michalik-Śnieżek, Alicja Bieske-Matejak · Sustainability · Poland

This study analyzed the potential of allotment gardens (AGs) in Poland to be considered nature-based solutions (NBS), examining their use of green/blue infrastructure, problem-solving capabilities, benefits, and economic efficiency. The study identified institutional barriers, irregular distribution of benefits, and deficiencies in economic efficiency as significant obstacles. It concluded that AGs, while a type of unsophisticated NBS, have limited effectiveness.

Dominika Dymek, Agnieszka Wilkaniec, Leszek Bednorz, Magdalena Szczepańska · Sustainability · Poland

This study in Poznań, Poland, examined the significance of allotment gardens in the urban green space system and developed a classification method for urban planning. While over 30% of allotment gardens were found to be of high significance, urban planning documentation indicates plans to reduce their area. Even highly significant gardens are slated for liquidation, highlighting a conflict between their ecological value and current urban development plans.

Barbara Maćkiewicz, Raúl Puente Asuero · Urban forestry & urban greening · Spain (Seville)

This paper compares public and private urban allotment gardens (AGs) in Seville, Spain, as nature-based solutions (NBS). Both types of AGs are found to have positive impacts on user health and well-being and complement each other. The choice between public and private AGs is primarily linked to freedom of cultivation and access, rather than economic factors. The study concludes that both public and private AGs require integrated territorial, legal, and institutional frameworks within urban policies.

Ambrogio Zanzi, Valentina Vaglia, Roberto Spigarolo, Stefano Bocchi · Land · Italy (Milan)

This study assessed the sustainability of eight agri-food start-ups in a peri-urban area of Milan, Italy, using the FAO's Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) framework. The application of SAFA indicators revealed positive aspects but also some limitations typical of unstructured enterprises.

ELISABETH MEYER-RENSCHHAUSEN · Materia Arquitectura · Germany (Berlin)

This paper discusses the historical presence of gardens and urban agriculture in cities, from ancient civilizations to modern times. It notes that after disappearing in the late 19th century, family gardens were replaced by garden city movements, and after WWII, land was offered for cultivation. The paper suggests that the growing demand for garden plots in the 20th and 21st centuries and the global community gardening movement represent a new type of urban agriculture.

Luca Colombo, Stefano Grando, Giacomo Lepri · · Italy (Rome)

A desk-based analysis on urban agriculture in peri-urban Rome scrutinized policy documents, mass media articles, online news, and internal organizational documents pertinent to land access and urban agriculture. This study was conducted against the backdrop of competition over farmland use, control, and function in Europe, and how land value trends in Italy are conditioned by the land's potential.

Sònia Callau-Berenguer, Anna Roca-Torrent, Josep Montasell-Dorda, Sandra Ricart · Investigaciones Geográficas · Spain (Barcelona)

This study analyzed the food system behavior in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, Spain, during the initial stage of the Covid-19 pandemic (March-May 2020). Semi-structured interviews with 11 peri-urban entities and institutions revealed shortcomings in the operation and logistics of the metropolitan food system. Findings also indicated complicity between local producers and urban consumers, the role of peri-urban agricultural areas in food supply, and a need for cooperation among food system agents.

Marian Simón Rojo · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Spain (Madrid)

This study investigated how urban planning can support agroecological and right-to-food movements to create resilient urban food systems, addressing food insecurity. A case study in Madrid, Spain, found that over 14% of the population was food insecure, despite the presence of more than 400 free food distribution nodes. The analysis covered various programs and urban food initiatives, suggesting that urban planning provides tools to apply community-supported agroecological food system qualities to define context-adapted strategies, thereby reducing reliance on the industrial food sector.

Chris Blythe, Ian Egginton-Metters, Michael Hardman, Victoria Schoen · · United Kingdom

The School Farms Network in the UK has a large membership base, coinciding with renewed interest in urban agriculture and school farming. Based on contributions from grassroots practitioners and network coordinators, case studies illustrate the breadth of the school farms concept and the value practitioners find in being part of such a network. This study examines the future role of school farming networks and how the practice can be sustained or expanded.

Miriam C. Dobson, Philip H. Warren, Jill L. Edmondson · Sustainability · United Kingdom

This nationwide citizen science project investigated resource demands of urban horticultural production in the United Kingdom using year-long diaries from 163 allotment gardeners. Findings showed an average allotment required 87 annual visits and 139 km of travel. Each kilogram of food produced used 0.4 hours of labor, 16.9 L of water, 0.2 L of topsoil, 2.2 L of manure, and 1.9 L of compost.

Irene Håkansson · Local Environment · United Kingdom (London)

This paper critically examines urban experimentation for sustainability, arguing that urban experiments are often assessed from a diffusion-oriented perspective that over-emphasizes unifying visions and neglects unsuccessful initiatives. Using a novel methodological approach combining a metropolitan geodemographic typology with qualitative data on 166 active and inactive urban agriculture initiatives across London, the paper demonstrates that neglecting the diversity of urban socio-economic, demographic, and physical contexts may lead to the erroneous suggestion that only demographically privileged places can achieve sustainability. It highlights that contextual differences at neighborhood levels significantly influence socio-spatial patterns of experimentation.