Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1006 results(18 / 41)
Multi-Disciplinary Access in Conceptual Design for Advertising of The Public Space
2022Ivana Chaloska · South East European Journal of Architecture and Design · Global
This master's thesis conducted qualitative empirical research for the multidisciplinary conceptualization of urban public space, focusing on ecological and social sustainability and socio-spatial relations. Through an inter-contextual analysis and a case study highlighting urban community gardens, the research supports a conceptual design of public space that can function as activism for rethinking existing structures or as a continuous process of socio-spatial relations.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityEL ESPÍRITU DEL ZUMBIDO: ENTREVISTA CON ERIKA MAYR
2022Jorge Godoy Román · Materia Arquitectura · Germany (Berlin)
This interview with Erika Mayr, an entomologist, horticulturist, ecologist, beekeeper, gardener, writer, and caretaker, explores her over 25-year dedication to understanding the importance of bees for other species. It highlights her personal relationship with bees, particularly in Berlin's urban environment, which involved various urban spaces and communities. Now based in Rome, Mayr shares her experiences and current projects in the city.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityGreen Guerillas, Seed Bombs, and Granite Gardens
2022Setha Low · · Global
This chapter examines environmental sustainability and the greening of public spaces in Paris and New York City, tracing the history and impact of interventions like community gardens, urban agriculture, and sustainable parks. These initiatives contribute to ecological sustainability by fostering stronger communities, supporting social reproduction, and promoting environmental justice. The study highlights how human ecological planning and ecosystem services assessments provide scientific strategies for enhancing sustainability in public space design.
CommunityBiodiversityOrganic cyclePolicyOrganization of experiential activities to discover biodiversity in the vegetable garden for preschoolers
2022Linh Nguyen Ha, Luyen Nguyen Thi · Journal of Science Educational Science · Global
This theoretical paper addresses the limited use of natural contexts in preschool environmental education, particularly regarding biodiversity in school habitats. It defines the concept and scope of biodiversity knowledge suitable for preschoolers and proposes methods for organizing biodiversity discovery activities in preschool vegetable gardens. The aim is to help preschool teachers maximize the benefits of school gardens for scientific discovery activities.
Food educationBiodiversityThe Place of Greening: Comparing Civic Engagement Scenes of Urban Natures across Danish Cities
2022Anders Blok, Amanda Krog Juvik, Anna Helene Kvist Møller, Jonas Skjold Raaschou-Pedersen, Jakob Laage‐Thomsen · City and Community · Denmark
This study mapped the group styles, spatial intergroup networks, and cultural-political value landscapes of 130 urban green communities across the four largest cities in Denmark using digital methods. The results showed that civic greening groups are neither neighborhood-based endeavors nor hubs of social movement mobilization, but rather geographies of co-engagement that span cities while also forging new senses and practices of place.
CommunityBiodiversityPolicyA Typology for Green Infrastructure Planning to Enhance Multifunctionality Incorporating Peri-Urban Agricultural Land
2022Werner Rolf · · Global
This work introduces a typology for spatial planning to integrate peri-urban farmland into Green Infrastructure, aiming to develop multifunctional open space networks. The typology, based on an inter- and transdisciplinary approach and evidence synthesis, suggests that peri-urban farmland has potential to address urban challenges like biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyBiodiversityClimate changePre-Existing Interventions as NBS Candidates to Address Societal Challenges
2022Julia Wójcik-Madej, Barbara Sowińska-Świerkosz · Sustainability · Poland (Lublin)
A case study in Lublin city, Poland, applied objective criteria referring to seven societal challenges to 24 types of pre-existing interventions. All analyzed interventions met at least two challenges, with protecting wetlands, public parks, and allotment gardens showing the greatest challenge-orientation potential, while nesting boxes for bats and insect hotels showed the lowest. Interventions responded most to human health, climate change, and ecosystem degradation, and least to food security and socioeconomic development. The study concluded that the scale of intervention type is too general for challenge-orientation assessment.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changeDirty Hands: Exploring Elementary School Gardens to Develop Pro-Environmental Attitudes
2022Melissa Parks, Hope P. Hershey, Skye Sobzack, Mercedes Tichenor · Kappa Delta Pi Record · Global
This paper describes the benefits of elementary school gardening experiences and offers suggestions on how to nurture positive environmental attitudes among children through garden-based learning activities.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityParasitisation of Yponomeuta malinellus feeding on Crataegus monogyna in the allotment gardens in the city of Poznań, Poland
2022H. Piekarska-Boniecka, Marta Rzańska-Wieczorek, Idzi Siatkowski, Tadeusz Barczak · Plant Protection Science · Poland (Poznań)
This study investigated the parasitisation of Yponomeuta malinellus feeding on Crataegus monogyna in the allotment gardens in the city of Poznań, Poland.
BiodiversityCommunityHow Do Different Modes of Governance Support Ecosystem Services/Disservices in Small-Scale Urban Green Infrastructure? A Systematic Review
2022Sina Razzaghi Asl, Hamil Pearsall · Land · Global
This systematic review evaluated how different modes of governance support ecosystem services (ES) in small-scale urban green infrastructure (UGI). Governance was assessed in six types of UGI: small parks, community gardens, vacant lands, rain gardens, green roofs, and street trees, examining the characteristics of four governance approaches: adaptive, network, mosaic, and transformative. Each governance mode was found to be potentially effective for managing the ES of certain small-scale UGI. The study highlights knowledge gaps at the intersection between governance arrangements and ES in small-scale UGI.
PolicyCommunityBiodiversityClimate changeBalancing urban agriculture with sustaining ecosystem services
2022Monika Egerer, Brenda B. Lin · CABI Reviews · Global
This review evaluated ecosystem services (ES) within urban agriculture (UA) systems and the trade-offs between these services. Urban agriculture provides many benefits and environmental services such as food provision, social cohesion, and climate regulation. However, it was shown that management decisions can create trade-offs between ecosystem services, where an increase in one service may potentially reduce the system's ability to provide another service at a desired level.
Environmental trade-offsBiodiversityClimate changeCommunityOrganic cycleDemonstration gardens as informal education strategies in rehabilitation efforts
2022Rachel Bechtold, Catherine W. Shoulders, Jennie Popp, Donald M. Johnson, Lisa S. Wood · Natural sciences education · United States
This study evaluated the process and efficacy of installing a demonstration plot along a multiuse trail in Southeast Kansas to educate the community on rehabilitative plots. The greatest perceived challenges for this case study were the allotment of time and money for initial costs of the demonstration plot and addressing methodology for plant blindness in viewers.
CommunityBiodiversityPollinatorsFood educationPotensi dan Kendala Pengembangan Urban Farming di Sempadan Rel Kereta Api Kelurahan Bangetayu Wetan Kecamatan Genuk Kota Semarang
2022Ro'fatul Maulaa, Niken Kusumarini, Dian Triastari Armanda · BIOLOGICA SAMUDRA · Indonesia (Semarang)
The potential and constraints of urban farming development on the railroad border in Bangetayu Wetan Village, Genuk District, Semarang City, Indonesia, were investigated through observation, interviews, and documentation. The approximately 1 to 2-hectare area cultivated crops such as corn, cassava, and sugarcane, with yield predictions sufficient to meet food needs. However, the presence of pests, diseases, and weeds were identified as constraints, indicating challenges for urban farming development.
Limited or null effectCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityHealthContributions of Green Infrastructure-Oriented Planning and Designing in Residential Gardens to the City’s Ecosystem: Case of Trabzon City, Turkey
2022Demet Ülkü Gülpınar Sekban, Duygu Akyol · Journal of Urban Planning and Development · Turkey (Trabzon)
This study examined the contribution of residential gardens to ecosystem services in Trabzon City, Turkey. It was determined that both spatial needs and ecosystem benefits can be met with the same Green Infrastructure (GI) elements, and landscape value is supported by GI elements such as edible gardens, pollinator gardens, rain gardens, biological ponds, and green roofs. GI elements combining vegetation and water landscape elements have a higher potential for ecosystem services. The study concluded that green areas of residential gardens should be planned and designed through a holistic GI-oriented approach based on the total building parcel.
BiodiversityPollinatorsDIYClimate changeThe Importance of Urban Green Spaces for Pollinating Insects: The Case of the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti
2022Pierre Michard Beaujour, Frank Cézilly · Caribbean Journal of Science · Haiti (Port-au-Prince)
This survey assessed the distribution of pollinating insect orders in 16 urban green sites in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from January to April 2018. Researchers collected 2,747 pollinating insects and found that insect order richness was significantly higher at agroforestry plantations compared to unexploited forest remnants. Site area, elevation, and built area percentage had no significant influence on the total number of insects collected.
BiodiversityPollinatorsUrban–rural linkagePopulation densities of birds breeding in an urban environment dominated by allotment gardens and other ‘green’ areas in a Central European city
2022Grzegorz Kopij · Acta Musei Silesiae. Scientiae Naturales · Poland (Wrocław)
In 2017, a study in Wrocław, SW Poland, recorded 50 breeding bird species in an urban environment (589 ha) dominated by green habitats, including allotment gardens (41.2%). Population densities were estimated for 41 species, with high densities observed for Phoenicurus phoenicurus (9.2 pairs/100 ha) and Sylvia atricapilla (7.3). Allotment gardens showed higher densities for Pica pica (14.5) compared to Corvus cornix (6.5), and for Columba palumbus (2.8) compared to Streptopelia decaocto (1.2).
BiodiversityCommunityLa multifuncionalidad de los huertos urbanos en la Ciudad de México
2022Nehiby Alcántara Nieves, Rosa María Larroa Torres · Espiral estudios sobre Estado y sociedad · Mexico (Mexico City)
This qualitative study investigated the environmental, economic, and sociocultural functions of urban gardens in Mexico City, two years after the implementation of the Law of Urban Gardens (LHU). Data was collected through interviews and document review. It found that public officials tend to prioritize environmental functions, while users consider sociocultural functions most relevant.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityBiodiversityA little does a lot: Can small-scale planting for pollinators make a difference?
2022Philip Donkersley, Sammy Witchalls, Elias H. Bloom, David W. Crowder · Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment · Global
A meta-analysis of 31 studies and a 5-year study on small pollinator habitats (30 m²) at community gardens and farms (150,000 m²) assessed the effect of pollinator planting interventions. Pollinator conservation interventions increased species richness and abundance in almost all studies, with greatest increases from hedgerows (40 m²) and herbaceous interventions (500 m²). Small interventions (∼500 m²) can significantly benefit pollinators, but only when densely distributed at a landscape level, and future research is needed on their cumulative effects.
BiodiversityPollinatorsCommunityEducational Frameworks for Designing Regenerative Food Systems in the Arabian Gulf
2022Anna Grichting · · Qatar
This teaching experience, conducted over seven years at Qatar University, addressed the challenge of food production in desert regions within graduate and undergraduate architecture and urbanism courses. Students designed productive architectural and urban landscapes through vertical farming, community gardening, and urban farms, among other methods. Outcomes included an increase in the integration of food production systems into student projects and a vision for Qatar University as an "edible campus."
Food educationCommunityBiodiversityClimate changePolicyNature-Based One Health Approaches to Urban Agriculture Can Deliver Food and Nutrition Security
2022Bassey Ebenso, Akaninyene Otu, Alessandro Giusti, Philipe Cousin, Victor O. Adetimirin, Hary Razafindralambo, Emmanuel Effa, Vasileios Gkisakis, Ousmane Thiaré, Vincent Levavasseur, Sonagnon Kouhoundé, Kifouli Adéoti, Abdur Rahim, Majid Mounir · Frontiers in Nutrition · Global
This paper argues that adopting a One Health approach to urban agriculture is crucial for significantly increasing food yields and improving quality of life in cities, given global population growth and urbanization trends. It proposes six nature-based and climate-smart approaches, including reducing synthetic inputs and increasing biodiversity, to accelerate the transition to sustainable food systems. These approaches require cross-sectoral stakeholder engagement to ensure sustainable, nutritious, and accessible diets.
Food sovereignty & justiceHealthBiodiversityClimate changePeri-urban agricultureDigital agricultureHoney Bee Diversity in Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture and Urban Forest- Outlook Study from Bengaluru-Silicon Valley of India: A Review
2022Prem José Vazhacharickal, K. S. Jagadish, G. Eswarappa · Agricultural Reviews · India (Bengaluru)
This outlook study reviewed honey bee diversity and the potential for integrating honey bees into urban agriculture and forests in Bengaluru, India. An urban forestry study in Bengaluru identified 374 plant species, with the highest diversity in parks (291 species). Most plant species provided good foraging sources for honey bees, including Apis indica, Apis dorsata, Apis florea, and Trigona iridipennis. The urban agro-ecosystem in Bengaluru was found to be suitable for beekeeping, particularly for stingless bees.
BiodiversityPollinatorsUrban–rural linkageDIYWorking With Nature to Solve Societal Problems
2022Barbara Schröter, Mario Brillinger, Sarah Gottwald, Paulina Guerrero, Jennifer Henze, Edward Ott, Stefan Schmidt, Christian Albert · Frontiers for Young Minds · Global
This article introduces the concept of nature-based solutions as a way to address societal problems such as climate and biodiversity crises. It explains how reconnecting floodplains can reduce flood risks, protecting wetlands or mangroves can store carbon, and planting trees or installing rooftop gardens can cool cities. The article emphasizes understanding how to work with nature and the practical steps for implementing these solutions.
Climate changeBiodiversityAnalysis of the Description of the Multifunctionality of Farmland in the Administrative Plans of Local Municipalities
2022Yosuke Masuda, Takashi Oka, Erika Yoshinari, Takaaki Nishida, Tadashi Ikeda · Ecological research monographs · Japan
This research collected eight types of administrative plans from local governments across Japan related to the multifunctionality of farmland and reviewed the extent to which they describe these functions. Findings revealed that farmland's multifunctionality was incorporated into many municipal plans, with municipalities of a certain population size and high financial strength index tending to mention these roles more frequently. However, descriptions of functions like "disaster mitigation and response" and "water and food supply" in times of disaster were less common.
PolicyBiodiversityUrban–rural linkageIntegrated Planning and Implementation of a Blue-Green Architecture Project by Applying a Design-Build Teaching Approach
2022Friederike Well, Ferdinand Ludwig · Land · Germany (Munich)
A design strategy for blue-green architecture (BGA) was applied and evaluated in a practical project at a school garden in Munich, Germany. Architecture and landscape architecture students designed and implemented a BGA, building a nature-based system where school garden greywater is treated in a constructed wetland and combined with rainwater to feed a redesigned pond. This increased biodiversity, contributed to the environmental education of pupils, and demonstrated high learning success for the students.
Food educationBiodiversityClimate changeCommunityThe 3-H social and emotional learning cycle and the three sisters garden
2022Kathy Cabe Trundle, Rita Hagevik, Laura Wheeler, Katherine Vela, Michelle Parslow, David N. Joy · Science Activities · Global
This study introduces the Three Sisters Garden activity within a 3-H Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Cycle for secondary school students. This activity teaches biodiversity and sustainability, encouraging students to connect their own need for social connections with plant growth. Students enhance their sense of participation in the scientific process by analyzing gardens from a systems perspective.
Food educationCommunityBiodiversity