Research & reports

Guangyuan Niu, Guiling Wang, Qingchao Lu, Chuanhe Xiong · Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · China

This study built an evaluation model for urban-agriculture-ecology space in China's Yangtze River Delta to analyze its spatial function characteristics. Results showed a high overlap in the spatial distribution of urban and agricultural functions, concentrated in Shanghai, southern Jiangsu, and coastal Zhejiang, while ecological functions were clearly weak. The Yangtze River Delta was divided into six functional zones using an improved clustering algorithm, and scientific countermeasures and suggestions for rational land space utilization and development were proposed.

Siwei Hu, MI Chang-hong, SHI Rongguang, YANG Yanying · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Global

This study analyzed the frontiers, hot topics, and trends of sustainable agriculture development using CiteSpace, based on 2,217 papers published in Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from 2000 to 2019. Frontiers focused on "food system resilience and food security," "ecological intensification and sustainable intensification," "agricultural multi-functionality and urban agriculture," and "trade-offs and synergies of ecosystem services in agroecosystem." Hotspots included climate change impacts on agricultural systems and adaptive management, ecosystem services management in agro-ecosystems, and environmental impact assessment of agricultural activities and integrated sustainability assessment of agricultural systems.

Ndeyapo Nickanor, Lawrence N. Kazembe, Jonathan Crush · · Namibia

A household survey of 853 households in Namibia's Oshakati-Ongwediva-Ondangwa (OOO) urban corridor found 77% household food insecurity and a mean dietary diversity of less than 5. The most common coping strategies were relying on less preferred and less expensive foods (67%) and rural-urban food transfers (55%). Urban agriculture was found to be very limited in this region.

Stella Kabiri, Molly Allen, Judith Tomma Okuonzia, Beatrice Akello, Rebecca Ssabaganzi, Drake N. Mubiru · Open Research Africa · Uganda

This study investigated the extent of wetland loss and encroachment by urban agriculture in Wakiso and Kampala, Uganda, over 30 years from 1986 to 2016. Using field surveys, Landsat, and MODIS NDVI data, the analysis found that 72,828 ha (73%) of Wakiso-Kampala wetlands were lost, while agricultural areas doubled. Of this, 16,488 ha (23%) were converted from wetlands, with all cultivated agriculture in Kampala occurring in wetlands and 73% in Wakiso.

A. Smaliychuk, Dmytro Khiblin · Vìsnik Nacìonalʹnogo unìversitetu Lʹvìvsʹka polìtehnìka Serìâ Arhìtektura · Global

This study discussed the necessity of active development of food production at the local level to prevent a predicted global ecological collapse and inability to feed the human population after 2050. It proposed that locating agricultural production in anthropogenic environments and making the synergy of energy, agricultural production, and waste recycling a key structural planning principle for architectural objects would ensure food security and impact urban planning structures. Local food production capacity would limit the maximum size of megacities and contribute to a more dispersed settlement structure.

Valéria Borges Yonegura, Jennifer Domeneghini, Júlio Celso Borello Vargas, André Luiz Lopes da Silveira · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Curitiba)

This paper focuses on mobility issues in the southern region of Curitiba, Brazil. It points out that the benefits of urban agriculture, particularly the ecological advantages of short food circuits, are hindered by the isolation of its growers. The lack of accessibility in peripheral areas, due to distance or insufficient infrastructure investment, suggests a loss of opportunities in utilizing the transport system.

Beatriz Urbano, Marcia Barquero, Fernando González‐Andrés · Scientia Horticulturae · Global

This study used a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to compare the environmental impacts of eight scenarios for fresh tomato supply to urban citizens. Zero-miles production in heated greenhouses showed the highest environmental impact (GWP 0.33 kg CO2 eq/kg tomato), performing worse than unheated greenhouses with long-distance transport (GWP 0.21 kg CO2 eq). Conversely, open-field zero-miles production was the most environmentally favorable option (GWP 0.12 kg CO2 eq), and product travel distance was less important than transport efficiency. Urban Agriculture was not environmentally superior to zero-miles agriculture carried out in rural areas.

Emma Burnett · Smart Cities · Global

This chapter explores the complex relationship between urban environments, food, and agriculture, examining divergent philosophies on agriculture's future. It discusses the role of technology in both rural and urban agriculture, how food production integrates into cities, and various urban agriculture practices. The text investigates the benefits and drawbacks of technology in food systems and the impacts of Smart City technologies, suggesting that clever city development should align with practitioners' needs to build resilient urban food systems.

Francesca Peroni, John Michael Humphries Choptiany, Samuel Ledermann · · Global

This chapter explores the role of agroecology in smart cities and investigates how Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) could spread agroecological approaches to boost urban agriculture. Smart cities are criticized for their inability to build just and inclusive environments, and ICT alone cannot guarantee sustainable development. While agroecology enhances ecosystem services and human well-being, its introduction in urban ecosystems is complex. The chapter suggests ICT could provide tools to enhance dwellers' competencies in practicing agroecology, ultimately exploring how smart urban agriculture contributes to food sovereignty and ecosystem service maintenance.

Hiroshi Kurose · Toshi keikaku hokokushu/Toshi keikaku houkokushuu · Japan (Hiroshima)

This paper examines the necessary perspectives for local governments to introduce the productive green space system, using Hiroshima City's 2020 implementation as a case study. It reviews the current state of urban agriculture and inheritance issues in Hiroshima, clarifies the requirements for productive green spaces and their relationship with agricultural cooperatives, and discusses future directions for city planning that coexists with agriculture.

Ana Zazo Moratalla, Alejandro Orellana-McBride, Claudia Cerda-Inostroza · · Chile

A study investigated how Chilean urban planning has conceived productive agriculture within urban limits, analyzing the evolution of territorial planning instruments in five Chilean cases. While agriculture was once conceived as an urban use, changes in Chilean legislation have led to this activity being conceived as transitory and in fallow, inevitably transforming into other more profitable urban uses.

Imen Bendjemila, Salah Chaouche · Prostor : znanstveni časopis za arhitekturu i urbanizam · Algeria

This study investigated urban growth and urbanization in N'Gaous, Algeria, over the last 60 years, using an analytical approach and Geographic Information Systems to assess the agronomic potential of soils. It found that N'Gaous experienced significant urban sprawl, with its land area expanding over ten times and population increasing more than six times, leading to serious issues for peri-urban orchards. The study quantified and monitored the agricultural potential consumed by construction, highlighting the negative impact of urban expansion on agricultural land.

Arpan Johari Architect, Hemant Diyalani · International Journal of Science Engineering and Management · India

The need for pedestrian zones in India is discussed, proposing a concept for walkways equipped with energy-generating tiles and photovoltaic panels. These walkways would power their own lighting from pedestrian movement and contribute to the grid. Some shade tops would also double as urban farming belts, aiming to improve urban walkability, biodiversity, and social landscape.

Gizaw Ebissa, Hayal Desta · City and Environment Interactions · Global

This study extensively reviewed the literature on how urban agriculture (UA) can contribute to flooding risk management for building water-resilient cities. UA plays a key role in transforming linear water economies into circular ones, thereby reducing urban areas' dependence on rural areas for ecosystem services, including flood risk management. UA exhibits higher infiltration capacity, and urban flood-prone areas can be allocated to UA for flood management. The Sponge City Concept demonstrated the possibility of reducing 100-year storms to 25-year storms.

Susan Anne Mansel Fitzgerald · · Cuba (Havana)

In Havana, Cuba, at Plaza de la Revolución, La Sazón, an urban farming and market, utilizes interstitial spaces to provide fresh produce and meat to the local community. This garden contributes to Cuba's emerging entrepreneurial and sustainable economy by connecting cultivation to consumption and fostering close relationships with other businesses and community groups.

Amy Trauger · · Global

The contemporary industrial food system is problematic, producing diverse foods for a small elite and replicating past labor injustices rooted in colonialism. Urban agriculture is a growing global trend and is expected to be the future of food production. The future of food will also diversify what we eat, including aquaponic tilapia, sprouts, algae, fungus and yeast-derived foods, and imitation meats.

Tong Zou, Ali Cheshmehzangi, Ayotunde Dawodu, Eugenio Mangi · Journal of Resilient Economies (ISSN 2653-1917) · Global

This study investigated how urban agriculture can improve the sustainability and resilience of the urban food system through the analysis of existing literature. The literature review, conducted on April 11, 2022, on the Web of Science database, included bibliographic coupling, co-citation analysis, and co-occurrence analysis. Findings highlighted that urban agriculture alone cannot substitute large-scale food systems in the short term, but it could be a promising approach in the future.

Bruk Getahun, Essayas Deribe · Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning · Ethiopia

A case study in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, assessed the contribution of architectural design concepts for sustainable urban farming in selected urban farms. The research evaluated urban farms using six criteria based on the three pillars of sustainability: ecological, social, and economical. Findings revealed that most urban farms in Addis Ababa did not fully achieve the sustainability criteria.

Abdulaziz I. Almulhim, Patrick Brandful Cobbinah · International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology · Saudi Arabia

This article reviews literature on urbanization and its implications for the urban environment in Global South cities, discussing eight implications of the urbanization-environmental conundrum with cases from Saudi Arabian cities. Findings indicate that the sustainable development agenda in Saudi Arabian cities is skewed towards socio-economic development with limited focus on environmental issues. This situation is threatening the sustainability of rapidly urbanizing cities.

Jianren Shi, Qiaoyun Guo, Xiumin Zhao · Sustainability · China (Hangzhou)

This paper applies permaculture design concepts to an "air vegetable plot" urban farm in lowland communities of Hangzhou, China, combining urban life with traditional agricultural production. It proposes an "Internet + Agriculture" integration strategy to build a multi-functional industry of life, production, and ecology. The aim is to promote sustainable rural development and common prosperity through agricultural industry digitization.

Giulia Caterina Verga, Ahmed Z. Khan · Frontiers in Built Environment · Belgium (Brussels)

This study examined spatial factors fostering or hampering the embedding of urban circularity practices (UCPs) in the Brussels Capital Region (BCR) through a literature review and case-study research. It showed that access to spaces and land emerges as one of the most recurrent barriers to embedding UCPs. Beyond real estate prices, frictions in political agendas where the need for housing, productive spaces, urban agriculture land, and green-blue infrastructures compete for the same limited space also contribute to this issue.

Davide Marino, Giampiero Mazzocchi, Davide Pellegrino, Veridiana Barucci · Land · Italy

This study investigated the role of Ecosystem Services (ES) assessment within a "place-based policy-mix model" for urban planning, testing and integrating three ES assessment methodologies: mapping and assessment, expert-based evaluation, and social perception. Results indicate that mapping assessment assigns higher values to regulating ecosystem services, expert-based evaluation assigns slightly lower values to regulating ecosystem services, and social perception highlights the importance of cultural ES but tends to underestimate other ecosystem functions. These methodologies lead to sectoral, non-dialoguing policies based on partial and non-integrated information.

Eda Ustaoğlu · European Scientific Journal ESJ · Turkey (Istanbul)

This study assessed land suitability for urban agriculture, forest, and natural vegetation in the Pendik district of Istanbul, Turkey. It integrated GIS with a Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) approach, using both deterministic and fuzzy membership methods. Key evaluation criteria included geophysical factors, transport and services accessibility, land cover/use, blue and green amenities, soil properties, geology, and erosion susceptibility.

Petr Klusáček, Stanislav Martinát, Klára Charvátová, Josef Navrátil · Land · Europe

This study investigated the drivers of de-agrarianization in post-socialist cities, using Brno, Czech Republic, as a case study through qualitative interviews. It found procedural issues in preserving architectural heritage during the redevelopment of a former Cistercian monastery site, often resulting in only fragments being preserved. The research also demonstrated a decline in the use of urban agricultural properties, which are rapidly transformed into new urban environments under intense urbanization pressures.

Emmanuelle Melis, Emma Louise Armitage, Yuxin Ma, Amelia Weiss, Brian E. Robinson · McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal · United States (Chicago)

This study investigated the location of urban commercial farms in Chicago, Illinois, and whether there is a significant disparity between the social demographics of production and sale points. All production and distribution points for commercial urban farming companies were geocoded and analyzed against socioeconomic indicator data from the 2016 US census, including median annual household income, mean home value, and percent racialized minority population. Findings revealed statistically significant differences in socioeconomic indicators between census tracts of farm and sale point locations, showing a skewness of farm locations towards lower socioeconomic status areas and sale point locations towards higher socioeconomic status areas. This suggests that while farms are more likely to be located in marginalized neighborhoods in Chicago, most produce grown by these farms is sold in more privileged areas.