Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
639 results(25 / 26)
The People's Property?: Power, Politics, and the Public.
2007Lynn A. Staeheli, Donald W. Mitchell · · United States (New York City)
This book explores the complex relationship between power, politics, and public space across various US cities, including Washington, D.C., Santa Fe, San Diego, Syracuse, and New York City. Chapter 5 specifically addresses the struggle for public access and control in New York's community gardens. The work reveals challenges in governance and public access within these urban spaces.
Governance failureCommunityPolicySPIN-Farming: advancing urban agriculture from pipe dream to populist movement
2007Roxanne Christensen · Sustainability Science Practice and Policy · United States (Philadelphia)
This paper discusses SPIN-Farming as a tool to demonstrate the economic viability of urban agriculture, which was initially advocated in Philadelphia in 1998. While social and environmental benefits are clear, economic proof was needed to motivate policymakers. The author applied entrepreneurial experience to develop SPIN-Farming, aiming to revive the farming profession and enable a scalable, accessible farming concept across economic classes and geographical boundaries, fostering local food systems.
EconomicsPolicyCommunityAgricultura urbana e peri-urbana em Campinas/SP : analise do Programa de Hortas Comunitarias como subsidio para politicas publicas
2006Juliana Arruda, Nilson Antonio Modesto Arraes · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Campinas)
A 2005 study in Campinas, Brazil, analyzed the city's Community Garden Program (PHC) to support the formulation of new urban and peri-urban agriculture policies. Analysis of PHC management revealed an almost total disengagement between the program and sectoral policies such as education, health, and social action. However, individual actions were found to be important for project implementation and success, and the projects were significant in the lives of beneficiaries.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood educationHealthAnálise da dinâmica espacial da ocupação das terras e seus conflitos de uso no perímetro urbano de Santa Maria - RS (1975 - 2002)
2006Fabrício de Araújo Pedron, Ricardo Simão Diniz Dalmolin, Antônio Carlos de Azevedo, Márcio Ramos Botelho, Alessandro Samuel‐Rosa · Ciência Rural · Brazil (Santa Maria)
This study analyzed the spatial and temporal dynamics of land occupation in urban areas of Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, and determined land use conflicts using data from 1975 to 2002. Urban land use increased from 9% in 1975 to 33% in 2002. Land use conflicts increased from 19% in 1975 to 37% in 1995, then decreased to 33% in 2002. The main problems of improper land use are related to the fragility of geological material and soil resources for use in construction and urban agriculture.
Governance failurePolicyUrban–rural linkageDevelopment, Power and Movements: A Comparative Case Study of Communities and Empowerment
2006Lisa Patterson · Scholarly Commons (University of Pennsylvania) · United States
This comparative case study uses ethnographic fieldwork to analyze the Urban Nutrition Initiative and a community-supported agricultural garden in the United States. It describes the organizational foundations of development agencies within a public policy framework and discusses power relationships between advocates and clientele in social service networks. The study demonstrates that power transitions in development schemes indicate social movements, which are defined as markers of successful strategies through a community empowerment model.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUtilização do sistema de avaliação do potencial de uso urbano das terras no diagnóstico ambiental do município de Santa Maria - RS
2006Fabrício de Araújo Pedron, Ricardo Simão Diniz Dalmolin, Antônio Carlos de Azevedo, Everton Luís Poelking, Pablo Miguel · Ciência Rural · Brazil (Santa Maria)
This study conducted an environmental diagnosis in urban areas of Santa Maria, Brazil, using the Urban Land Use Potential Assessment System (SAPUT) to identify land use conflicts. Remote sensing and geoprocessing techniques were employed. The identified problems of improper land use are related to the fragility of geological material and soil resources, with up to 33% of the area being used beyond its potential due to inadequate use for construction and urban agriculture.
Governance failureUrban–rural linkagePolicyClimate changeAgricultura urbana en la ciudad de méxico y su área conurbada: situación y perspectivas
2005R. Robles · Revista Agraria · Mexico (Mexico City)
This paper provides an overview of urban agriculture in Mexico City and its conurban area, contrasting production models in developing and developed countries. It reviews the main urban, suburban, and peri-urban production systems and discusses public policies for promoting urban agriculture. The study concludes that no specific policy has been designed to promote urban agriculture in Mexico.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyPeri-urban agricultureUBC Food Systems Project : development at UBC
2005Amanda Brown, Antonin van der Lely, Camilo Cortes, Eileen Leung, Fung Lam, Liz Overton, Muneera Hussain · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada
The UBC Food Systems Project evaluated the effects of campus development on creating a sustainable food system at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Researchers identified barriers and opportunities in UBC's Official Community Plan (OCP) and Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP), then proposed "The Edible Campus" urban agricultural strategy. This strategy included six actions like demonstration gardens and food production on buildings, with recommendations for future viability studies.
Food educationCommunityPolicyThe Effect of Community Gardens on Property Crime Rates in Inner City Houston
2005M.R. Gorham, Tina M. Waliczek · HortScience · United States (Houston)
This study aimed to determine if a relationship existed between reported property crimes and the presence of inner city community gardens in Houston, Texas. Property crime data from 1995 through 2004 were obtained from the Houston Police Department, and crime rates within a 1/8-mile radius surrounding community gardens were compared to the property crime rate for the entire police beat. The abstract does not state the study's results.
CommunityHealthPolicyTending Cultural Landscapes and Food Citizenship in Toronto's Community Gardens
2004Lauren Baker · Geographical Review · Canada (Toronto)
Toronto's community gardens, numbering over 100, are sites of place-based politics linked to the community food-security movement. These gardens reflect the city's cultural landscape and serve as a strategy to regenerate the local food system and provide access to healthy, affordable food. Three case studies illustrate the complexities of "food citizenship" and the role gardeners play in transforming urban spaces.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justicePolicyThe Planner in the Garden: A Historical View into the Relationship between Planning and Community Gardens
2004Laura Lawson · Journal of Planning History · United States
This historical review of US community garden programs since the 1890s reveals an ambivalent relationship between community gardens and the planning profession. While praised for serving environmental, social, and individual objectives, community gardens are largely ignored in long-range planning due to being perceived as opportunistic and temporary. This highlights unresolved tensions between professional planning and civic concerns, and between comprehensive planning and local interventions.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsScience-Based Solutions to Obesity: What is the Role of Agriculture?
2004CAST · · United States
This comprehensive report by a twelve-member task force examines the changing role of agriculture in urban settings within historical and contemporary American society. It outlines geographic, demographic, and economic changes in rural and metropolitan life, considering policy issues such as land preservation, alternative market opportunities, sprawl, taxation, and food security. The report also presents research and educational challenges for higher education institutions.
HealthFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageBox 2.3 Air pollution and urban and peri-urban agriculture in South Asia
2004Kenny Lynch · · United States
A 1992 survey by Bryant and Johnston in the US examined farming in the 'city's countryside'. The survey found that key concerns among farmers included changes in the local community, excessive traffic, issues of trespassing and vandalism, and complaints from non-farm neighbors. These findings indicate challenges in governance and community relations for peri-urban farmers.
Governance failurePeri-urban agricultureCommunityPolicyCommunity Gardens: Lessons Learned From California Healthy Cities and Communities
2003Joan M. Twiss, Joy Dickinson, Shirley Duma, Tanya Kleinman, Heather Paulsen, Liz Rilveria · American Journal of Public Health · United States (California)
Community gardens enhance nutrition, physical activity, and social capital, promoting public health and quality of life. The California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) program funded successful community gardens in several cities, which incorporated local leadership, volunteers, and skill-building. These initiatives led to policies for land and water use, improved produce access, and strengthened community building skills.
CommunityHealthFood educationPolicyCommunity Gardens and Politics of Scale in New York City
2003Christopher M. Smith, Hilda E. Kurtz · Geographical Review · United States (New York City)
New York City community gardens have faced political contestation for thirty years, notably in 1999 when 114 gardens were slated for public auction and redevelopment. This article examines the controversy as a politics of scale, where garden advocates expanded the dispute beyond individual gardens and the city. The analysis highlights the significance of scale politics for grassroots organizations within a market-centric, neoliberal economic framework.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe Story of the Queen Anne Memorial Garden: Resisting a Dominant Cultural Narrative
2003Troy D. Glover · Journal of Leisure Research · United States
This narrative inquiry explored how 14 participants in the Queen Anne Memorial Garden, a community garden built to combat urban decline, collectively reconfigured events into a “success story.” The aggregated community narrative illustrates how a collective leisure pursuit can be a grassroots effort to address urban decline and reshape collective identity.
CommunityPolicyHealthQuantitative evaluation of greenroof systems for sustainable development
2003Grace K. Luk · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · Canada (Greater Toronto Area)
This paper describes the design and data collection for an on-site evaluation to quantify the benefits of greenroof systems, focusing on six greenroof systems in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. The study's objective is to specifically quantify the multiple benefits greenroofs provide, such as improved stormwater management, air quality, increased energy efficiency, extended roof life cycle, and mitigation of the Urban Heat Island Effect. A long-term, real-time monitoring program is intended to help define the ecological and hydraulic benefits of these greenroofs.
Climate changePolicyBiodiversityContemporary streamkeepers : a comparison of two urban horticultural restoration programs
2003Charles Rowley · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)
This paper compared the successes and failures of two urban creek restoration programs in California: Temescal Creek (initiated nearly 30 years ago) and White Oak Creek (completed about four years ago). Based on the author's success criteria, the more recent White Oak Creek program achieved significant success, while the earlier Temescal Creek restoration did not reach generally acceptable success levels. This difference is attributed to changes in management and scientific practice over 30 years, including substantial changes in the legal basis for restoration, improved monitoring requirements, and the critical role of properly engineered low flow distribution structures.
Limited or null effectCommunityBiodiversityPolicyConflicting Rights to the City in New York's Community Gardens
2002Lynn A. Staeheli, Don Mitchell, Kristina Gibson · GeoJournal · USA (New York City)
Analyzes the Giuliani administration's 1998–1999 policy of transferring community gardens to housing development and auctioning 100+ gardens, exposing how a city 'greening then privatizing' policy reversed itself and treated public gardens as disposable exchange-value assets.
PolicyCommunityEconomicsIncommensurability, Land Use, and the Right to Space: Community Gardens in New York City1
2002Karen Schmelzkopf · Urban Geography · United States (New York City)
This study examined the conflict over community gardens in New York City, arguing that it was a struggle concerning the right to space. The city, operating from an entrepreneurial governance perspective, claimed that the gardens represented a loss of exchange value and potential housing. The city used market economy rhetoric to dismiss incommensurable use values, thereby restricting rights to the city within a demonstration of power and "reason."
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceThe common green/common ground Performance Project: The Personal, the Political, the Gardens, and NYU
2002Cindy Rosenthal · TDR/The Drama Review · United States (New York City)
In New York City, a group of NYU students and local community activists protested and performed against landlords and the city bulldozing community gardens. Their performance piece documented the transformation of garbage-strewn lots into lush, vital community havens and cried out against their destruction. This highlights a conflict over urban garden governance.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceLa participation, dans quel sens? L'exemple des organisations communautaires et de l'agriculture urbaine dans les villes de Mexico et de Cuernavaca
2002Manon Boulianne · Anthropologica · Mexico
A study on community organizations and urban agriculture in Mexico City and Cuernavaca suggests that the very meaning of participation becomes an issue for community organizations engaged in popular entrepreneurship development programs. It illustrates how the structuring effects of market production activities lead to a renegotiation of the meaning attributed to participation among the individuals and groups concerned.
Governance failureCommunityEconomicsPolicyUrban and Agricultural Communities: Opportunities for Common Ground
2002CAST · · United States
A twelve-member task force report examines the changing role of agriculture in urban settings within American society. The report frames urban agriculture historically and contemporaneously, detailing geographic, demographic, and economic changes. Policy issues such as land preservation, alternative market opportunities, sprawl, taxation, and food security are discussed, alongside research and educational challenges for institutions of higher education.
PolicyEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageDIFFERENTIATING MULTIPLE MEANINGS OF GARDEN AND COMMUNITY
2001Hilda E. Kurtz · Urban Geography · United States (Minneapolis)
This paper examines the variations among community gardens in Minneapolis, Minnesota, suggesting they reflect differing interpretations of "community" and "garden" in urban settings. While community gardens are seen as responses to urban decay, the study highlights that issues of enclosure, inclusion, and exclusion are central to their function. Decisions regarding garden enclosure shape their role in urban neighborhoods, indicating potential limitations related to equity.
Equity & displacementCommunityEconomicsPolicyGeographies of social activism: Women, democracy, and change in an urban community garden
2001Huei-Hsuan Lin · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · United States
This three-year qualitative study of an urban community garden in a mid-size city in upstate New York, United States, examined how women community gardeners perceive their participation. It found that the community garden, intended as a space for social change, paradoxically became a site of internal struggles among participants. Emancipatory efforts to build a less unequal society did not automatically result in an egalitarian space, as the process of community building by individuals with various social positions required arduous efforts and involved negotiation and confrontations, rather than simple unity.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicy