Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
701 results(26 / 29)
Chapter 38 The CPUL City Toolkit: planning productive urban landscapes for European cities
2012Katrin Bohn, André Viljoen · · Germany (Berlin), United Kingdom (London)
This chapter reviews the evolving Continuous Productive Urban Landscape (CPUL) City concept in the context of Berlin and London, exploring ways to integrate sustainable food systems into the urban fabric. The CPUL City Toolkit provides an overview of key steps for planning and implementing urban agriculture as part of coherent productive urban landscape strategies. The toolkit introduces four methods of action: Action U+D, Action VIS, Action IUC, and Action R.
PolicyCommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceCultivating the Social Field : Strategically moving Urban Agricultural Projects towards Sustainability
2012Ashley Courtney, Brendan McShane, Ella Wiles · · North America; Europe
This research explored how low-income urban agricultural (UA) projects in North America and Europe can be strategically supported for sustainability. The authors analyzed UA projects using the 5 Level Framework and the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, along with Leverage Points, to understand their current reality. The study produced strategic recommendations and guidance for UA projects to foster a societal shift towards sustainability.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changePolicyChapter 42 Room for urban agriculture in Rotterdam: defining the spatial opportunities for urban agriculture within the industrialised city
2012Paul. A. de Graaf · · Netherlands (Rotterdam)
This research offers a top-down perspective on Rotterdam's urban landscape to identify spatial opportunities for urban agriculture. It defines promising urban agriculture types based on international best practices and local expert judgment, then formulates criteria for opportunities based on spatial, environmental, and social demands and benefits. The study aims to support bottom-up urban agriculture projects by mapping these opportunities and demonstrating their potential through design case studies, linking them to urban sustainability and resilience.
PolicyClimate changeCommunityKreuzberg’s Multi- and Intercultural Realities - Are They Assets?
2012Johannes Novy · · Germany (Berlin)
This seminar aims to identify the contemporary winners and losers in Berlin's urban development and how this is manifested and reproduced through urban space. Central points of interest include conflicts surrounding the "New Berlin," the potential and threats of Berlin as a "Creative City," the spatial dimension of social exclusion, the integration of migrants, and perspectives of the "right-to-the-city-movement" (e.g., guerrilla gardening). Berlin's urban landscape will be compared to those of Paris and St. Petersburg.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsGuerrilla Gardening - zwischen Street Art und der Rückkehr zur Natur
2012Barbara Uhlig · edoc Publication server (Humboldt University of Berlin) · Germany
This study analyzes guerrilla gardening as a protest movement where activists plant flowers, trees, and vegetables on derelict urban spaces without owner permission. The motivations for guerrilla gardening are pragmatic, ecological, political, and aesthetic, though its artistic status is often denied. The study demonstrates that guerrilla gardening aligns with George Dickie's institutional theory of art and can be classified as art.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityDIYFarmers against the Market? The Itinerary of an Alternative Marketing System for Fruits and Vegetables
2012Madlyne Samak · L Homme et la société · France
A long-term study in southeastern France examined the development of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as an alternative marketing system for fruits and vegetables. The study found that the non-market dimension of CSA appears to have disappeared over time, from its initial form to current basket systems. This change is attributed to the diversification of farmers' sociological profiles and the transformation of marketing conditions for organic local products.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsPreliminary results of studies on radioisotopes activity concentrations in vicinity of cement works
2012Zbigniew Ziembik, Agnieszka Dołhańczuk-Śródka, Grzegorz Kusza · Proceedings of ECOpole · Poland
Soil samples were collected from the former "Piast" cement plant within Opole city borders, Poland, and nearby allotment gardens to study radioisotope activity concentrations. Naturally occurring radioisotopes and artificial Cs were found, with K and Cs showing the biggest radioactivity concentration. No significant differences in radionuclide activities were found between soil samples from the former industrial estate and the allotment gardens.
Contamination & food safetyHealthCommunityLet’s Plan the School Garden: A Participatory Project on Sustainability in a Nursery School in Padua
2012Lorena Rocca, Giovanni Donadelli, Sonia Ziliotto · DergiPark (Istanbul University) · Italy (Padua)
The "Small steps of Agenda 21" project in the "J. Mirò" nursery school in Padua, Italy, engaged children in participatory planning for their school garden. Children actively improved the garden, fostering awareness of community discussion and participation. The project demonstrated that children improved their sense of inclusiveness and responsibility.
Food educationCommunityClimate changeMarseille et ses natures: permeabilites spatiales, segmentations sociales Marseille e suas naturezas: permeabilidades espaciais, segmentações sociais Marseille and its Natures: Spacial Permeabilities, Social Segmentations
2012Cécilia Claeys, Jean-Noël Consalès, Carole Barthélémy · · France (Marseille)
This paper re-examines the question of nature in the city through emerging environmental paradigms, using Marseille, a French Mediterranean city, as a case study. An interdisciplinary analysis combining sociology and geography revealed that new modes of urban and suburban nature management (e.g., National Park, greenways, community gardens) question spatial boundaries between wild and artificial. However, the uses of these spaces are still marked by persistent social segmentations.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageConnecting communities through food: the theoretical foundations of community supported agriculture in the UK
2012Neil Ravenscroft, Niamh Moore, Ed Welch, Andrew Church · University of Brighton Repository (University of Brighton) · United Kingdom
This paper explores the theoretical foundations of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the UK, a cooperative venture where communities share farming risks and harvests. It suggests that CSA's theoretical underpinnings are gift-based, fostering deep connections among people, farmers, and the environment. The paper argues that CSA's significance lies in its rejection of market-based food communities and its demonstration of durable community forms for making multiple connections.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceThe first steps on agricultural education in Turkish elementary schools: The school garden project
2012Salih Çepni, Miraç Aydın, Mehmet Akif Haşıloğlu, Mustafa Ürey · Bursa Uludag University - AVESIS · Turkey (Trabzon)
This study, conducted in Trabzon, Turkey, from February to June 2007-2008, aimed to reveal changes in agricultural knowledge among twenty-four 6th-grade students participating in a "School Garden Project." Using the RAST Model, students were divided into 6 groups, and data was collected through pre- and post-application interviews and researcher observations. The project generally achieved desired alterations across all five agricultural course targets.
Food educationCommunityEmerging Community Food Production And Pathways For Urban Landscape Transitions
2012Sarah Bell, Cristina Cerulli · UCL Discovery (University College London) · United Kingdom (London)
A case study of a newly established community garden in London was analyzed. The study used the multi-level perspective on transitions to sustainable development by Grin et al. (2010) and modeling of cities as complex systems by Wilson (2010a) and Batty (2005) to analyze the potential for emerging community gardens to contribute to transitions to sustainable urban food systems. Urban agriculture is considered a core element for the future of sustainable cities.
CommunityClimate changePolicyUrban–rural linkageAnálisis de las características técnicas y sociales asociadas a procesos de compostaje comunitario: Estudio de caso en el huerto urbano comunitario L'Hortet del Forat y sistematización de la experiencia
2012Javier Varona Espallargas · RECAM Metropolitan Knowledge Repository · Spain (Barcelona)
This study analyzes community self-composting at the L'Hortet del Forat urban community garden in Barcelona, Spain. It aims to assess the potential for waste prevention and management, and to identify the social characteristics of users engaging in this practice.
CompostCommunityOrganic cycleGrowing alone, growing together, growing apart?: Reflections on the social organisation of voluntary urban food production in Britain
2012Richard Wiltshire, Louise Geoghegan · Research Portal (King's College London) · United Kingdom
This chapter explores the social organization of voluntary urban food production in Britain, identifying two dominant modes: collective activities and individual allotment gardens. It notes that the organization of unpaid labor is an under-researched aspect and a key restraint on urban agriculture's expansion. The study found that relations between these two modes can be antagonistic, particularly when land is scarce.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyEconomicsDeveloping “community” in community gardens
2011Chris Firth, Damian Maye, David Pearson · Local Environment · United Kingdom (Nottingham)
This paper presents an exploratory investigation of two community gardens in Nottingham, UK, examining the nature of "community" and its benefits. Case-study results indicate that community gardens foster cohesion and vitality, generating bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. The study identifies two categories: "place-based" gardens, which are territorially embedded, and "interest-based" gardens, which may span diverse communities.
CommunityWelfareThe Comparison of Allotment Garden in Europe and Community Garden in the United States
2011Jin Qian · Xiandai chengshi yanjiu · Europe; United States
This paper compares allotment gardens in Europe and community gardens in the United States. It notes that stable European allotment gardens rely on policy frameworks, national laws, and cooperation among local government, public, private, and non-profit organizations. In contrast, American community gardens often depend on loosely organized non-profits to acquire land and foster community autonomy without official support.
CommunityPolicyHistoria de los huertos urbanos. De los huertos para pobres a los programas de agricultura urbana ecológica
2011Nerea Morán Alonso, Agustín Hernández Aja · · Europe
This historical review traces the functions and characteristics of urban agriculture (UA) in Western cities. It notes that UA flourished during economic and energy crises for self-sufficiency, serving subsistence, hygiene, and social control in the 19th century and patriotic functions during 20th-century world wars. Since the 1970s, UA projects have focused on local development, social integration, and environmental education, led by community and ecological organizations.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsFood educationWelfareRealising ecological sustainability in community gardens: a capability approach
2011Alma Clavin · Local Environment · Europe
This paper reports on the multiple impacts that community garden design may have on the subjective well-being of site users, using the capability approach as a normative framework. Qualitative research conducted in five community garden sites in the UK and Ireland in early 2011 yielded new explanations for both sustainable design and well-being. Two key design aspects, agency and dynamic balance, were found to enhance both the sustainability of the community garden sites and the well-being of site users.
CommunityHealthBiodiversityOrganic cycleRESOURCE RECOVERY AND MATERIALS FLOW IN THE CITY
2011Steffen Lehmann · Journal of Green Building · Europe
This paper discusses resource recovery and materials flow in cities, noting that urban farming has emerged as a valid urban design strategy in Europe, contributing to local food production, organic waste composting, and biodiversity. It reports on best practices for implementing zero waste, including adaptive re-use and design for disassembly, and identifies that the construction and demolition sector is a major waste producer. A key finding is that achieving 'zero-waste' requires strong industry leadership, new policies, effective education, and refocused research agendas.
Urban–rural linkageCompostOrganic cycleBiodiversityCommunityClimate changeSchool garden education in Amsterdam : the teacher’s perception about its quality
2011M. Booij-Vonk · · Netherlands
In Amsterdam, pupils experience the circle of life through year-round programs offered in 13 school gardens. This study investigated how primary school teachers in Amsterdam perceive the quality of school garden education. To account for the influence of teacher background on quality perception, the study categorized teachers based on their educational philosophies: Montessori, Jena plan, Waldorf, Dalton, and schools without specific educational philosophies.
Food educationCommunityMigratory words, migratory worlds: From Liverpool (United Kingdom) to Liverpool (New South Wales), and back again
2011Elizabeth Day · Crossings Journal of Migration and Culture · United Kingdom
This visual essay reflects on the ideas and processes of migration, mutation, and transplantation. Inspired by Robert Smithson's work, the author's art practice is intimately connected to the earth, exploring deterritorialization and reterritorialization in the creation of earthworks. The author examines Tasmanians' special connection to the earth through two photographic series: depictions of their own earthworks and a series created with women in a women's prison centered on the theme of a 'community garden'.
CommunityWelfareWhen Modern Was Green: Life and Work of Landscape Architect Leberecht Migge
2010Haney D. H. · Routledge · Germany
The first book to fully document Migge's life and work, presenting him as a central figure across garden reform, urban planning, the Siedlungen housing movement, and organic architecture and planning, with extensive archival illustrations.
Organic cycleCommunityWelfareAllotment gardening and health: a comparative survey among allotment gardeners and their neighbors without an allotment
2010Van den Berg A. E., Van Winsum-Westra M., De Vries S., Van Dillen S. M. E. · Environmental Health · Netherlands
Comparative survey of Dutch allotment gardeners and non-gardening neighbors finding gardeners, especially older adults, scored better on health, wellbeing, physical activity, and social contacts, evidencing welfare benefits of shared urban gardening.
HealthWelfareCommunityPublic Participation in Post-Fordist Urban Green Space Governance: The Case of Community Gardens in Berlin
2010Marit Rosol · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · Germany (Berlin)
Argues that the state's new acceptance of citizen-run gardens as green-space governance is an expression of neoliberalization: participation is mobilized to shift fiscal responsibility onto residents. Shows contradictory, self-undermining outcomes of this participatory policy instrument.
PolicyCommunityStories Of Apples: An exploration of the arenas of a London food supply
2010Poppy Nicol · ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) · United Kingdom (London)
This paper studies how various apples enter a community in London, using the apple as a device to analyze the city-region's food system and its connection to productive land. A multi-level analysis examined four arenas of procurement: mainstream retail (supermarkets), wholesale markets, direct links with producers (CSA box schemes, farmers' markets), and ecologically localized procurement (gleaning projects, community orchards). The study explores how these different journeys are understood and accounted for.
CommunityUrban–rural linkageFood miles & supply chainEconomics