Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1022 results(28 / 41)
Crisis and post-crisis urban gardening initiatives from a Southern European perspective: The case of Barcelona
2017Laura Calvet‐Mir, Hug March · European Urban and Regional Studies · Spain (Barcelona)
In Barcelona, Spain, the characterization and evolution of urban gardening initiatives in the context of the 2007-2008 economic crisis and post-crisis were investigated. Using qualitative methods including participant observation, literature review, and semi-structured interviews, three prominent initiatives (54 gardens by the end of 2016), namely the Network of Municipal Gardens, the Network of Communitarian Gardens, and the Empty Plots Plan, were analyzed. The results show that urban gardens within the city are an expression of different, non-exclusive meanings that explicitly or implicitly mobilize notions of political gardening in a crisis and post-crisis context.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsGoverning the peri-urban agricultural territory. Opportunities and obstacles of integration between spatial planning and the Common Agricultural Policy
2017Annalisa Lodigiani · · Europe
This research addresses the ineffective governance of peri-urban agricultural territory in Europe, noting that spatial planning lacks the tools to guide agricultural sector forces influencing landscape transformation. Public action, through agricultural and rural development policies, significantly transforms the environment and territory but does not directly target space. The study finds that the separation between spatial planning and rural development policy creates ineffectiveness and stalemates in governing peri-urban agricultural land, concluding that integration of these two fields is required.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyFood sovereignty & justice8,000 Landlords, 1 Farm: The Individual and Societal Benefits of Community-Owned Farms
2017Grant J. Bosworth, John Hegarty · Ecopsychology · United Kingdom
This study reviewed the opinions of 419 supporters of a crowd-funded Community-Owned Farm (COF) in the English Midlands, 10 years after its inception. Findings indicated many long-term benefits for supporters, including feelings of empowerment and a sense of belonging to a wider community. The study also offered reasons for optimism regarding wider societal benefits, such as supporters initiating or increasing their involvement with other similar organizations and becoming more locally involved in their own community due to their COF involvement.
CommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceAzioni e progetti per micro interventi sullo spazio pubblico della città
2017Leonardo Zaffi · Florence Research (University of Florence) · Italy
This chapter reconstructs the main themes and implementation methodologies characterizing spontaneous practices and micro-interventions for the transformation of residual urban spaces. It outlines the characteristics of experiences such as public art, placemaking, active design, and urban farming, considering their compatibility and potential effectiveness for systemic "urban acupuncture" actions in the oldest parts of cities. The final part focuses on action methodologies like DIY and user involvement to investigate the potential of "urban acupuncture" in the oldest parts of cities.
DIYCommunityPolicyAgriculture urbaine, agriculture locale, et nouveaux systèmes alimentaires territoriaux.
2017Elsa Perroit · · France
This article reflects on the French agricultural model and the absence of urban agriculture from the "Etats généraux de l’Alimentation" (General Assembly on Food). Despite its multifaceted nature and role in urban food security, urban agriculture was relegated to a non-productive status, with its food functions disregarded. The article concludes that while urban agriculture possesses many qualities, it is not and will not be sufficient to feed urban areas.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyFamily allotment gardens - the case of the Poznań agglomeration
2017Magdalena Szczepańska · Europa XXI · Poland
In Poland's Poznań agglomeration, agricultural functions tend to be marginalized in urban development concepts and documents due to urbanization. Despite their ecological, health, landscape, recreational, and social functions, family allotment gardens are alarmingly perceived as restricting urban spatial development. This study presented the current state of family allotment gardens in the Poznań agglomeration and offered recommendations for spatial policy.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyHealthEconomicsReappropriating urban green spaces and urban food production
2017Judith Schicklinski · · Europe
This chapter discusses the reasons behind the re-appropriation of public space and its relation to urban food production. The commodification and privatization of public spaces are considered a spatial structure that transforms spaces into strategic resources. The urban gardening movement in European cities has drawn attention to using common green spaces for urban food production.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceThe role of interdisciplinarity in evaluating the sustainability of urban rooftop agriculture
2017Esther Sanyé‐Mengual, Jordi Oliver‐Solà, J.I. Montero, Joan Rieradevall · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Europe
This paper presents an interdisciplinary scheme to evaluate the sustainability of urban rooftop agriculture (URA), investigating its quantitative and qualitative potential, and environmental and economic impacts. Using Barcelona, Spain, and Bologna, Italy, as case studies, four interdisciplinary methods were combined: qualitative research, geographic information systems (GIS), life cycle assessment (LCA), and life cycle costing (LCC). Results indicate that a combined GIS-LCA tool is useful for evaluating URA implementation and its environmental benefits at the city scale, with soil cultivation using compost in open-air rooftop gardens being the most eco-efficient option.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceVegetables
2017Elizabeth Carruthers, Carole Keane, Jo Ingleby · · United Kingdom
This project in the United Kingdom aimed to provide children with first-hand knowledge of food growth and its environmental connection. It sourced seasonal and local ingredients from gardens, grocers, an allotment at Windmill Hill City Farm, and Farmers’ Markets for children to explore.
Food educationCommunityDIYReflexions on Urban Gardening in Germany
2017Evelyn Gustedt · Challenges in Sustainability · Germany
This article reflects on traditional and contemporary gardening movements in Germany, focusing on gardening in spaces subject to land lease agreements, tenancy, or illegal land take. The author examined various definitions, the historical development of urban gardening, and the values users relate to these activities. Based on a literature review, observations, and discussions, the author concludes with considerations on these gardening movements in relation to urban sustainable developments.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageClimate changeStatus and possibilities of the development of Community Supported Agriculture in Poland as an example of short food supply chain
2017Marta Sylla, Julia Olszewska, Małgorzata Świąder · Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development · Poland
This article analyzes the current state of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Poland, focusing on farm characteristics, spatial distribution of producers and consumers, and operational principles of CSA groups. Based on survey data from telephone interviews, the analysis indicates a rapid increase in CSA groups, which primarily operate in large cities. A common operational principle is that consumers prepay for organic, high-quality produce at the beginning of the growing season.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceOrtiAlti as urban regeneration devices: An action-research study on rooftop farming in Turin
2017Emanuela Saporito · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · Italy (Turin)
This action-research study in Turin, Italy, examines the OrtiAlti project, which revitalizes abandoned urban buildings through rooftop community gardens. The research aims to understand how rooftop farming, framed as a social innovation practice, contributes to urban regeneration, place-making, and urban resilience. It discusses rooftop food gardens as urban regeneration devices that combine environmental and social benefits through food production.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityFactores y relaciones sociales en el huerto urbano “Esta es una plaza”, Madrid, España
2017Melina Dávila Garrido, Carlos Leal Iga · DECUMANUS · Spain (Madrid)
This qualitative-ethnographic study investigated factors and social relationships in the urban garden "Esta es una plaza" in Madrid, Spain, using semi-structured interviews with participants. Initially, there were no social relations, trust, or belonging among neighbors, but confidence and a sense of belonging improved over time. Despite participant rotation, the urban garden has prevailed, with a variety of activities and increased social relations being key factors for its development and maintenance.
CommunityCittà contemporanea e spazi del cibo. Il Basso Isonzo a Padova: campagne urbaine o urban farming?
2017Viviana Ferrario · TERRITORIO · Italy (Padova)
This paper examines the renewed general interest in agriculture as a food producer, possibly due to conditions posed by the crisis of the late 2000s. It uses the recent case of a large agricultural area in the southwest quadrant of Padova, known as 'Basso Isonzo', to update territorial interpretations and design strategies in light of the increasing importance of food production, transformation, and consumption.
Urban–rural linkageEconomicsCommunityA methodological approach for urban green areas: a case study in Madrid
2017Teresa Briz, Isabel de Felipe-Boente · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Spain
This study tested a method for identifying urban green areas and assessing residents' attitudes towards ground and roof greening in Madrid, Spain. Researchers quantified available roofs and interviewed residents about their willingness to install and maintain green roofs, using a techno-socioeconomic evaluation and the Willingness-To-Green Index (WTG). A new Green Evaluation Weighted Index (GEWI) was proposed, showing that districts like Salamanca (Madrid), San Martí (Barcelona), and Nervión (Seville) had a greater presence of urban agriculture.
PolicyCommunityKnitting green spaces with the threads of social innovation in Groningen and London
2017Stephanie Nuria Spijker, Constanza Parra · Journal of Environmental Planning and Management · Europe
This paper discusses the potential of social innovations to transform urban green spaces in Groningen and London, applying the concept of socio-ecological practices to urban and guerrilla gardening. Based on document analysis, interviews, and garden observations, the study examines links between behavioral drivers, social innovation, and green space governance. It finds that underlying motivations like values and self-efficacy contribute to place-keeping transformations, suggesting socio-ecological practices can generate socially innovative physical, social, and policy changes in urban green space governance.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageCan Urban Agriculture Transform Two Northern Capitals? – The Case of Identity in Stockholm and Helsinki
2017Ida Åberg, Sophia E. Hagolani‐Albov · · Europe
This study states that urban agriculture is a phenomenon occurring in built environments that does not necessarily disrupt the city's form and function. It mentions the close proximity to nature in urban areas but does not elaborate on its details in the abstract.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFuture of Allotment Gardens in the Context of City Spatial Policy – A Case Study of Poznań
2017Lidia Poniży, Kamila Stachura · Quaestiones Geographicae · Poland (Poznań)
This case study of Poznań, Poland, examines urban spatial policy regarding allotment gardens. It finds that despite their importance as green infrastructure, allotment gardens receive little attention in city plans and policies, and face threats from investment pressure due to an underestimation of their role. The study emphasizes that preserving these gardens relies on local spatial planning.
Governance failurePolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageUndergraduate Student Research Opportunities and Economic Revitalization through Urban Agriculture Initiatives
2017Michael Schläppi · Metropolitan Universities · United States (Milwaukee)
This paper discusses the Sustainable Research and Economic Development model, which involves undergraduate students in interdisciplinary community-based research. Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, supports community efforts to bring healthy food to urban environments through interactions with the Cooperative of the Institute of Urban Agriculture and Nutrition (CIUAN). The model explores pathways for urban agriculture and urban farmers' markets to convert blighted properties into productive spaces as part of metropolitan economic development.
CommunityEconomicsFood educationFood sovereignty & justiceCuatro iniciativas de agricultura en la ciudad frente a la banalización del paisaje histórico urbano | Four urban agriculture initiatives against the banalization of urban historical landscape
2017David Arredondo Garrido · ZARCH · Spain
This study analyzed four urban agriculture and gardening initiatives in the city centers of Seville, Barcelona, Madrid, and Zaragoza, Spain, over the last decade. These projects aimed to counteract the homogenization of urban historical landscapes and create spaces for culture and social interaction. Despite difficulties in their management and their minor impact, these interventions demonstrated a method for reconfiguring urban landscapes in abandoned central areas.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceThe Location Matters: Determinants for “Deepening” and “Broadening” Diversification Strategies in Ruhr Metropolis’ Urban Farming
2017Bernd Pölling, Marcus Mergenthaler · Sustainability · Germany (Ruhr Metropolis)
This empirical study investigates determinants of diversification strategies among 123 urban farmers in Germany's Ruhr Metropolis using binary logit models. "Deepening" strategies (e.g., direct sales) are encouraged by larger farm sizes, high-value production, organic farming, and livestock. "Broadening" strategies (e.g., tourism, care farming) are prevalent on smaller farms with horses and higher grassland shares. Proximity to the city increases the likelihood of both diversification types.
EconomicsUrban–rural linkagePolicyFiguring the features of the Roman Campagna: recent landscape structural transformations of Rome’s countryside
2017Luca Salvati, Lorenza Gasparella, Michele Munafò, Raoul Romano, Anna Barbati · Annals of Silvicultural Research · Italy (Rome)
This paper quantified the impact of urban expansion on the Roman Campagna's landscape characteristics between 1974 and 2008. Using spatial pattern analysis and multi-factor analysis to assess changes in landscape composition and structure, the study found that the distinctive features of the Roman Campagna landscape are now blurred. A generalized landscape mixité was generated by the juxtaposition of different fragmented land uses.
Peri-urban agricultureUrban–rural linkagePolicyAir pollution risk assessment on urban agriculture
2017Marthe Ortolo · Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) · Netherlands
This study outlines a plan to assess air pollution risks in urban agriculture in the Netherlands, focusing on heavy metal (Cd, Hg) and PAK accumulation in spinach in Amsterdam urban gardens. It includes a literature review, policy maker interviews, and practical measurements of airborne contamination. The study aims to model different uptake routes by plants, but actual findings on contamination levels are not presented in this abstract.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPolicyClimate changeUrban agriculture and place-making: Narratives about place and space in Ghent, Brno and Bristol
2017Marlinde Koopmans, Daniel Keech, Lucie Sovová, Matthew Reed · Moravian Geographical Reports · Europe
This paper analyzed urban agriculture (UA) and place-making in Ghent, Brno, and Bristol, using a spatial lens across three case studies. It revealed that local authorities struggle to find space for UA, leading to its frequent, often temporary, emergence in marginal areas vulnerable to planning changes. The analysis exposed inherent tensions within UA, conceptualized as tensions between abstract space and concrete place narratives. It was suggested that UA, as a collective socio-cultural process, can transform functionally replicable spaces into unique places, contributing to place-making, and urban planning should secure physical spaces and create possibilities for local autonomous governance.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageUrban rooftop farming : sustainability, practices and stakeholder perception on case studies in Europe (Torino, Paris, Rotterdam)
2017Jonida Alliaj · · Europe
This qualitative investigation examined rooftop farming in Turin, Paris, and Rotterdam, focusing on local practices, policies, and stakeholder perceptions of sustainability and social impact. Findings reveal significant differences in governance: Turin's OrtiAlti project faced difficulties due to absent city strategies and policies, while Paris has a moderate number of rooftop farms with recent supportive policies. Rotterdam's Dakakker is a consolidated project, supported by local government through multi-stakeholder participation.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate change