Research & reports

Elizabeth Nicholls, Adrian Ely, Linda Birkin, Parthiba Basu, Dave Goulson · Sustainability Science · United Kingdom (Brighton and Hove)

A review and case study in Brighton and Hove, UK, examined the contribution of small-scale urban and peri-urban agriculture to sustainable food production. Findings showed these small, labor-intensive systems with high crop diversity can be highly productive, offering environmental and social advantages over industrial agriculture through minimal synthetic inputs and local consumption. However, significant knowledge gaps persist regarding productivity, economic impacts, pesticide use, and biodiversity implications.

Esther Cascarosa Salillas, Beatriz Mazas Gil, Ester Mateo González · Journal of Biological Education · Spain

Research with first-year preschoolers in Spain analyzed their ability to observe, compare, classify, and identify small animals using magnifying glasses and dichotomous keys. Students learned to observe intentionally with magnifying glasses and compare small animals based on the number of wings, legs, and color. However, students struggled to use dichotomous keys, indicating that teacher assistance was necessary to develop scientific skills such as observation, comparison, classification, and identification.

احمد حسنی رضوان, احمد عبد الغنی مرسی · مجلة العمارة والفنون والعلوم الإنسانية · Germany (Berlin)

This research examines former airports as urban voids and their potential reuse as urban commons. Two case studies, Tempelhofer Feld Airport in Berlin, Germany, and Imbaba Airport in Giza, Egypt, are analyzed, recognizing the cultural, historical, political, economic, and urban complexities involved in each city and country. Tempelhofer Feld is cited as an example already providing space for urban gardening, culture, sports, and recreation.

llullu · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Germany (Leipzig)

This documentary traces silkworm breeding in a Leipzig allotment garden to the island of Crete, depicting how idyllic scenes and war begin to converge.

Dávid Korányi, Róbert Gallé, Bettina Donkó, Dan Chamberlain, Péter Batáry · Urban Ecosystems · Germany (Göttingen)

This study in Göttingen, Germany, investigated the effects of green space (GS) types and surrounding urbanization on bird communities. Bird observations were conducted using the point-count method in allotments and parks, with urbanization levels measured by the percentage of impervious surfaces. Increasing levels of urbanization around green spaces had no effect on bird species richness, functional traits, or community composition.

Cristina Grasseni · · Italy, United States (Massachusetts)

This chapter compares and contrasts context-specific notions and practices of 'solidarity' within collaborative networks organizing alternative food procurement in Lombardy, Italy, and Massachusetts, USA, based on unpublished ethnography from 2011-2014. It juxtaposes Italian Solidarity Purchase Groups with the US solidarity economy network in the context of the Boston local food movement and Massachusetts community-supported agriculture. The chapter demonstrates how the meaning of solidarity in collective food procurement is context-bound.

David Goode, Ian Douglas, Mark J. McDonnell, Amy K. Hahs, Ian MacGregor‐Fors · · Europe

This chapter explores the evolution of urban ecology through eight historical events or stages. Urban allotment gardens as a source of vegetables and fruits were an important issue across Europe for the greater part of the twentieth century. The three paradigms 'in', 'of', and 'for' urban ecology are viewed as progressively more complex in the range of topics involved, from traditional ecological studies to multi-dimensional issues of urban sustainability.

Margot Dudkiewicz, Patryk Krupiński, Magdalena Stefanek, Marcin Iwanek · Teka Komisji Architektury Urbanistyki i Studiów Krajobrazowych · Poland (Stasin)

A case study of a project transforming the grounds of a primary school in Stasin, Poland, into a sensory garden is presented. The project aims to meet diverse children's needs, support their development, and enable creative classes for teachers by creating zones for sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, along with representative, educational, sport, and recreation zones.

Ayfer Tan, Neşe Adanacıoğlu, Saadet Tuğrul Ay, Malek Batal, Hala Ghattas, Salma N. Talhouk · · Turkey

In Turkey, wild edible plants have been an integral part of human diets since prehistoric times and are common in local cuisine. These plants are known to be high in nutrients and can improve the quality and diversity of diets. The collection of wild edible species offers a cheap solution to boosting school meals with a variety of nutrients.

Paola Clerino, Agnès Fargue‐Lelièvre · Sustainability · France

This study used a participatory approach with French urban agriculture stakeholders to identify sustainability objectives and 21 criteria for professional intra-urban farms. Six objectives were established, and agro-environmental and socio-territorial criteria were deemed more important than economic ones, with food production not being mentioned. A critical finding was that decision-makers focused more on projects' external sustainability and urban farmers' agricultural background, suggesting a reliance on farmers for internal sustainability rather than direct assessment.

Sarah Kumnig, Marit Rosol · · Europe

This chapter discusses two strategies for commoning land access in Europe, challenging private property and profit maximization amidst rising land prices since 2008. It presents two case studies: German cooperatives purchasing agricultural land for organic farmers, and the urban agriculture collective SoliLa squatting land in Vienna, Austria. Both cases aim to organize agriculture and food production collectively, differing in their engagement with formal markets and state but sharing the goal of enabling and preserving land access.

Mosen Farhangi, Margherita Turvani, Arnold van der Valk, G.J. Carsjens · Sustainability · Netherlands (Amsterdam)

An ethnographic study in Amsterdam, Netherlands, analyzed barriers to the integration of high-tech urban agriculture (HTUA) into urban planning processes. The research revealed a lacking connection between planning actors and HTUA technology developers.

Daniel Keech, Marc Redepenning · Food Culture & Society · United Kingdom (Bath), Germany (Bamberg)

This study compared the cultural dimensions of urban horticulture in two UNESCO World Heritage cities, Bath (UK) and Bamberg (Germany), drawing on Luhmann's social systems theory and Nassehi's concept of cultural contingency. It identified four types of culturalization, or empirically observable practices, that explain how urban horticulture is governed and executed. The findings indicate the local historical embeddedness of rivalry and cooperation among urban gardeners, and the relevance of culture as a potential for innovation in urban horticulture.

Naomi Shimpo, Naotaka Ota · Toshi keikaku hokokushu/Toshi keikaku houkokushuu · Germany (Berlin)

This report details the changes to Berlin's Allotment Garden Development Plan (KEP), revised in 2019 in response to urban development pressure. The original KEP focused on existing zoning systems for preservation guidelines, while the revised KEP uses statistical and spatial analysis to objectively demonstrate the importance of allotment gardens. The updated preservation category system more clearly indicates which facilities are preserved or designated for development, making the plan more data-driven.

Miriam C. Dobson, Christian Reynolds, Philip H. Warren, Jill L. Edmondson · British Food Journal · United Kingdom

This study investigated the well-being benefits of urban horticulture in allotments in the United Kingdom. 163 volunteers in England and Wales kept a year-long allotment diary, and unprompted comments from 96 of these gardeners were analyzed. Participants recorded high levels of social and community activities, including sharing surplus food, knowledge exchange, interaction with wildlife, emotional connection to their allotment, appreciation of time spent outdoors, and aesthetic delight in the natural world.

Sara Giovansana, Giacomo Zanolin · Geography Notebooks · Germany (Berlin)

This study examines urban creativity in Berlin, focusing on urban gardens at Tempelhofer Feld and Prinzessinnengärten. Based on field research, it reflects on the potential of creative class initiatives in relation to gentrification. The work aims to outline the Berlin green experience as a sign of urban change.

Ulrich Häpke · sub\urban zeitschrift für kritische stadtforschung · Germany (Ruhrgebiet)

While statistical data demonstrates the significance of urban agriculture in German cities and metropolitan areas, urban agriculture faces the problem of constant land loss despite its proximity to consumers. The example of the Ruhrgebiet highlights challenges such as land loss and high proportions of leased land, indicating governance issues faced by urban agriculture.

Roman Szkup · Journal of Geography Politics and Society · Poland

A questionnaire survey was conducted among users of two allotment gardens ("Żeromskiego" AG and "Wolinka" AG) in the Łódź suburban area, Poland, to verify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their behavior and recreation. The analysis showed that while the pandemic affected the behavior and rest of allotment garden users, the impact was not as large as could be expected.

Pierre Donadieu · Territoire en mouvement · France

This paper presents an opinion from the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), positioning urban agriculture as a decisive tool for sustainable cities. During the 2010s, six major publications on urban agriculture sought to identify this economic and social phenomenon, which has been emerging or returning in France and globally for at least 20 years. There is abundant literature in this field, with three collective works in French initiating these publications.

Carrie Ann Benjamin · Sociální studia / Social Studies · France (Paris)

This study examines community gardening and participatory urbanism in Paris, focusing on the Goutte Verte, a temporary nomadic community garden. The continued existence of the Goutte Verte is in opposition to the city's much-needed housing, with gardeners caught between a desire for green space and a demand for comfortable housing. Community gardens are shown to act as a material alternative to urban planning and governance that often fail to account for a "place to breathe" in the city.

Remigio Paradelo, Cecilia Herbón, María Teresa Barral · Journal of Environmental Quality · Spain (Santiago de Compostela)

This study analyzed 56 urban soil samples (0–20 cm) from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, across various parent materials and land uses, to characterize their physicochemical properties. The soils were found to be coarse textured (sandy loam), acidic (pH 4.7–6.9), with moderate to high organic matter (13–137 g organic C kg−1). Unlike many urban soils, they did not exhibit alkalinity, high bulk density, or large amounts of artifacts, showing similarity to natural regional soils.

Rogelio Nogales Romero · · Spain (Granada)

This master's thesis outlines the process for creating and implementing a 3.8-hectare urban garden project in Casería de los Cipreses, Granada, Spain. The project aims to transform an abandoned historical site into sustainable, self-managed urban gardens for community building and agro-environmental education. It details the design, social and technical aspects, and the creation of an association to manage the initiative, adhering to municipal legislation and sustainability requirements.

Naomi Shimpo, Naotaka Ota · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Germany (Berlin)

This study clarified how community gardens in Berlin, Germany, are supported under the Social City Programme for improving local living environments. Interview surveys with relevant stakeholders revealed that the program secured coordinating companies or organizations and subsidized initial costs for new community gardens. For existing community gardens, it subsidized funds usable for developmental activities.

Phoebe Lickwar, Roxi Thoren · · United Kingdom

Welwyn Garden City was conceived by Ebenezer Howard as a utopian hybrid community combining the best aspects of city and rural life. Agriculture was integrated into the urban fabric in two forms: a buffering greenbelt surrounding the city and allotment gardens providing opportunities for domestic self-sufficiency. The garden city was designed as a closed-loop development connecting farms to local markets and reinvesting urban waste into soil regeneration.

Viren Swami · Ecopsychology · United Kingdom (London)

This study assessed the impact of allotment gardening on body image among 84 allotment gardeners in London, United Kingdom. Participants completed measures of state body image before and after spending time on their allotments, and were compared to a matched control group of 81 non-gardeners. Results indicated that allotment gardening significantly improved state body image, with longer time spent on the allotment associated with larger improvements. Allotment gardeners also had significantly higher positive body image than non-gardeners across all included indices.