Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
974 results(31 / 39)
In Pursuit of a Participatory Society: The Role of the participatory agent
2016Beatriz Pineda Revilla, A.J.J. van der Valk · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Netherlands
This article examines the role of a participatory agent, a civil servant in Amsterdam East, Netherlands, whose primary task is to bridge the interests of citizens and local government within a community garden. The study focuses on citizen-led initiatives in Dutch cities.
CommunityPolicyClimate changeUrban AgriCulture and Food Systems Dynamics: Urban Gardening and Urban Farming of the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg region, Germany
2016Darya Hirsch, Christian H. Meyer, Johannes Klement, Martin Hamer, Wiltrud Terlau, Hirsch, Darya, Meyer, Christian, Klement, Johannes, Hamer, Martin, Terlau, Wiltrud · Publication Server of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences) · Germany
This paper presents an empirical case study on Urban AgriCulture initiatives in the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg region of Germany. It states that Urban AgriCulture is a niche movement with the potential to contribute significantly to urban development and constitute a pillar of urban quality of life.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthAn environmental and economic life cycle assessment of rooftop greenhouse (RTG) implementation in Barcelona, Spain
2015Sanyé-Mengual E., Oliver-Solà J., Montero J. I., Rieradevall J. · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 20:350-366 · Spain
Applies life cycle assessment and life cycle costing to rooftop greenhouse implementation in Barcelona, analyzing from greenhouse structure to final product and comparing with conventional industrial greenhouses to evaluate this new form of urban agriculture.
EconomicsL'expérience agricole des citadins dans les jardins collectifs urbains : le cas de Montpellier
2015Scheromm P. · Développement durable et territoires · France (Montpellier)
Based on 40 semi-structured interviews, this study examines the agricultural motivations and practices of urban dwellers participating in collective gardens in Montpellier, revealing how city residents reconstruct an agricultural identity through gardening.
CommunityFood educationHeirloom & landraceUrban Agriculture between Pioneer Use and Urban Land Grabbing: The Case of "Prinzessinnengarten" Berlin
2015Clausen M. · Cities and the Environment (CATE) · Germany (Berlin)
Case study of Berlin's Prinzessinnengarten, examining how a volunteer-run garden on a vacant Kreuzberg lot became a multifunctional semi-public space and how its community mobilized against privatization of the land.
CommunityPolicyZero-Acreage Farming in the City of Berlin: An Aggregated Stakeholder Perspective on Potential Benefits and Challenges
2015· Sustainability · Germany (Berlin)
Analyzes benefits and challenges of Zero-Acreage Farming (building-integrated agriculture such as rooftop gardens and greenhouses) in Berlin from an aggregated multi-stakeholder perspective, identifying rooftop greenhouses as the most promising model.
EconomicsPolicyCommunityPerception and acceptance of agricultural production in and on urban buildings (ZFarming): a qualitative study from Berlin, Germany
2015· Agriculture and Human Values · Germany (Berlin)
A qualitative study from Berlin examining public perception and acceptance of agricultural production in and on urban buildings (ZFarming).
CommunityPolicyHealthBetween Boundaries: From Commoning and Guerrilla Gardening to Community Land Trust Development in Liverpool
2015Matthew Thompson · Antipode · United Kingdom (Liverpool)
This paper explores the community land trust (CLT) model as an institutional solution to urban decline, focusing on a case study in Granby, Liverpool, England. The Granby CLT campaign aims to collectively acquire empty homes, with guerrilla gardening playing a role in gaining political trust and financial support. The study discusses the CLT model's potential for democratic stewardship and the contradictions that may undermine its political legitimacy.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceAllotment Garden Dwellings: Exploring Tradition and Legal Framework
2015Maja Lorbek, Milena Martinsen · Urbani izziv · Europe
This paper examines the evolution of allotments and allotment dwellings in Germany and Austria by comparing gardeners' actual practices with the development and changes in the legal framework. It found that legislation and zoning regulations, often established retrospectively, reveal an ongoing negotiation process between informal practices and planning authorities. Allotment gardens, which emerged in the late 19th century, originally served a subsistence economy, providing food and emergency accommodation.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsReading Ecosystem Services at the Local Scale through a Territorial Approach: the Case of Peri-Urban Agriculture in the Thau Lagoon, Southern France
2015Laure‐Elise Ruoso, R. Plant, Pierre Maurel, C. Dupaquier, Philip Roche, Muriel Bonin · Ecology and Society · France (Thau Lagoon)
This record is a citation for a study on reading ecosystem services at the local scale through a territorial approach, focusing on peri-urban agriculture in the Thau Lagoon, Southern France. The abstract provides only the citation information and no further details about the study's methods or findings.
Peri-urban agricultureBiodiversityThe Well-Being of Allotment Gardeners: A Mixed Methodological Study
2015Jo Webber, Joe Hinds, Paul M. Camic · Ecopsychology · United Kingdom
A mixed-methods study surveyed 171 allotment gardeners in the United Kingdom to investigate the relationships between allotment gardening, feeling connected to nature, and well-being. Allotment gardeners' eudaimonic well-being and quality of life in the environmental domain were significantly higher than population means reported in the literature. However, the study found no association with subjective well-being.
HealthCommunitySowing Resilience and Contestation in Times of Crises: The Case of Urban Gardening Movements in Barcelona
2015Marta Camps‐Calvet, Johannes Langemeyer, Laura Calvet‐Mir, Erik Gómez‐Baggethun, Hug March · Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) · Spain (Barcelona)
This research examined the role of urban gardens in building community resilience and articulating resistance in Barcelona, Spain, based on data from 27 urban gardening initiatives (13 self-governed, 14 public). Results showed that urban gardens contribute to resilience by fostering social and ecological diversity, transmitting local ecological knowledge, and creating opportunities for collective action and self-organization.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceBiodiversityFood educationCivil Society Actors as Drivers of Socio-ecological Transition? Green Spaces in European Cities as Laboratories of Social Innovation. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 102
2015Judith Schicklinski · WIFO Studies · Europe
Across Europe, self-organized civil society movements are emerging to address local challenges, particularly in maintaining and developing green spaces where local governments face budget constraints. Initiatives like urban gardening demonstrate people's ability to cooperate, organize, and take responsibility for green spaces, introducing practices that support socio-ecological transition. These activities contribute to urban sustainability by providing ecological benefits and recreational opportunities.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityClimate changeL'agriculture urbaine : de l'échelle territoriale à l'insertion architecturale
2015Amandine Joly · · France
This study characterized and strategically analyzed urban agriculture for the IETI external planning and environment consulting firm in Île-de-France, France. The analysis aimed to help IETI position itself commercially in urban agriculture, identifying both the benefits and the obstacles the firm might encounter. The study also briefly discussed the various scales of urban agriculture's integration into the territory and its advantages for the consulting firm.
Economic viabilityEconomicsPolicyPeri-urban agricultureAnálisis de gestión y valoración socio-cultural de los huertos urbanos comunitarios de la ciudad de Córdoba (España)
2015Elena Bertrán Arroyo · · Spain (Córdoba)
This study states that cities are socio-biological systems where social and natural aspects are interconnected through the provision and consumption of ecosystem services.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsVers la mise en place d’une agriculture urbaine ou périurbaine dans les espaces ouverts des villes métropolitaines du Nord et du Sud. Le cas de Saragosse en Espagne et de Lima au Pérou
2015Flor Ccorahua balboa, Sylvie Clarimont · · Spain
This abstract discusses the re-evaluation of nature's role in and around cities, driven by global sustainable development challenges like environmental preservation and food security. It notes that agriculture is increasingly used to reconcile urban and natural spaces due to its recognized multifunctional character. The emergence of new agricultural spaces in intra-urban and peri-urban areas of major cities in both developed and developing countries reflects a shift in local policies towards integrating cities with nature.
Urban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justicePolicyClimate changePotential of community gardens for sustainable urban development in Izmir, Turkey
2015Hanife Vardi Topal · · Turkey (Izmir)
Community gardening was evaluated as a tool for sustainable urban development in the Izmir Metropolitan area, Turkey. The potential of existing community gardens was investigated at two case study sites in Bornova and Buca, focusing on the social, economic, and environmental qualities of the region. A mixed method approach, incorporating historical research, interviews, and diagramming, was used. After evaluating findings from site observations, open discussions, and interviews, the data was used to illustrate a conceptual community garden network in Izmir.
CommunityEconomicsClimate changeCities, Agriculture and Changing Landscapes in Urban Milieu: The case of Rome
2015Aurora Cavallo, Benedetta Di Donato, Rossella Guadagno, Davide Marino · RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA · Italy (Rome)
This paper examines the characteristics and dynamics of urban agriculture in Rome, Italy, aiming to propose a taxonomy of urban agriculture types. It presents a preliminary analysis using criteria to classify the functional and relational features of agricultural activities within the urban phenomenon. The study attempts to reconstruct causal relationships between agricultural production models and their spatial and functional forms in the urban dimension.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyEconomicsAgricultura urbana, condición para el desarrollo sostenible y la mejora del paisaje
2015M. Antonio Zárate Martín · Anales de Geografía de la Universidad Complutense · Spain (Madrid)
This paper is based on investigations for urban greenspace planning and the opportunities of urban agriculture for feeding a growing population. It also results from urban environmental improvement activities conducted with the School of Engineer Agronomists of the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Through urban agriculture cases, the paper analyzes alternatives for recovering constructed spaces and increasing inhabitants' quality of life.
Food sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageCommunityClimate changeResistances and appropriations. Urban laboratories of social and cultural experimentation in the ci
2015· REGAC - Revista de Estudios Globales y Arte Contempor�neo · Spain (Valencia)
This paper maps collective initiatives in Valencia, Spain, that emerged in response to inadequate national and local cultural policies. These initiatives, including urban orchards, acted as resistance to institutional policies or appropriated spaces due to a lack of public institutional interest. They function as urban experimentation laboratories for social and cultural transformation, forming a dense local network.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceRecycling urban waste as possible use for rooftop vegetable garden
2015Baptiste Grard, N. Bel, Marchal, Nicolas, Frédéric Madre, Jean‐François Castell, Philippe Cambier, Sabine Houot, Nastaran Manouchehri, Stéphane Besançon, Jean‐Charles Michel, Claire Chenu, Nathalie Frascaria‐Lacoste, Christine Aubry · Kobra (Universitätsbibliothek Kassel) · France (Paris)
A 2012 pilot experiment in Paris, France, tested simple rooftop gardening systems using local urban organic waste as crop substrates. Measurements of production levels and heavy metal content in crops and substrates showed high crop production with limited inputs, low heavy metal pollutants in edible parts, and positive yield influence from layered substrates and earthworm inoculation. These results suggest rooftop gardening is feasible and has potential for urban resiliency, though further assessment of roof types, pollution levels, and sustainability is needed.
DIYCompostOrganic cycleHealthFinding Spaces for Urban Food Production – Matching Spatial and Stakeholder Analysis with Urban Agriculture Approaches in the Urban Renewal Area of Dortmund-Hörde, Germany
2015Michael J. Roth, Miryam Frixen, Carlos Tobisch, Thomas Scholle · · Germany (Dortmund)
This study analyzed how urban agriculture can stimulate and support urban renewal in an economically declined neighborhood in Dortmund-Hörde, Germany, using a case study. A project path was developed using participatory action research to involve residents and stakeholder groups, fostering collective stewardship for urban agriculture forms. The research concluded that synchronously combining research, planning, design, and implementation with intense feedback loops can achieve synergies for academic knowledge on urban agriculture's potential performance in sustainable development, as well as benefits for the case-study area and individual urban gardeners.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageCivil society actors as drivers of socio-ecological transition?: Green spaces in European cities as laboratories of social innovation
2015Judith Schicklinski · Econstor (Econstor) · Europe
This article examines the role of civil society movements in managing green spaces across European cities, particularly in the context of socio-ecological transition and tight public budgets. It highlights how self-organized initiatives like urban gardening contribute to maintaining and developing biodiverse green spaces, offering recreational, ecological, and climate resilience benefits. The discussion explores how citizen groups can expand green spaces and which policy frameworks foster collaboration for innovative urban food production and green-space management.
CommunityPolicyClimate changeMonitoring the Urban Tree Cover for Urban Ecosystem Services - The Case of Leipzig, Germany
2015Ellen Banzhaf, Helen Kollai · The international archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences/International archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences · Germany (Leipzig)
This study monitored urban tree cover in Leipzig, Germany, over a decade to understand its distribution and changes for sustainable urban development. Using digital orthophotos, a digital elevation model, and a digital surface model, an object-based image analysis scheme was employed for detailed tree mapping. The results demonstrated high accuracy in tree detection and effective avoidance of misclassification caused by shadows.
CommunityBiodiversityClimate changePolicyApplication of the Green Revolution Game
2015Maria Boștenaru Dan · Open Journal of Ecology · Italy (Pavia)
The Green Revolution Game is employed in teaching at Karlsruhe University in Germany and Ohio University in the US. This game is used not only for simulation but also as a basis for generating data for study projects, analyzing educational approaches, the applicability of game theory for simulating water scarcity hazards in rice cultivation, and its transferability from India to the context of high-yield rice and urban agriculture in Pavia, Italy.
Food educationUrban–rural linkageBiodiversityClimate change