Research & reports

Mengdi Dai, Xiangfeng Tan, Ziran Ye, Bojun Li, Yi Zhang, Xuting Chen, Dedong Kong · Environmental Technology & Innovation · Global

This study analyzed 15 soil samples from three sampling sites (original soil, after a seven-year natural cycle, and after a seven-year microcirculation system) to investigate soil properties, bacterial communities, and their relationships in a rooftop farm. The microcirculation system was shown to effectively improve the soil environment and bacterial community by increasing total nitrogen and total organic carbon contents by approximately 2 and 3.5 times, respectively.

Muhammad Abbi Fahrezy Sutikno, Dwi Rahmawati, Yonika Sindiana Prahmani, Amnan Haris, Tiara Dwi Wulandari, Desy Fitria Astutianingtyas · Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat · Indonesia (Semarang)

Tugurejo Village in Semarang City, Indonesia, faces disaster risks due to land use changes. A community service program was implemented to enhance the climate village program in this area. Through qualitative data collection and program formulation, four programs were successfully developed: urban farming, urban aquaculture, rainwater harvesting, and waste bank programs.

· Building Materials and Engineering Structures · United States

This study examines the significance of seeds in defining sustainability within urban agriculture, which is viewed as an agricultural operation in a non-rural setting emphasizing communication, education, and farm goods. Using Gray-associated analysis, the study evaluated various crops, finding that spring beans received the highest rank and autumn beans the lowest.

Lucy Diekmann, Summer Cortez, Pauline Marsh, Jonathan Kingsley, Monika Egerer, Brenda B. Lin, Alessandro Ossola · California Agriculture · United States (California)

A survey of 603 home and community gardeners across California was conducted between June and August 2020 to assess trends in gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gardens were valued as therapeutic spaces to escape pandemic stress and as safe outdoor places for socializing. Concerns about food supply led to increased interest in growing food for security and self-sufficiency, though 62% of home gardeners struggled to access gardening supplies.

Wawan Setiawan, B J Gawryszewska · Scientific Review Engineering and Environmental Sciences (SREES) · Global

This study is a literature review aiming to show that contemporary researchers recognize the potential of urban gardening in improving urban retention. A meta-analysis of peer-reviewed scientific articles from databases like Web of Sciences, Science Direct, Springer, and MDPI was performed, defining urban garden retention indicators such as rainwater/stormwater infrastructure, watering systems, and planting type. The analysis of article distribution noted an overrepresentation from North America and an absence from South America.

Wenhao Zhu · Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology · United States (Chicago)

This paper focuses on the characteristics of vertical farms, using The Plant vertical farm in Chicago as an example to describe its design and performance, and analyze its advantages and design principles. The success of The Plant is attributed to saving raw materials and waste disposal costs through waste utilization, staggered electricity consumption, and insulated structures to maximize energy cost savings. However, while small-scale pilot projects of vertical farms have achieved some success, many constraints remain for scaling them up due to high construction and operation costs and high technical levels.

Qiuling Yuan, Shuo Mi, Fanxin Meng, Jiaqi Hou, Yutong Sun, Hui Li, Aamir Mehmood Shah · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · China (Beijing)

This study applied a "farm-to-table" emergy method to analyze the environmental sustainability of two typical urban farms in Beijing, China: a suburban greenhouse farm and an aquaponics farm. The aquaponics farm demonstrated a lower environmental loading ratio and a higher emergy sustainability index compared to traditional greenhouse farming, but it required more emergy inputs.

Jialing Xie · · Australia (Wyndham)

Wyndham, one of Australia's fastest-growing communities, faces increased urbanization and pressure on its socio-ecological environment, leading to growing food insecurity. This paper aims to explore agriculture-based resilient community development to achieve food security in Wyndham. Through a critical review of relevant literature and case studies on implementing a pilot site design approach, the paper presents necessary actions for urban farming practices at their current scale and reviews opportunities and barriers to scaling up these practices under future risks like climate change and sea-level rise.

Jordi Guimera Garcia, Natalie Bray, Yowhan Son, Aleah L. Butler-Jones, Sara Perl Egendorf, Jenny Kao‐Kniffin · Journal of Urban Ecology · United States (New York City)

In New York City, a study investigated plant growth (tomato, pepper, kale) in soils constructed from four municipal composts mixed with sediments from the NYC Clean Soil Bank, to assess the potential for safe urban agricultural soils. While Clean Soil Bank sediments enhanced plant growth when mixed with BRL compost, they also negatively impacted tomato aboveground biomass production by 29% in LES compost and tomato plant height by 18% in QBG compost, indicating variable effects depending on compost properties.

Silvio Caputo, Victoria Schoen, Chris Blythe · Land · United Kingdom (London)

Data was collected from seven community gardens and one community farm in London, UK, during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons using a citizen science approach, investigating crop yield, resource inputs, and social benefits. Results showed very mixed levels of crop and social productivity depending on organizational structure and agenda, with no clear pattern emerging. This study suggests that citywide productivity evaluations based on small data samples may not be reliable.

Abrham Kassa Ejigu, Kumelachew Yeshitela · Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · Ethiopia (Arba Minch City)

A study assessed Arba Minch City's governance capacity to integrate resource-oriented sanitation technology with urban agriculture. The findings indicated that the city's capacity is hindered by a lack of systematic monitoring, fragmented policy tools, and inadequate public sector participation. There is no single government body responsible for integration, and a behavioral gap exists among users in adapting to new technologies and recovered organic fertilizer.

Ernst‐August Nuppenau · PLoS ONE · Global

This article proposes an ecological economics orientation for peri-urban development, focusing on land use planning, local food, and entropy. Based on a mathematical model and control theory, it presents an operational concept to minimize negative externalities within a given population, aiming to assure space for urban agriculture and enable organic matter recycling. It notes that current unhealthy developments and market-oriented city expansions have limited the scope for peri-urban farming, advocating for regional planning based on organic matter recycling.

Ayşegül YARIŞ, Emel Karakaya Ayalp · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

The current agri-food system is undergoing an unsustainable transition, with Urban Food Planning emerging as a holistic approach for sustainable transition. This paper explains and translates the "City-Region Food System (CRFS) Toolkit," developed in partnership with FAO, RUAF, and participating cities. It examines the toolkit's roadmap and approach for building more sustainable and resilient urban food systems through two case studies in West Africa. The research concluded that the CRFS Toolkit defines limited tools for building sustainable urban food systems and excludes the relationship with spatial disciplines.

Gerhard Fischer, F. Fischer · Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Hortícolas · Global

This overview, based on the ScienceDirect database, addresses heavy metal (HM) contamination in vegetables from urban and peri-urban areas. It notes that HMs like Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr, and As accumulate to toxic levels in the soil-plant-consumer continuum, causing health damage to consumers and physiological alterations in plants. Leafy and solanaceous vegetables accumulate the most HMs, while cucurbits and legumes are least affected.

Carme Estruch, Sauveur Belviso, Alba Badía, Verònica Vidal, Roger Curcoll, Mireia Udina, Claudia Grossi, Josep-Antón Morguí, Ricard Segura, Sergi Ventura, Yolanda Solá, Gara Villalba · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · Spain (Barcelona)

This study measured the spatial distribution and variability of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) in four urban land uses in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, Spain, during May and October 2020. Urban values ranged from neutral to above background, suggesting anthropogenic and marine emissions, while agricultural areas showed OCS uptake during land breezes in May. Urban forests also showed significant OCS uptake, but marine and anthropogenic emissions from the port strongly impacted the spatial-temporal distribution of OCS, complicating the determination of the urban biosphere signal.

Patrizia Pugliese, Cosimo Rota, Fatima Zohra Sabrane, Marie Reine Bteich, E.J. Veen · · Morocco

A mixed-methods study of four urban agriculture initiatives in Morocco found that while all cases struggled with certain perturbations, some were able to turn them into more hopeful situations, whereas others could lead to new perturbations or increased vulnerability. The study concluded that the outcomes were highly case-specific and related to existing resources, highlighting the complex and fluid nature of these initiatives.

Małgorzata Burchard‐Dziubińska · Comparative Economic Research Central and Eastern Europe · Global

This study aimed to gather information on the practical experience of young urban residents using urban horticulture and agriculture products, determine their readiness to practice such production independently in the future, and identify environmental benefits (ecosystem services) related to urban horticulture and agriculture indicated by respondents. A comparative study was conducted with students from 29 countries, including Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Poland, and seven EU countries. The collected data were used to compare approaches to urban horticulture and agriculture and their produce across different countries and cultural backgrounds.

Susana Toboso‐Chavero, Antonio Luis Montealegre Gracia, Sergio García-Pérez, Jorge Sierra-Pérez, Joan Muñoz‐Liesa, Xavier Gabarrell, Gara Villalba, Cristina Madrid‐López · Sustainable Cities and Society · Spain (Cerdanyola)

This study investigated the supply potential and impacts of four roof mosaic scenarios for local food, energy, and water production systems on urban rooftops in Cerdanyola, a 58,000-inhabitant town in the Barcelona metropolitan area. Using spatial analysis, metabolism analysis, and impact assessments, the study found an average rooftop/household potential of 31 m2, with single-family housing showing the highest potential for electricity (51%) and water (14%) self-sufficiency. Housing estates achieved the highest vegetable self-sufficiency (32%), while rooftop farming systems showed the best performance for housing estates and originary fabrics in terms of overall impacts.

Nchiye Yahaya Andrew, Joy Nanlop Uwa, Abel Odion · American journal of civil engineering and architecture · Global

This review paper provides an overview of passive cooling techniques, focusing on bio-mimicry design approaches adopted in global building design and construction. It highlights examples such as the East Gate Office building in Harare, which uses termite mound concepts, and the Vancouver Convention Center, which employs rooftop gardens for indoor temperature balance. The paper is limited to bio-mimic design approaches and suggests they offer significant solutions for building energy efficiency.

Una Smilgaine · Aktuālās problēmas literatūras un kultūras pētniecībā rakstu krājums · Latvia (Riga)

This article explores the environmental issues reflected in the experience stories of 16 gardeners and locals on Lucavsala island, Riga, collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, audio recordings, and photography in 2021. Gardeners expressed environmental awareness through narratives about the island's geography, gardening practices, and environmental quality, with acquiring and managing a garden being a prominent theme. Despite mentions of waste, the environmental quality of Lucavsala was generally judged to be relatively high, with fresh air, peace, and quiet being important indicators.

Runrid Fox-Kämper, Caitlin K. Kirby, Kathrin Specht, Nevin Cohen, Rositsa T. Ilieva, Silvio Caputo, Victoria Schoen, Jason K. Hawes, Lidia Poniży, Béatrice Bechet · Landscape and Urban Planning · Europe; United States

The relationship between urban agriculture (UA) and food-energy-water (FEW) nexus policies was analyzed using policy data from five case study cities in Europe and the U.S. (Dortmund, Gorzów Wielkopolski, London, Nantes, and New York City). An analysis of 78 policy documents and a Q-sort ranking by UA policy experts showed that the number, type, and degree of support for nexus policies varied among cities, and few policies (19) incorporated all elements of the nexus. Regulations were considered more effective at ensuring resource-efficient UA than incentives or awareness-raising policies.

Sarah Dimick · Critique Studies in Contemporary Fiction · United States (Minneapolis)

This study reflects on guerrilla gardening and its narratives by intersecting Eleanor Catton’s novel Birnam Wood with descriptions of gardens at police killing sites in the greater Minneapolis metro area. It argues that guerrilla garden infrastructures sprout in the soil of highly unequal power, often in the wake of the fatal exercise of state power, and in the shadow of a foreshortened environmental future. These are DIY infrastructures constructed by people weathering entwined environmental, political, and economic crises in the 21st century.

José Anido · Agroalimentaria · Venezuela

This exploratory review study examined the viability of urban food systems and their governance in Venezuela, based on secondary sources. While identifying available resources like educational infrastructure and a renewed legal framework, the study highlighted significant limitations. These include increasing deforestation, deteriorating potable water services for urban agriculture, migration of skilled populations, decline in public funding for science and technology, opaque official information, and scarcity of financing for new developments.

Kyunghun Min, Jisoo Ahn, Eunseok Lee · Journal of people, plants, and environment · South Korea

This study analyzed exemplary cases from the US and Canada to identify factors for the active use of rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) in Korea. Despite international interest in RTGs for carbon neutrality and food security, their implementation in Korea is limited by a lack of relevant legal bases and policies. Essential factors for stable RTG operation include long-term support, initial capital, differentiated distribution, and a review of laws and regulations, highlighting the need for legal and policy frameworks.

Júlio Barêa Pastore, Paulo Henrique Honorato · Ornamental Horticulture · Brazil (Brasília)

The "Jardim de Sequeiro" is a naturalistic, seasonal rainfed gardening technique developed at the University of Brasilia, Brazil. The first experimental garden, over 5,000 square meters of rooftop gardens, was planted at the Instituto Central de Ciências. It relies entirely on rainfall and withers during winter drought, functioning as a temporary installation redesigned annually. Its first cycle ran from December 2020 to May 2021, yielding promising results despite pandemic difficulties.