Research & reports

Kristen R. Birdshire, Adrian L. Carper, Christy E. Briles · Urban Ecosystems · United States

A study examined bee community responses along a high-plains semi-arid urban-rural gradient in Denver, Colorado, United States, using percent impervious surface across 12 sites to define urbanization extent and combining field assessment with geospatial analysis of local and landscape characteristics; wild bees were collected and analyzed against urbanization using linear modeling. Bee abundance and diversity decreased with increasing urbanization, indicating a negative impact of urban areas on bee communities. All bee guilds responded positively to local floral richness and negatively to landscape-level urbanization, suggesting a shared response pattern across bee types.

国土交通省 都市局 公園緑地・景観課 · 国土交通省（MLIT）報告書 · Japan

A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism casebook compiled to advance both compact urban structure and the 'coexistence of cities with green and agriculture'. It catalogues urban-farming and green-space initiatives — including resident-participation rooftop gardens, allotments and farming-led town-making by private developers and municipalities — and provides the policy backdrop for developer cases.

Lelario F., De Maria S., Rivelli A.R., Russo D., Milella L., Bufo S.A., Scrano L. · Toxins 11(4):230 · Italy

Identified 19 glycoalkaloids in fruits of commercial eggplant 'Mirabella' and local landrace 'Melanzana Bianca di Senise' via LC-FTICR-MS/IRMPD, assessing anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities. Documents bioactive phytochemistry of a traditional eggplant landrace.

Miyatake Koji, Shinmura Yoichi, Matsunaga Hiroshi, Fukuoka Hiroyuki, Saito Takeo · Breeding Science, 69(3): 498-502 · Japan

Analyzing 893 eggplant accessions in the NARO Genebank with genome-wide SNPs and SSRs, the authors built a core collection; Asian accessions formed the center of diversity, supporting efficient conservation and use of genetic resources.

横浜市 環境創造局 · 横浜市 都市農業推進計画 · Japan

Yokohama's urban agriculture promotion plan, linked to the Midori Up programme, organising policies and results for publicly supported citizen farming infrastructure including diverse citizen farms, cultivation experience farms, harvest farms and Megumi-no-Sato districts.

練馬区, 東京都都市整備局 · 練馬区 農の風景育成地区計画 · Japan

Nerima's landscape conservation plan for Minami-Oizumi and Takamatsu under Tokyo's Agricultural Landscape Conservation District system, positioning ward allotments, experience farms, farm stands and food-education events as integrated public farmland conservation and revitalisation.

Bennett A.B., Lovell S. · PLoS ONE, 14(2):e0212034 · United States (Chicago)

A study of 19 urban agricultural sites in Chicago examining how surrounding land cover (landscape scale) and on-site design (local scale) shape bees and pollination services. Bee responses varied by body size and nesting habit: increasing impervious cover lowered bee richness and reduced pollination services, while more local floral area boosted small soil-nesting bees. It recommends minimizing impervious cover at large scales and adding floral resources locally so urban agriculture can conserve pollinators in the surrounding ecosystem.

Baldock K.C.R., Goddard M.A., Hicks D.M., Kunin W.E., Mitschunas N., Morse H., Osgathorpe L.M., Potts S.G., Robertson K.M., Scott A.V., Staniczenko P.P.A., Stone G.N., Vaughan I.P., Memmott J. · Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3(3):363-373 · United Kingdom

A large, well-replicated study of floral resources and pollinators across 360 sites in four British cities, comparing pollinator abundance among urban land uses. It shows that residential gardens, allotments and community gardens are urban pollinator hotspots, demonstrating that citizen-tended plots are central to urban biodiversity conservation, and models the benefit of interventions such as adding flowerbeds.

· Sustainability · Germany (Berlin)

Examines urban commons for the edible city, offering first insights for future sustainable urban food systems based on Berlin.

Ropars L., Dajoz I., Fontaine C., Muratet A., Geslin B. · PLOS ONE · Paris, France

In Paris, wild pollinator visitation rates were negatively correlated with honey bee colony densities, suggesting high-density urban beekeeping may compete with wild pollinators for floral resources.

Johannes Langemeyer, Diego Wedgwood, Timon McPhearson, Francesc Baró, Anders L. Madsen, David N. Barton · The Science of The Total Environment · Spain (Barcelona)

This study developed a spatial multi-criteria screening tool in Barcelona, Spain, to prioritize green roof locations and designs for optimal ecosystem service provision. Fifteen spatial indicators and five green roof designs were analyzed and weighted by local experts. The assessment found high demand for green roof ecosystem services across Barcelona, especially in dense residential and industrial areas, with habitat, pollination, and thermal regulation being most needed, while runoff control and food production were least demanded. Naturalized roofs offered the highest potential for 87.5% of rooftop area.

Alessandro Filazzola, Namrata Shrestha, J. Scott MacIvor · Journal of Applied Ecology · Global

A meta-analysis of 33 relevant studies, selected from 1,883 published manuscripts, investigated the effects of green infrastructure (GI) on urban biodiversity. The analysis found that GI significantly improves biodiversity compared to conventional infrastructure and, in some cases, shows comparable biodiversity measures to natural counterparts. However, many studies were excluded due to neglecting conventional experimental design frameworks, such as controls, replication, or adequate sampling effort.

Jha Ritesh Kumar, Bhattarai Natasha, KC Suraj, Shrestha Arjun Kumar, Kadariya Manahar · Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Agricultural · Nepal

This research inspected existing practices and obstacles in rooftop farming in Nagdhungha and Birauta, Nepal. Two practitioners were interviewed and 60 non-practitioners were surveyed. Results show that rooftop farming can benefit the environment by reducing atmospheric carbon and assist urban areas by reducing stormwater management costs, with a high willingness to practice rooftop farming among urban dwellers.

Alessio Russo, Giuseppe T. Cirella · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · Global

This comment examines "edible urbanism 5.0," noting that urban and peri-urban agriculture can have negative effects on city ecosystems, which urbanists and planners have largely overlooked. It highlights the need for a concept that considers trade-offs between ecosystem services and disservices, especially given current unsustainable industrial intensive farming. Edible urbanism aims to integrate food security, resilience, and social inclusion through edible green infrastructure and modern food production.

Youcan Feng · IntechOpen eBooks · Global

This chapter summarizes current research progress and challenges regarding the benefit, measurement, and simulation of evapotranspiration (ET) from green infrastructure (GI). ET is crucial for GI's hydrologic performance and related benefits, but classic ET equations struggle to represent variations due to urban spatial heterogeneity and GI's multi-layer designs. The underperformance of existing ET models is partly attributed to a lack of high-quality field observations for various GI types in urban settings.

Mia Hilmiyati, Anna Fitri Hindriana, Sri Redjeki · Edubiologica. · Global

This study investigated the impact of Contextual Teaching Learning (CTL) combined with school environment media on science literacy and cognitive achievement among X grade biology students. Using a pre-test-post-test control group design with purposive sampling, the experimental class (X MIPA-2) showed a high gain in science literacy (0.80) and a medium gain in cognitive achievement (0.68). The control class (X MIPA-1) had a medium science literacy gain (0.63) and a low cognitive achievement gain (0.29). Hypothesis testing confirmed significant differences between the groups, indicating that CTL with school environment media improved both science literacy and cognitive achievement.

Philip Pregill · · Global

This article discusses the increasing focus on local connections, such as alleys and local streets, within urban grids, driven by an emphasis on green spaces and stormwater management. Planning initiatives aim to enhance these areas to encourage social places, green spaces, and fine art, as alleys offer opportunities for off-avenue functions like parks and cafes. Independent entities and movements like guerrilla gardening are utilizing alleys for various artistic and urban interventions.

Benz Kotzen · · Global

This paper argues that vertical cities, integrating biophilia, could address the challenges of increasing global and urban populations. It suggests that these megastructures, which can include green spaces and urban agriculture, offer a compact footprint that allows for increased nature and farming in adjacent areas. While individual megastructures exist, the concept of a full vertical city has not yet been realized.

Loïc Couttelle · OpenEdition (OpenEdition) · Global

Veolia is exploring new urban and peri-urban agricultural production systems to address regional challenges like soil sealing and climate change. Through an innovative experimental approach with partners, an intensive and high-quality agricultural model combining aquaponics and bio-intensive vegetable microfarming has been identified. These solutions, located on available land, aim to provide ecosystem services, efficient production, and respond to consumer demand for short supply chains and traceability.

Miguel A. Simón, Aída de · · Spain (Madrid)

The "Green Line" project in Chamartín, Madrid, Spain, aims to solve urban problems of a lack of transversal connections and green spaces. This project is configured as a network of architectural pieces that respond to existing urban situations in Chamartín, traversing the Castilla neighborhood from east to west and connecting it with adjacent neighborhoods. The main element of the network is a central urban agriculture production, research, and development center, carried out in two towers that form part of Madrid's urban garden network.

Rayim Wendé Alice Nare, Stephania Boua, Rockia Marie Nadege Zerbo, Richard Madege · Research Journal of Science and Technology · Burkina Faso

This study assessed the impact of urban waste application on soil microbial activities in Burkina Faso. Soil amended with urban waste showed significantly higher Soil Induced Respiration (SIR) (0.049 mg C g−1 soil h−1) compared to manure-amended (0.0212 mg C g−1 soil h−1) and control soils (0.0114 mg C g−1 soil h−1). Urban waste amendment also significantly decreased lag time by 50% and maximal response time (Tmax) by 53%, indicating increased microbial biomass and rapid growth of soil microorganisms. The results suggest that adding urban waste to soils is likely to result in carbon sequestration.

Simon Tresch, David Frey, Renée‐Claire Le Bayon, Paul Mäder, Bernhard Stehle, Andreas Fließbach, Marco Moretti · Scientific Reports · Switzerland (Zurich)

A study in 85 urban gardens across Zurich, Switzerland, investigated the impact of gardening on five soil functions and the relationship between plant (600 spp.) and soil fauna (18 earthworm spp., 39 springtail spp.). High plant diversity positively affected soil fauna and multifunctionality, but intense garden management decreased plant diversity. This indicates a trade-off where intensive gardening, while potentially beneficial for some aspects, can negatively impact overall plant diversity.

Patrizia Papetti, Sara Spognardi, Enrica Iannucci, Ilenia Bravo, Claudio Beni · International Journal of Environmental Policy and Decision Making · Italy (Tor Mancina)

The demonstration garden of Tor Mancina, Italy, engages schools and local communities to test sustainable agricultural practices. It conducts experiments on the phytostimulant and pest repellent effects of plant extracts for crop protection. These activities aim to instill positive values regarding food, agriculture, and the environment in youth, while also seeking to improve crop performance and safeguard biodiversity.

Emmanuel Patroba Mhache, Elna Lyamuya · Huria Journal of the Open University of Tanzania · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

This review paper examined the role of urban agriculture in alleviating poverty for women in the Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It found that women's participation in urban agriculture contributes to food security, increases household income (average net income Tshs 58,356.2 per month), offers employment, and reduces poverty. However, numerous bottlenecks hinder women's involvement in urban agriculture, including poor markets, water shortage, land shortage, seed unavailability, lack of capital, lack of government support, crude working tools, lack of water pumping machines for irrigation, poor storage facilities, and lack of agricultural extension services.

Luiza Oliveira Kossatz, Luciana Adelmann · Anais do EVINCI - UniBrasil · Brazil (Paraná)

This work aims to disseminate the concept of urban agriculture by raising awareness of environmental education's benefits for human development. It proposes adopting gardens made from recycled/reusable materials and utilizing endemic Paraná plant species, known as Non-Conventional Food Plants (PANC), that can be cultivated in vertical gardens and serve as food. The research intends to highlight the need to preserve local biodiversity and reduce urban pollution.