Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
1180 results(33 / 48)
Remembering participation in planning: the case of the Princes Hill Community Garden*
2016Elanna Nolan, Alan March · Australian Planner · Australia (Melbourne)
This paper examined why a proposed community garden project at Hardy Gallagher Reserve in Princes Hill, initiated by Yarra City Council in Melbourne, failed by April 2010 after its launch in October 2008. Using communicative planning theory, it argued that the planning process for the community garden was doomed to fail from the beginning, demonstrating a lack of consideration for appropriate participation.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyCommunity gardening: cultivating subjectivities, space, and justice
2016Jennifer L. Barron · Local Environment · Global
This paper explored how neoliberal processes of privatization, state entrepreneurialism, and devolution intersect with community gardens. It argued that certain characteristics and orientations of gardens are more conducive to resisting neoliberalism. These include cultivating producer, citizen, and activist subjectivities, elevating the use value of shared lived space, advancing spatial justice through community access to non-privatized space, and promoting food justice through non-commodified means of obtaining food.
Equity & displacementCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPolicyReuse water and urban horticulture: alliance towards more sustainable cities
2016Douglas Roberto Bizari, Jean Carlos Cardoso · Horticultura Brasileira · Global
This article discusses the potential of using recycled water from treated domestic sewage in urban horticulture as a solution to escalating clean water shortages. While cultural and sanitary impediments exist for large-scale use, and knowledge of treatments is limited, a safe alternative is irrigation for non-edible species like those in floriculture and landscaping. This approach can combine environmental protection with agricultural productivity, support local development, create jobs, and aid environmental protection.
Organic cycleClimate changePolicyPublic Space Design. Three Couples and a Trio
2016Annalisa Metta · Iris (Roma Tre University) · Global
This publication compiles insights from 50 architects, landscape architects, designers, and environmental leaders on sustainability, sustainable design, urbanism, and architecture. Through articles, interviews, and project presentations, they promote good practices and share visions on projects like gardens and community gardens from a sustainability perspective. The work advocates for a complementary convergence of bottom-up practices and traditional design, suggesting design should involve negotiation with places, elements, and people.
CommunityPolicyFood education도시농업의 미적 가치 평가를 위한 기본원칙에 관한 연구 - 쿠바, 홍콩, 미국의 도시농업 사례분석을 중심으로 ?
2016Martin Palacios, Minkyu Park · · Global
This work aimed to identify key factors determining the spatial and physical appearance of urban agriculture. It also discussed ways to encourage the acceptance of urban agriculture in public open spaces and the broader urban landscape.
CommunityPolicyEffects of community gardens on local society
2016Csaba Bende, Gyula Nagy · Belvedere Meridionale · Hungary
This study investigated the organizational and operational schematics of two community gardens, Megálló and Makkosház, in Szeged, Hungary, comparing them to Western practices. Empirical data was collected through interviews with gardeners and coordinators in October 2014, and January and March 2015. Results indicated that Szeged's community gardens differ considerably from average American community gardens but share common features with European ones. Both gardens were found to be top-down directed and controlled, which contrasts with American and European practices.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyWater: Connecting the Cycle
2016Gundula Proksch · · Global
This chapter discusses the potential of urban agriculture to mitigate water management challenges. While industrial agriculture consumes 70% of accessible water, cities struggle with water security and fail to utilize on-site sources like rainfall. Urban agriculture is presented as a solution to these water challenges by integrating water-efficient strategies with existing urban infrastructure, building systems, and management approaches.
Climate changeOrganic cyclePolicyEconomicsTransplanting, plotting, fencing: relational property practices in community gardens
2016Ellen van Holstein · Environment and Planning A Economy and Space · Australia (Sydney)
Empirical research at three community gardens in Sydney, Australia, examined property practices such as transplanting, plotting, and fencing. The study found that community gardeners create overlapping understandings of common and private property, driven by contradictory motivations for community inclusion and personal interest protection. Feelings of ownership, while contributing to belonging, also legitimize defensive and exclusive spatial claims within these gardens.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyThe Tragedy of the Uncommon
2016Piers H.G. Stephens · Oxford University Press eBooks · Global
This chapter applies the author's work on property rights justification to community gardens, criticizing the Lockean private property justification. It argues that legitimate property ownership derives from "belonging," a felt bond of lived experience, which can conflict with Lockean "possession." The chapter concludes that the Lockean orientation combined with technocratic politics reduces contemporary life, making connection to nature uncommon, and that community garden practices offer practical alternatives.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceCommunity: Education and Social Integration
2016Gundula Proksch · · Global
This chapter investigates various approaches to community involvement in urban agriculture, demonstrating how communities and interest groups can be instrumental in creating and operating urban agricultural projects. Urban agriculture has the potential to reestablish lost connections between food production and consumption and restore social, economic, and cultural ties. Community-initiated urban agricultural programs are essential in reducing the divide between producers and consumers.
CommunityFood educationPolicyEconomicsOdling i den samtida staden : Etnologiska perspektiv på det urbana rummet
2016Viktoria Timpka · · Global
The purpose of this study is to highlight different aspects, resistances, and negotiations in urban farming. It also aims to explore how this activity relates to the urban environment. The study draws on related material.
CommunityPolicyO planejamento urbano e ambiental na construção de cidades sustentáveis: as hortas urbanas comunitárias em Porto, Portugal, e Belo Horizonte, Brasil
2016Alessandra Silva Araújo · URBANA Revista Eletrônica do Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudos sobre a Cidade · Portugal
This research compared factors leading to community garden initiatives in Porto, Portugal, and Belo Horizonte, Brazil, focusing on the influence of urban planning processes. It found differences in how urban planning in both cities incorporates urban agriculture practices. The connections between urban agriculture and urban planning, facilitated by environmental planning practices, were found to be incipient, hindering planning's goal of catalyzing a sustainable city.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyClimate changeBottom-Up and Top Down Approaches for Urban Agriculture
2016Chiara Casazza, Stefano Pianigiani · Civil Engineering and Urban Planning An International Journal (CiVEJ) · Global
Urban agriculture is a complex phenomenon that responds to the common need for sustainable cities in environmental, economic, social, and institutional terms. It encompasses various approaches and intervention typologies, from low-tech to high-tech solutions like community gardens and vertical farms. This field characterizes cities at different scales, including territory, town, neighborhood, building, and house, addressing diverse user exigencies and requirements.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeDigital agricultureConnexions entre la justice environnementale, l’écologisme populaire et l’écocitoyenneté
2016Nayla Naoufal · VertigO · Global
This article examines global citizen movements related to socio-ecological issues, including urban agriculture development, by analyzing the evolution of their demands. It explores environmental justice, popular ecology, and their theoretical foundations, identifying a relevant framework for contemporary mobilizations. The study also analyzes the concept of ecocitizenship, finding that a participatory and critical form of ecocitizenship particularly contributes to environmental justice.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityPolicySolidarity economy practices in urban agriculture initiatives of the Lisbon municipality. The cases of Vale de Chelas, Alta de Lisboa e Horta do Baldio
2016C. Paizinho, M. de F. Ferreiro · Repositório do ISCTE-IUL · Portugal (Lisbon)
This study identified solidarity economy practices in three urban gardens in Lisbon, Portugal: Vale de Chelas, Alta de Lisboa, and Horta do Baldio. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys of 42 users and interviews with 3 stakeholders, 31 out of 35 evaluated practices were identified, with 7 being "very relevant" and 4 "relevant." Key practices included organic production, contributions to social cohesion and health, knowledge sharing, reciprocity, and democratic decision-making, while 20 practices were considered "less relevant."
CommunityEconomicsPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceEtnografije urbanih javnih prostora / Ethnographies of Urban Public Spaces
2016Valentina Gulin Zrnić, Tihana Rubić · Etnološka tribina · Global
This issue of Etnološka tribina features a thematic section on public spaces, comprising articles that explore various aspects of urban public spaces globally. Topics include the reappropriation of public space during protests in Istanbul, conflicting visions of modernity in Jagodina, evaluation processes in Lisbon, and the revival of public spaces through urban gardening and cycling projects. The section aims to foster discussion on the potential of urban policies and contemporary urban life for developing participatory, socially, and environmentally sustainable cities.
CommunityPolicyUrban Agriculture, Commons and Urban Policies: Scaling up Local Innovation
2016François Mancebo · Challenges in Sustainability · Global
This article explores whether urban agriculture can be a cornerstone for reconfiguring more sustainable cities, and under what conditions and types. It proposes counteracting urban sprawl by fostering "rural sprawl" through introducing nature and rural characteristics like farming into interstitial urban areas and wastelands. From this perspective, urban agriculture becomes a common good that brings people together and reshapes the urban fabric, making it particularly suitable for long-lasting urban policies that transform environmental "bads" into "goods" and urban amenities.
PolicyCommunityUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceProyectos de agricultura urbana del Jardín Botánico de Bogotá "José Celestino Mutis" analizados desde la perspectiva de la educación ambiental (2004 - 2016)
2016Katherine Alexandra Herrera Hernández, Yohanna Marcela Pinzón, Ruth Zamira Herrera Rincón · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This project aimed to contribute to the study of Urban Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) in Bogotá by describing projects led by the José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden from 2004 to 2016, analyzed from an environmental education perspective. Using a qualitative methodology, the study investigated fundamental elements in education-management development, such as participation, the construction of the concept of environment, and the strengths and weaknesses in achieving these projects within the framework of successive city governments during that period.
Governance failureFood educationCommunityPolicyPeri-urban agriculturePlanning tools for strategic management of peri-urban food production
2016LE Wynne, Dana Cordell, Joanne Chong, Becky L. Jacobs · UTS ePRESS (University of Technology Sydney) · Australia (Sydney)
This report, using Sydney as a case study, examines land-use planning on the urban fringe for peri-urban food production. It finds that for many cities, including Sydney, a large proportion of peri-urban food production has already been lost due to conversion to residential and infrastructure uses. The report reviews various planning responses to address threats to peri-urban agriculture.
Governance failurePeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsClimate changeBalance Del Programa De Agricultura Urbana Liderado Por El Jardín Botánico De Bogotá José Celestino Mutis
2016Salamanca Córdoba, Néstor Leonardo · · Colombia (Bogotá)
This internship report evaluates the urban agriculture program led by the Bogotá Botanical Garden (JBB) in Colombia. It describes 25 urban gardens that received technical advice, social support, adaptation, and equipment from the JBB. Using a case study methodology, technical diagnostic and harvest forms, along with perceptions from project leaders and participants, were used to describe the gardens. The JBB continuously monitors these gardens to improve urban agriculture practices and gather data for evaluating the effectiveness, impact, strengths, and weaknesses of urban agriculture among the study population.
CommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceBuilding Urban Agricultural Commons: A Utopia or a Reality?
2016Pierre Donadieu · Challenges in Sustainability · Global
This paper distinguishes categories of urban agriculture to efficiently feed urban inhabitants and leverage ecological and social functions. It explores methods to regulate unbuilt urban land and discusses possibilities for creating urban agricultural commons, defined as tangible and intangible resources produced by farmers and gardeners for local consumption and environmental quality. The concept of commons is applied to urban agriculture and landscape, drawing on works by E. Ostrom, P. Dardot, and C. Laval.
CommunityPolicyUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceGrowing hungry: The politics of food distribution and the shifting boundaries between urban and rural in Dar es Salaam
2016Emily Brownell · Global Environment · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)
This case study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, examines the politics of food distribution and shifting urban-rural boundaries during the socialist era. The Tanzanian government pursued an anti-urban policy, viewing urbanites as slothful and discouraging migration to cities. However, by the early 1980s, as state food distribution channels failed, the government shifted to transforming as much of Dar es Salaam into agricultural space as possible, with urban agriculture and family networks becoming key bulwarks against hunger in the city.
Urban–rural linkagePolicyWelfareFood sovereignty & justiceIntroduction: Urban Agriculture and the Built Environment
2016Gundula Proksch · · Global
"Creating Urban Agricultural Systems: An Integrated Approach to Design" is a resource that documents environmental, systemic, technical, and operational considerations in urban agriculture. It compiles emerging strategies, current practices, and working case studies. This research synthesizes information on inputs and outputs, resource efficiencies, environmental benefits, and operational achievements, based on numerous site visits, examinations of outstanding case studies, and interviews with stakeholders behind innovative farm operations.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsClimate changeAllotment gardens as a challenge for an urban designer
2016Antoine Zammit, Ina Šuklje Erjavec, Gabriela Maksymiuk, Dimitra Theochari, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Russell Good, Emanuele Sommariva · · Global
This chapter explores allotment gardens as a challenge for urban designers, identifying specific urban design quality considerations for these green spaces. It also examines the evolving role of urban designers in top-down and bottom-up processes to achieve suitable spatial quality. The chapter suggests that allotment gardens can enhance diversity, robustness, and amenity in urban areas, particularly when accessible from residential developments, and should be designed as safe and secure places.
CommunityPolicyBiodiversityThe Role of Peri-Urban Land Use Planning in Resilient Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Melbourne, Australia
2016Michael Buxton, Rachel Carey, Kath Phelan · Water science and technology library · Australia (Melbourne)
This case study examines the relationship between urban and peri-urban systems in Melbourne, Australia, where peri-urban agricultural production faces pressure from rapid urban development. It explores three scenarios relating rural and urban land supply and demand, and land use planning techniques to limit rural land development. The study argues that stronger statutory planning measures are needed to prevent the loss of peri-urban agricultural land and enhance the resilience of city food systems.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyClimate changeUrban–rural linkage