Research & reports

Ryszard Nakonieczny · Polish Journal of Landscape Studies · Poland (Katowice)

This study analyzes historical examples of allotment gardens and sports/recreational grounds in Katowice, Poland. It highlights the importance of Schreber’s and Jordan’s gardens for the city's appeal and ecology, representing the human-nature relationship in 20th-century cities. The author also describes personal urban activities aimed at raising awareness of green areas' benefits for city dwellers.

Dimitra Babalis · Florence Research (University of Florence) · Europe

This chapter uses a comparative analysis of European examples to define characteristics and typologies of pocket park design. It argues for establishing concrete concepts and guidelines for a new typology of pocket parks to improve spatial relationships and societal conditions.

Wiesława Gadomska · space&FORM · United States (New York City)

This article describes contemporary phenomena related to the introduction of new forms of urban horticulture in New York City. The observed phenomenon is multidimensional, where agrarian activity interacts with environmental, educational, social, and artistic issues within the city's landscape.

Rafaella Rodrigues Santos, Ana Clara Monte Teixeira, Andreza Cristina Stuchi, Alexandre Junio Borges Araujo, Daniela Araújo Vilela, Débora Brumatti Coutinho Messias, Felipe Ferreira Naves, Julia Hass, Lara Nascimento Zanato, Lara Parreira de Souza, Letícia Clemente Olmos Hernandes, Lorraine Mendes Barrada, Mayara Yukiko Yamada, Rafael Galisa de Oliveira, Tamires Do Carmo Dias, Yasmin de Araújo Ribeiro, Neusa Elisa Carignato Sposito, Carla Patrícia Bejo Wolkers · Revista Educação Artes e Inclusão · Brazil

This experience report details a project by PET BIO PONTAL and volunteer students from the Federal University of Uberlândia, Pontal Campus, involving 7th-grade students with special educational needs from a public special education school in Ituiutaba-MG, Brazil. The project aimed to teach about biodiversity in vegetable gardens through playful and inclusive methods, including sensory activities, garden implementation, and university visits. The project was well-received by the target audience and school management.

M. W. Adidja, Julius Mwine, J. G. M. Majaliwa, Joseph Ssekandi · Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension Economics & Sociology · Global

This review synthesizes agro-ecology's contribution to sustainably solving global hunger. Agro-ecology increases food availability through augmented yields and urban agriculture, enhances accessibility by reducing poverty, and improves appropriateness with high-quality, healthy food. It also contributes to water and food security by lessening pressure on water resources, increasing resilience to climate change, and empowering peasants and women.

Leonardo Lopes Rufino, Guillermo Gamarra-Rojas, Mary Anne Medeiros Bandeira, José Pedro de Camargo Rodrigues de Souza, José Newton Pires Reis · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Fortaleza)

A multi-case study characterized Living Pharmacies (LPs) in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. LPs are dedicated to the production, consumption, and distribution of medicinal plants, with 30% also meeting the SUS phytotherapics demand. Medicinal gardens function as urban agriculture and spaces for learning, demonstrating their multifunctionality. The study suggests paying attention to integrated cultivation and the need for systemic extension services in production, management, and processing.

Stacy M. Philpott, Simone Santos de Albuquerque, Peter Bichier, Hamutahl Cohen, Monika Egerer, Claire Kirk, Kipling Will · Insects · United States (California)

This study examined local and landscape factors influencing ground beetle (Carabidae) activity, species richness, and traits in 19 community gardens in coastal California. Gardens with higher crop richness and agricultural surroundings showed greater carabid activity density, but species and functional group richness did not respond to these factors. Gardens with more leaf litter had lower carabid activity but tended to have larger carabids, indicating both local and landscape factors influence carabid communities.

박재현, 윤용한, 이재만, 송희연, 주진희 · · Global

This study investigated the effects of non-woven fabric layers on the growth and adaptability of Tropaeolum majus in a container-type wall vertical greening system under non-water conditions. Researchers found that four layers of non-woven fabric maintained the highest soil water content and generally promoted better morphological properties and chlorophyll content compared to fewer layers. However, shoot fresh weight was highest with three layers, and flowering characteristics showed no significant difference among treatments, with overall growth being best in the three-layer treatment.

Nicolás A. Mari, Nicolás A. Mari, Beatriz Giobellina, Beatriz Giobellina, Alejandro Benítez, Alejandro Benítez, Victoria Marinelli, Victoria Marinelli, Victoria Marinelli · Journal of Agronomy Research · Argentina (Córdoba)

A study mapped and quantified urban growth and land use in Córdoba, Argentina's Green Belt. Using remote sensing and GIS, it evaluated urban growth between 1974 and 2014 and land use in peri-urban and rural areas in 2015. The study revealed a 46.5% urban area growth over nearly 40 years, alongside an increase in farm plot size, indicating land ownership concentration and a reduced number of producers. This transformation highlights a conflict between peri-urban horticulture, industrial agriculture, and urban development.

Clare Nash · RIBA Publishing eBooks · United Kingdom (Bristol)

Ashley Vale in Bristol is a unique place featuring a city farm, allotments, a permaculture project, and a farm cafe selling locally sourced foods. The entire development is built on a concrete slab, formerly an industrial warehouse site. A "Homezone" scheme on the street improved its appearance by installing planters and organizing parking.

Satyendra Kumar Pothula, Parwinder S. Grewal, Robert M. Augé, Arnold M. Saxton, Ernest C. Bernard · Journal of Nematology · Global

A meta-analysis of 111 published articles assessed the impact of human interventions on soil nematode richness and abundance in urban, agriculture, and disturbed grassland ecosystems compared to natural grassland and forest ecosystems. The study found that overall nematode richness was higher in forest ecosystems than in natural grassland, disturbed grassland, urban, and agriculture ecosystems. The meta-analyses concluded that human interventions, specifically agricultural intensification and urbanization, adversely impact both the richness and abundance of nematodes, which serve as soil health bioindicators.

João Flávio Bomfim Gomes, Renata SB Gomes, Alex Oliveira de Souza · Horticultura Brasileira · Brazil (São Luís)

This review examines the multifunctionality of urban agriculture globally and details the case of São Luís, Brazil. In São Luís, agricultural production has low expression in municipal GDP, with producers facing challenges such as small production areas, a need for technical assistance, and poor transport conditions. The study found a lack of public support for urban farmers in São Luís, contrasting with successful urban agriculture experiences that benefit from converging public policies.

Perrine Hamel, François Mancebo, Clément Feger, Stéphanie Hamel · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · France

This chapter presented three case studies illustrating how nature's benefits have been incorporated into urban planning decisions, specifically urban agriculture policy in Nantes and Bordeaux, France, and an integrated urban water management strategy in Melbourne, Australia. The cases demonstrated that urban green space provides multiple benefits, including efficient water management, food production, recreation opportunities, and biodiversity protection. Key opportunities and barriers for incorporating urban nature into planning were identified.

Pulido Guerrero, Ana María · · Colombia (Bogotá)

This project characterized ethnobotanical aspects of food and medicinal plants in urban gardens in Bogotá, Colombia, by visiting ten family gardens and ten community gardens across five locations. It found that 80% of the gardens had more food plants than medicinal plants, and 80% of registered plants were introduced species. Community gardens showed greater species richness and social purposes, while family gardens focused on self-consumption and social cohesion. No correlations were found between species richness and socioeconomic variables due to urban heterogeneity.

Amy Z. Zeng, Emily Peer-Groves, Janela Sanqui, Linda Ling · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · Canada

This report analyzes collaboration among UBC campus community gardens, noting fragmented communication, high volunteer turnover, and gaps in information and equipment sharing. Using Community-Based Action Research, including surveys and interviews, the study found that a designed harvest tool was poorly received and required revisions. Gardeners appreciated opportunities for communication and collaboration.

Roland Ebel · HortTechnology · Mexico

This paper introduced the chinampa system, an urban farming model developed by the Aztecs in the Lake Xochimilco region of Mexico City. Chinampas are raised fields on small artificial islands in freshwater lakes, characterized by capillary irrigation and soil fertility generated from aquatic components. This system provides ecosystem services such as greenhouse gas sequestration and biodiversity diversification, and offers a potential solution for food supply and ecosystem services in modern cities.

gökçe öcal · Journal of Planning · Turkey (Istanbul)

This study focuses on the Roma Garden, one of Istanbul's last remaining urban gardens, within the context of "DIY urbanism." In Istanbul, historical gardens are threatened by municipal policies favoring urban development, leading to the formation of "DIY" urban gardens on public land since 2013. These gardens operate without legal ties to the local state, and the destruction of urban public space over the last decade is noted as having paved the way for DIY public gardens as spaces of solidarity and shared knowledge.

Sarah Becker · Digital Commons - Ursinus (Ursinus College) · United States

This project developed an interpretive signage protocol for the Ursinus Food Forest at the Whittaker Environmental Research Station (WERS), a two-acre agricultural field. The protocol includes a conceptual framework for the food forest, an inventory of signage topics and their placement, and design parameters for textual and visual clarity. Finished signage models accompany the protocol to illustrate these goals.

Lindsay K. Campbell, Erika S. Svendsen, Renae Reynolds, Victoria Marshall · Social & Cultural Geography · United States (Rockaway, NY)

This study used Actor Network Theory to explore the material and social dynamics of a coastal community garden on public housing grounds in Rockaway, NY, after Hurricane Sandy. Three assemblages with different governance arrangements—tidal shore, garden plots, and treed lawn—were identified. However, "unruly" actors and actants, including people, saltwater, poison ivy, dogs, and trash, were found to spark controversy and resist governing.

ハジメ イシカワ, Hajime Ishikawa, 初 石川 · KeiO Associated Repository of Academic Resources (Keio University) · Japan (Tokamachi, Uji, Kamiyama)

This research aimed to establish a method for discovering, verbalizing, visualizing, and evaluating the "living scene" created by residents as a base for local identity and a local resource, and to clarify its sharing method. In 2020, in collaboration with local residents in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, and Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, the study practiced verbalizing and sharing regional landscape elements through the production of landscape field guides. In Tokamachi City, private house gardens were measured and field guides created, while in Uji City, open spaces, green areas, and waterways were mapped, and community garden designs were proposed. In Kamiyama Town, fieldwork was abandoned due to COVID-19 countermeasures, and interview surveys were conducted using media such as telephone and email.

Jan Vávra, Petr Daněk, Petr Jehlička, Miloslav Lapka · · Czech Republic

An analysis of large-scale representative survey results in Czech towns and cities investigated urban gardens as a source of self-grown food. The study found that while food production in urban areas is less frequent than in rural areas, the level of self-sufficiency in urban households is similar to that in rural households. This paper presents data on the scale of urban food production and its contributions to ecosystem services and resilience.

Gordon W. Frankie, Ingrid Feng, Robbin W. Thorp, Jaime C. Pawelek, Marissa H. Chase, Christopher C. Jadallah, Mark Rizzardi · Journal of Pollination Ecology · United States (California)

An extensive survey of bee-flower collection records from 10 California cities between 2005 and 2011 examined diverse bee species visiting native and non-native ornamental plants. A total of 7,659 bees were examined, identifying 229 bee species visiting both native and non-native plant types. Native bee species were common on both plant types, but substantially more non-native bee species visited non-native plants compared to native plants.

Kathleen L. Prudic, J. Keaton Wilson, Michelle C. Toshack, Katharine L. Gerst, Alyssa Rosemartin, Theresa M. Crimmins, Jeffrey C. Oliver · Insects · Global

This study introduced web-based citizen science programs to assist urban growers in managing insect biodiversity on city farms, a complex task given the estimated 30% of the global urban population engaged in food production. The programs aim to connect growers with relevant data and experts for informed insect management decisions. It suggests that combining citizen science volunteers with urban farmers can clarify ecosystem services, reduce insecticide use, and promote non-chemical alternatives.

Marise Barreiros Horta, Maria Inês Cabral, Iva Pires, Laura Bachi, Ana Luísa Luz, Geraldo Wilson Fernandes, Maria Auxiliadora Drumond, Sónia Maria Carvalho Ribeiro · IGI Global eBooks · Global

This chapter summarizes different participatory approaches for assessing ecosystem services (ES) in urban areas across three countries. In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a conceptual framework for vacant lots ES assessment was presented. In Leipzig, Germany, a combination of site surveys, interviews, and remote sensing was utilized for a comparative study between two forms of urban gardening. In Lisbon, Portugal, the study provided social insight into horticultural parks based on interviews. Overall, these studies demonstrate the potential benefits of utilizing ES assessment approaches on urban landscapes, particularly for better understanding the interactions between people and nature in urban sites.

Uvianeth Castañeda Maldonado · · Colombia (Bogotá)

The recognition and characterization of arvense flora (weeds) found in urban gardens assisted by the Bogotá Botanical Garden in Bogotá, Colombia, were conducted. A catalog of arvense recognition for the Capital District was developed, representing 36 species of weeds belonging to 15 families of the Magnoliopsida class. This catalog includes photographic records, field observations, and information on pollinator presence, serving as an important consultation tool for the district's flora.