Research & reports

Mashaallah Nabi · · Global

A theoretical discussion, focused on Iran, of rural-to-urban migration under conditions the author frames as globalized capitalism, arguing that such migration drives rapid urban growth and marginalization and that peripheral rural landscapes — farmland, orchards and wasteland near cities — come under pressure of devaluation as urban development demand rises. It emphasizes maintaining ecological systems and diversity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions with limited natural resources, and argues for a participatory, locally grounded approach to redesigning these peri-urban areas. The text presents an argument rather than an empirical study, with no site data, sample or measured outcomes given.

Thomas Elmqvist, Erik Gómez‐Baggethun, Johannes Langemeyer · · Global

A review discussing ecosystem services in rapidly urbanizing settings, framing cities as both major centres of demand for ecosystem services and sources of environmental impact, arising from a tightly coupled social-ecological system. It notes that food supply from urban agricultural land and gardens has played a critical role in cities' historical development, and that urban green infrastructure — particularly trees — removes air pollutants and gases, while features such as coarse woody debris, in-channel gravel beds and wider vegetation buffers can enhance nutrient retention. It states that city authorities worldwide are seeking ways to maintain and expand green infrastructure through urban planning. The text is a review and presents no original data or case measurements.

European Environment Agency · Climate-ADAPT (European Environment Agency) · Switzerland

Basel mandated green roofs on new and renovated flat roofs via a 2002 amendment to its building law, reinforced in 2010. By 2006 the city had 1,711 extensive and 218 intensive green roofs, with about 100 new roofs covering 80,000 m2 installed each year since; by 2019 Basel had 5.71 m2 of green roof per inhabitant, among the highest per-capita green roof coverage in the world. The roofs are reported to cut stormwater runoff by 17-20% and lower indoor temperatures by up to 5°C.

Mary J. Thornbush · AIMS environmental science · Global

This review paper examines global trends in urban agriculture as a climate change mitigation and adaptation approach. It presents urban agriculture as a land-use solution that enhances food security, sequesters carbon, and offers rural services within cities. The review discusses physical and human factors influencing urban agriculture adoption, integrating a social-ecological perspective.

Carolyn Dimitri, Lydia Oberholtzer, Andy Pressman · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Global

Urban agriculture is gaining widespread enthusiasm in many developed countries and is presented as a solution to various social problems. These include creating new green spaces, controlling runoff, providing shade to mitigate urban heat, and reducing urban blight in cities with vacant land.

Sheryn D. Pitman, Christopher B. Daniels, Martin Edward Ely · Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia · Australia

A literature review conducted between 2012 and 2014 for the South Australian Green Infrastructure Project established the diverse benefits of Green Infrastructure. These benefits include temperature modification, improved human health, enhanced community liveability, effective water management, increased economic prosperity, biodiversity conservation, and extensive urban food production. The paper primarily focuses on Green Infrastructure's contribution to climate adaptation and protection.

Susan Andreatta · Culture Agriculture Food and Environment · Global

This paper examines the historical role of Victory Gardens and explores their potential relevance today for addressing climate change and reducing food deserts. It also discusses community gardens, ideas for connecting people to local food production at home or in communities, and the sharing of harvests. Additionally, the paper considers agrivoltaic production as a method for dual-purposing farmland for both power generation and produce cultivation.

Stephane Bour · · Global

Ecotrancoso focuses on restoring life to an ecosystem that has been transformed into a desert by unsustainable agricultural practices. This is achieved through the creation of a food forest.

Mahdy S. Jarboo, Husam Al-Najar · International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management · Gaza Strip

This paper investigated the impact of climate change and illegal urban agriculture on domestic water consumption in suburban Rafah city, Gaza Strip. Using a linear model and hypothesized climate scenarios, a 20°C temperature increase was found to raise average domestic water consumption by 1.4%, while a 20% precipitation reduction had negligible impact. Critically, urban agriculture's use of municipal water significantly negatively influenced domestic water consumption, resulting in 33-45% unaccounted for water between 2010 and 2012.

Božidar Manić, Tanja Bajić, Ana Niković · Arhitektura i urbanizam · Serbia (Bela Crkva)

This paper discusses the adaptive reuse of an abandoned military complex in Bela Crkva, Serbia, considering climate change and sustainability. A 2012 conceptual solution proposed repurposing the barracks for a university campus, experimental social housing, cultural facilities, and urban agriculture, incorporating alternative energy and energy efficiency. The study highlights issues of abandonment and provides recommendations for adaptation based on past experiences and current environmental challenges.

Muhammad Irfan Shathiran, Muhammad Syahir Osman, Jasasikin Ab Sani · · Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)

The impact of rooftop gardens and shading effects on human thermal comfort was investigated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Data on surface temperature and solar radiation were collected, supported by photographic observations and questionnaires. The study concluded that areas covered with dense green canopies, such as rooftop gardens and large vegetation, are crucial for providing a high level of thermal comfort to human beings.

John Ryan · UWA Profiles and Research Repository (University of Western Australia) · Australia (Perth)

This paper argues that the role of plant life in sustainability theory and practice is problematically limited to utilitarian discourses such as sustainable agriculture, food security, organic farming, urban gardening, and sustainable forestry management. These discourses exemplify a limited anthropocentric perspective on the botanical world, largely disregarding other values like a plant's intrinsic right-to-exist and the metaphysics of the plant world. The study focuses on embodied perceptions of Perth's flora from 1829 to 1929.

Eliška Novotná · ACC Journal · Czech Republic

This research investigated the management of community gardens in the Czech Republic, focusing on their economic self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability. The study examined the equipment and operation of gardens, funding sources for investments and operations, and the disclosure of information about their management.

Óscar Moreno Flogia, Andrea Navarrete, Fernando Rodríguez Cortés · · Colombia

This article presents research results on how to approach the concept of "sustainable development" by teaching organic agriculture principles in a school garden at Liceo Campestre Bosque Andino in Sibate, Cundinamarca, Colombia. Constructivism and meaningful learning served as the pedagogical framework, with concept maps and the Likert scale used as assessment tools.

Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu · · Global

This abstract discusses how urban expansion and the separation of urban and agricultural areas increase energy demand for transporting food and goods. It notes that despite technological advances, a gap exists between energy demand and supply, even in advanced countries. The abstract concludes that reducing energy demand is a more realistic approach for sustainable development than solely relying on technological progress.

Meredith Gartin · Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks · Global

Over half of humanity resides in cities, and most cities cannot produce enough food to sustain their residents. Some cities are exploring urban agriculture to create more resilient food systems, aiming for food security despite external forces. However, some argue that the global food system is too interconnected with local systems, making no system entirely invulnerable. This chapter focuses on three case studies exploring interlocking food deserts to illustrate how global and local processes converge on health issues like obesity in urban settings.

Kimberley Reis, Jo-Anne S. Ferreira · ePublications@SCU (Southern Cross University) · Australia

This study examines how community and school gardens can teach individual and community resilience to potential food shortages, emergencies, food insecurity, and climate change challenges. It focuses on the role of gardens in providing food access and building resilience among school-aged children and young adults. Insights from a larger Australian PhD thesis are analyzed to assist educators, particularly in policy, who engage with young learners in these gardens, with findings argued to have international relevance.

Eric Weaver · Suburban Sustainability · Global

This review details the relationship between key planetary systems and the many adverse impacts of industrial agriculture, drawing from top-tier journals. Research indicates that industrial agriculture is a major force pushing environmental limits, with multinational corporations continuing to influence national environmental regulations. Current literature debates whether political systems can institute sustainable solutions, suggesting that grassroots efforts may be the most viable solution to displace the industrial agriculture model.

Leonia John Raphael · Tanzania Journal for Population studies and Development · Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

A 2015 study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, found that extreme climatic changes, including rainfall and temperature, have adversely affected peri-urban agricultural productivity and vegetation cover. Excessive rains lead to the destruction of urban gardens, vegetation, property, and loss of livelihoods for urban dwellers, 87% of whom are rural migrants. This highlights significant risks for urban communities dependent on land resources in rapidly growing cities.

Andrew Adam‐Bradford, R. van Veenhuizen · Pure (Coventry University) · Global

This chapter explores the linkages between urban agriculture and disasters and emergencies by broadly illustrating the potential role urban agriculture can play in disaster risk management. Disaster risk management is an overarching term covering all aspects of disaster management, including pre-disaster activities like disaster risk reduction (DRR) programs aimed at building resilience, and post-disaster activities such as working with refugees in camps or urban areas, linking relief, rehabilitation, and development (LRRD).

Pei Xin Koh · DR-NTU (Nanyang Technological University) · Singapore

This study aimed to verify the viability of vertical farming systems with LED supplementary light compared to conventional hydroponic farming systems, focusing on energy consumption, cost, plant growth quality, and yield. Experiments with Butterhead lettuce showed that LED lights contributed 90.12% of the total energy consumption in the vertical farming setup. The commercial viability and realistic cost levels of vertical farming have not been established, and a detailed cost-benefit and energy-benefit analysis is yet to be made.

Mehdi Rakhshandehroo, Mohd Johari Mohd Yusof, Meysam Deghati Najd · Applied Mechanics and Materials · Global

A 2015 study discussed various systems of green facades (vertical greening) as a method of sustainable development in dense urban areas. Based on existing research, the study indicated that green facades offer environmental benefits such as mitigating the urban heat island effect, increasing biodiversity and ecological value, insulating against environmental impact, improving outdoor and indoor comfort, enhancing social and psychological well-being, and improving air quality for city dwellers.

Viorica B Lan, Ioana Ugui · · Romania (Bucharest)

This study aims to present the results of a research synthesis developed from 2007 to 2014 at USAMV Bucharest, concerning the sustainability of fruit growing ecosystems and increasing the diversity of tree and shrub species adapted to urban agriculture. It highlights the importance of encouraging more trees and diversifying species in urban areas, as feeding the growing urban population with healthy food is a national strategic issue amidst increasing urbanization.

Udo Weilacher · · Global

Gardening, particularly in the context of 'urban gardening', is regaining focus in landscape architecture debates about city sustainability. This trend raises questions about whether it is a lasting direction or a temporary fad related to romantic notions of withdrawing from rationally designed cities. To understand why gardening's importance in landscape architecture diminished, a historical review of landscape architecture over the past century is necessary.

Lauren Baker and Henk de Zeeuw · · Global

This chapter analyzes the opportunities and limitations of urban agriculture for climate change mitigation and adaptation, providing information on city projects and policies. It identifies challenges for research and policy development concerning urban agriculture's potential as a city climate change and disaster risk-reduction strategy.