Research & reports

Robert Home, Lorena Vieli · Urban forestry & urban greening · Switzerland, Chile

This study evaluated gardening motivations using a 14-item scale and questionnaires in three Swiss cities (N=409) and one Chilean city (N=167). While individual scale items showed significant differences between Swiss and Chilean responses, a principal component analysis revealed nearly identical component structures for both samples. Restoration was the strongest motivational component, followed by socialization and food production, suggesting motivations are not context-dependent.

Charoni Eugenia · · Haiti

A case study was conducted on the two-year efforts of the nonprofit Foundation Pierre Smith Mondelus to address illiteracy in the Milot commune, northern Haiti. The foundation offers eight programs, including literacy, education, and a community garden. Based on observations, testimonies, and test scores, the literacy and education programs were shown to have practical and sociopsychological impacts.

J. R. da Costa, J. R. de Alencar, Patrizia Costa, V. S. Hammes, D. de C. Victoria, K. R. E. de Jesus, Henrique Nery Cipriani, C. C. de A. Buschinelli, F. F. Calegario, Géraldo Stachetti Rodrigues, L. A. Magalhães, C. R. Marmo, A. C. Lira-Guedes, Manuel Correia Guedes, L. A. Forato · · Global

This paper enumerates a wide range of concepts and systems related to strategic territorial intelligence, participatory community-level planning, farm management planning, territorial management, and urban and peri-urban farming. It includes agricultural and hydrological models, mapping of agricultural areas, spatial data integration, environmental management plans, integrated waste management, and pest control recommendations for urban gardens. Strategic management decision support systems, such as technological innovation impact evaluation systems, agrometeorological monitoring systems, and georeferenced data collection software, are also presented.

Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Ágnes Neulinger, Fanni Bársony, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Natasha Gjorevska, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Orsolya Lazányi, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, György Pataki, Sándor Takács, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Anna Török, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem · Marketing & Menedzsment · Hungary (Budapest)

This study investigated subjective well-being (SWB) among 23 consumers of alternative food networks (AFNs) in Budapest through in-depth qualitative interviews. Participation in AFNs was found to contribute to consumer well-being, yet some AFN characteristics negatively influenced consumer SWB. Differences were detected between new and experienced users, users with different motivations, and across different types of AFNs.

Rebecca Leigh Rutt · Journal of Political Ecology · Denmark (Copenhagen)

Ethnographic research on a small rooftop garden in Copenhagen, Denmark, explored how urban farming initiatives interact with neoliberal trends. The study found that communal, eco-social urban farming endeavors are entangled in the city's neoliberal turn, with formalization processes and austerity measures both nurturing and endangering these initiatives. Neoliberal labor, food systems, and housing policies are shown to subvert convivial urban farming efforts.

Silvio Caputo, Victoria Schoen, Kathrin Specht, Baptiste Grard, Chris Blythe, Nevin Cohen, Runrid Fox-Kämper, Jason K. Hawes, Joshua Newell, Lidia Poniży · Urban forestry & urban greening · Global

This paper proposed a new conceptual basis and assessment methodology for an Urban Agriculture Nexus, explicitly including "People" as a fundamental factor alongside Food, Energy, and Water, customized for urban agriculture's characteristics. The methodology measures resource efficiency, food production, motivations, and health benefits, combining methods like diaries of everyday practices, a database of activities, life cycle assessment, and material flow analysis to connect garden-scale investigations to the city scale.

Peter Loxley · · Global

This chapter presents three topics to help teachers guide children in understanding the scientific concept of interdependence, observable in school gardens and other outdoor learning areas. It outlines a progression from Key Stage 1, where children explore plant growth conditions and animal feeding, to lower Key Stage 2, focusing on plants as food producers and food chains/webs, and finally to upper Key Stage 2, where students learn about dependence and competition for resources within ecosystems. Subject knowledge for teaching this concept is provided.

Ferne Edwards, Anitra Nelson · · Global

This chapter suggests future research directions in food for degrowth studies, drawing from a collection of case studies and critiques. It offers transdisciplinary theoretical and practical approaches and key research questions, covering topics like household self-provisioning, collective endeavors, networks, and degrowth perspectives on the circular economy and food waste. The chapter proposes research questions related to accessibility, visibility, temporality, spatiality, and various measures.

Mohamed Ikhwan Nasir Mohamed Anuar, Saiful Arif Abdullah · PLANNING MALAYSIA · Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)

This study explored the typologies and reappropriation of residual spaces under elevated highways in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using site observation, document analysis, and expert interviews. Two main typologies of residual spaces were identified: easily accessible and hard-to-access. Experts suggested that play lots, recreational lots, and community gardens were suitable for easily accessible spaces, while semi-natural areas and functional landscapes were suitable for hard-to-access spaces.

José́ G. Vargas-Hernández · Practice, progress, and proficiency in sustainability · Global

This chapter analyzes the implications of urban sustainable growth, development, and governance structures for revitalizing open vacant spaces in agriculture and farming. Following an extensive literature review, the authors used critical socio-ecological analysis to identify key issues, trends, practices, and implications of urban vacant spaces concerning sustainable urban growth, urban agriculture use, and collaborative governance for revitalization. It concludes that transitional use of vacant land should be employed for developing sustainable green cities, but urban vacant spaces require stimulated utilization for revitalization purposes.

Susan Veldheer, Christina Scartozzi, Amy Knehans, Tamara K. Oser, Natasha Sood, Francis Puleo, Joie Cooper, Daniel R. George, Alicia J. Cohen, Renate M. Winkels · Current Developments in Nutrition · Global

This systematic scoping review analyzed 46 manuscripts from 30 studies published between 1990 and 2019 to understand clinical strategies used by healthcare organizations to increase patient access to fruits and vegetables (F&V). Six program models were identified, including garden-based programs and CSA. The overall quality of the included studies was weak due to selection bias and incomplete reporting, with only 6 out of 30 studies including a control group. While some studies showed improvements in dietary intake, objective health markers such as blood pressure and BMI had mixed results.

Kit Prendergast · Pacific Conservation Biology · Australia

The African carder bee, Pseudoanthidium (Immanthidium) repetitum, first recorded in Queensland in 2000, has now been found in Western Australia, marking a significant distribution expansion. Three confirmed and one unconfirmed localities were identified in the Mandurah region, with abundant female specimens observed in one garden. The presence of this introduced species necessitates vigilance due to known negative impacts on native fauna and flora.

Gerald Taylor Aiken, Christian Schulz, Benedikt Schmid · Voluntary Sector Review · Luxembourg

This article outlines the community economies of Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg's "second city." Esch-sur-Alzette features multiple community-based organizations and movements, including an energy cooperative, urban gardening, an upcycling clothing factory, and a local food shop and restaurant. The article uses Luxembourg's case to reread the relationship between the state and the so-called third sector, defending the political possibilities of community economies.

Suzanne Mallick, Philip Marsh, Dave Kendal · Figshare · Australia

This research aims to understand how a community garden project at the University of Tasmania's Melville St student accommodation in Hobart CBD can benefit the health and wellbeing of students and the broader community. The first phase involved collecting and analyzing qualitative, quantitative, and observational data before the garden's installation, using interviews, focus groups, observational studies, and an online survey. The second phase will collect and analyze data after the community garden has been established.

Jakob Laage‐Thomsen, Anders Blok · Local Environment · Denmark

This article explores variations in civic engagement with urban sustainability politics by examining "urban green communities" in Denmark, including urban gardening and beekeeping. Using a conceptualization of civic and place-based material participation from pragmatic sociology, particularly Laurent Thévenot's work, the study traces translations between familiar attachments and public critiques within these communities. A comprehensive digital mapping exercise identified six civic modes of urban greening and their group engagement styles, with implications for care, justice, and democracy in sustainable city-making.

David Acevedo · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · Guatemala

This thesis explores how architecture can have greater agency in unifying people, especially distraught communities, by utilizing food and its inherent social properties. Guatemala is chosen as the zone of exploration for implementing such a collaboration at a ceremonial scale. The approach combines techniques from ecologically efficient urban food production, intimate domestic food consumption, and ceremonial food preparation to create a new edible landscape of socially sustaining architecture.

Michael Dubnewick · Leisure Sciences · Global

This narrative inquiry explored the experiences of two recreation practitioners and the author, who participated in a community garden project as a researcher-practitioner over two years. The study demonstrates that place is significant in recreation practice, shaping relational spaces where practitioners and participants interact. Place influences identity and development, especially when considered alongside temporality and sociality.

Mariarosaria Savarese, Kerry Chamberlain, Guendalina Graffigna · Sustainability · New Zealand

This qualitative study explored how Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in New Zealand create value for sustainability practices from both farmer and consumer perspectives. The research, conducted using focused ethnography, found that CSA is a complex concept involving active consumer participation in economic, social, and environmental values. These interconnected values foster an ecosystem where sustainable food practices are promoted through a "learning by doing" process.

Sandesh Thapa, Anjal Nainabasti, Sashila Acharya, Neha Rai, Rakshya Bhandari · International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology · Nepal (Kathmandu)

A key informant survey of 52 respondents was conducted in Kathmandu, Nepal, to assess the current status of rooftop gardening. All respondents expressed positive views on rooftop gardening, with rooftop farms covering 5-13% of the area. Significant monetary soft benefits were identified for food production, air quality, stormwater retention, and carbon sequestration. However, traditional methods using plastic bags, pots, and styrofoam were employed for garden maintenance. Constraints were recorded regarding rooftop farming establishment and continuation, indicating a need for proper training for efficient management.

A. V. Shchur, Nadzeya Lobikava, Volha Lobikava · Acta horticulturae et regiotecturae · Belarus (Mogilev)

Research on the Jubilejny district in Mogilev, Belarus, a former Soviet microdistrict, revealed that population ageing is the main threat to these areas. Residents expressed dissatisfaction with uncertain housing situations, inappropriate parking options, and a lack of opportunities to spend leisure time outside. The study proposes short-term improvements such as leisure activities within public spaces and regeneration of green spaces, alongside long-term designs for a community garden and other nature-based solutions.

Sarah Taylor Lovell · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · Global

Despite increasing awareness and proposals for urban agriculture implementation, broad integration into the urban environment has not yet been observed. In most cities, the level of food production has not expanded significantly enough to impact the supply of vegetables, fruits, or other products. Key barriers limiting widespread adoption of urban agriculture include land access, zoning and tax policies, risks of soil and air contaminants, and urban forestry plans neglecting food security.

Monika Egerer, Benjamin Wagner, Brenda B. Lin, Dave Kendal, Kai Zhu · Landscape Ecology · Global

This study applied new and traditional methods to understand how vegetation structure and function indicators in urban community gardens vary with spatial scale. Traditional field sampling and UAV aerial imagery were used to assess vegetation structure (height) and function (species diversity, cover) at garden and plot scales. Results showed that garden vegetation characteristics vary with spatial scale, and plant species richness and vegetation cover related to UAV-derived imagery, but height did not.

Marie Davidová · Strategic Design Research Journal · Global

This article presents gigamaps and full-scale prototypes developed within the Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance (SAAP) research by design field. SAAP employs Time-Based Eco-Systemic Co-Design, involving both living and non-living agents, to develop theories and methods through experimental practice. Gigamapping serves as a tool to map and generate complex relations across environmental, societal, and cultural aspects in collaborative design-research processes, aiming to co- and re-design these complexities in "real life co-design laboratories."

Andreas Wesener · transcript Verlag eBooks · New Zealand (Christchurch)

This study explores the role and value of urban community gardens following a major crisis: the 2010/11 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand. Urban community gardens are broadly defined as shared open green spaces for mainly horticultural uses that are managed by local communities.

Beatriz Giobellina · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Global

This chapter explores the concept of green roofs as an innovation for sustainability in housing, cities, and territories, particularly in the context of global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. It suggests revisiting ideas linking environment, development, urban agriculture, and self-sufficiency gardens to address climate change, food security, and health. This chapter is part of the book "Green Infrastructures: from territory to habitable roof."