Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
3275 results(87 / 131)
You Can't Common What You Can't See: Towards a Restorative Polycentrism in the Governance of Our Cities
2016Amy Laura Cahn, Paula Z. Segal · The Fordham urban law journal/Fordham urban law journal · United States
This paper argues that the invisibility of community-stewarded spaces, such as community gardens, within urban governance frameworks in North American cities leads to their enclosure and loss. It highlights that marginalized residents often have the least acknowledged claim to urban space. The study suggests that making existing community-stewarded places visible and exposing pathways to access is crucial to prevent enclosure and promote equity.
Equity & displacementCommunityPolicyHealthCommunity: 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 educationPolicyEconomicsThe Role of Urban Agriculture and Local Authorities in Protecting the Agricultural Land in Metropolitan Cities
2016Sevinç Bahar Yenigül · MEGARON / Yıldız Technical University Faculty of Architecture E-Journal · Turkey
This abstract states that as rural areas become intertwined with urban areas, new concepts related to rurality, agriculture, and agricultural production are developing.
PolicyUrban–rural linkagePOTENSI PENGEMBANGAN PERTANIAN PERKOTAAN UNTUK MEWUJUDKAN KAWASAN PERKOTAAN BELOPA YANG BERKELANJUTAN
2016Rusida Rusida · Plano Madani : Jurnal Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota · Indonesia (Belopa)
A study in the urban area of Belopa, Indonesia, assessed the potential for urban agriculture, identifying suitable land for various crop types and key commodities. However, the research found that extensive housing development, particularly on the outskirts, and limited land availability mean not all land can be developed for urban agriculture. Urban agriculture supports food security, and public and government perceptions influence future land plans.
Economic viabilityUrban–rural linkageEconomicsPolicy‘A New Season for Planning’: Urban Gardening as Informal Planning in Rome
2016Chiara Certomà · Geografiska Annaler Series B Human Geography · Italy (Rome)
This article investigates the relationship between urban gardening and planning, based on field research on gardening initiatives in Rome, Italy. It suggests that urban gardening exhibits characteristics of "informal planning," intentionally advanced by local dwellers to plan urban space and organize public life in the absence of legal definition, guidance, and funds. Cases in Rome exemplify the emergence of informal planning and show how a new mode of interaction between citizens' agency and formal planning initiatives can lead to creative solutions for issues like decreased public space and its deterioration.
CommunityPolicyEconomicsOdling 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.
CommunityPolicyMotivations behind urban gardening
2016Laura Calvet‐Mir, Hug March, Helena Nordh, Jeanne Pourias, Barbora Čakovská · · Europe
This chapter analyzes individual motivations of gardeners in various types of allotment gardens, noting growing waiting lists for plots. In Barcelona, urban gardens declined due to urban expansion but new economic situations in southern European countries have created new motivations. Societal changes, such as the transition to a market economy in Nitra in the 1990s, have linked access to private property through allotment plots as a major motivation for gardeners.
CommunityEconomicsPolicyPeri-urban agriculture as key driver to sustainability. A planning project in an Alpine city
2016Corrado Diamantini · City Territory and Architecture · Italy
This article discusses the role of peri-urban agriculture in maintaining the identity and sustainability of Alpine cities, which face challenges such as urban sprawl. It emphasizes that peri-urban territories in the Alps can be crucial for sustainable urban development. As evidence, a planning project for the Rotaliana Königsberg territory north of Trento, Italy, is presented, which aims to restore its agro-food vocation through the creation of a vast agricultural park encompassing much of the urbanized area.
Peri-urban agriculturePolicyClimate changeUrban–rural linkageColumbus Community Gardens
2016Amanda Rees, Bert Melix, Chuck Lawson, Cory Hart · CSU ePress (Columbus State University) · United States (Columbus, Georgia)
During the 2016-2017 academic year, a professor and student from Columbus State University collected data from community garden sites in Columbus/Phenix City. This project involved the creation of a GIS digital map, which was then used to develop a quad-fold map for distribution at Georgia Organics events. Georgia Organics provided a mini-grant for the project.
CommunityPolicyFood educationAgricultura urbana e periurbana: limites e possibilidades de constituição de um sistema agroalimentar localizado no município de Teresina – PI
2016Sérgio Luiz de Oliveira Vilela, Maria Dione Carvalho de Moraes · Revista Econômica do Nordeste · Brazil (Teresina)
This article discusses the importance of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) and the challenges of its management, particularly the need to institutionalize a Localized Agri-Food System (SAL) in Teresina, Brazil. The concentration of 46 gardens, occupying almost 140 hectares within Teresina, meets the basic requirements for establishing a SAL. Based on bibliographic research and empirical knowledge, the study concluded that adopting a SAL is a fruitful measure for Teresina to address necessary transformations in UPA, making it a significant part of the municipal planning agenda.
PolicyPeri-urban agricultureFood sovereignty & justiceAgricultural Roads in Vancouver
2016Laura Castrejon Violante · Open Collections · Canada (Vancouver)
This paper proposes the concept of an "agricultural road" in Vancouver, reshaping a low-transit street into a multipurpose space for urban agriculture. Defined as a pedestrian-oriented area, it would offer plots for growing food while also achieving sustainable urban development outcomes like social inclusion, recreational space, and greening the urban landscape. The agricultural road aims to reconnect urban life with food by providing a space for growing edible plants and fostering discussion and education.
CommunityFood educationPolicyClimate changeO 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 & justiceCommunityPolicy愛知県における緑地構成要素の変化に関する地域的特性 : 都市農業振興基本法の施行をふまえて
2016肇 石原, Hajime ISHIHARA · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan
This study analyzed changes in green space components (parks, agricultural land, forests) across Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from 1970 to 2010. While forest area decreased less significantly than agricultural land, and park area increased, the increase in park area was insufficient to offset the reduction in agricultural land. Consequently, the overall green space ratio showed a declining trend in most areas, particularly in Nagoya City and its surrounding regions.
Limited or null effectPolicyUrban–rural linkage2015 실과 개정교육과정에 기반한 농업내용 분석과 지속가능한 농업교육에 대한 제언
2016Youjin Jang, 곽혜란 · 한국실과교육학회지 · South Korea
This study analyzed the agricultural content of the 2015 revised elementary practical arts curriculum in South Korea, comparing it with the 2009 curriculum, focusing on goals, content systems, achievement standards, and learning elements in the agriculture and life science domain. It found that while learning elements in the agricultural domain did not significantly change, the 2015 curriculum emphasized sustainable agriculture, particularly eco-friendly future agriculture and agricultural experiences in daily life, centered on the core concept of sustainability. The study suggests that future agricultural education should incorporate multi-dimensional sustainable agriculture, such as urban agriculture, local food, and eco-friendly agricultural certification, into new textbooks.
Food educationPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceFood miles & supply chainNegotiating a Food Future: The Politics and Practice of Alternative Food Networks in China
2016Natalie Hall · · China
This ethnographic research, based on two months of fieldwork in Beijing and Shanghai, investigated alternative food networks in China, including organic farms, farmers' markets, and garden plot rentals. The study argues that these networks exhibit complex and contradictory characteristics, not neatly aligning with either alternative or conventional food systems. The practice of alternativeness is presented as a pragmatic response to food safety uncertainty and declining social trust, rather than an escape from capitalism or a purely transformative agenda.
Equity & displacementFood 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.
CommunityPolicyExplorando la relación ser humano-naturaleza: agricultura urbana, ciencias de la conservación y ciudad
2016Ana Cristina Torres, Anne Caroline Prévot, Sophie Nadot · Letras Verdes Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios Socioambientales · France (Paris)
A study of 9 Parisian community gardens revealed the limitations of the dominant approach in conservation sciences and urban planning, which seeks to halt environmental deterioration by establishing an ethical basis of attitudes deemed appropriate for conserving a particular nature, by limiting human-nature interaction. Considering citizen subjectivities, the study offers perspectives to nourish conservation sciences and rethink cities.
Governance failureCommunityBiodiversityPolicyUrban Community as a Contested Practice
2016Jae-Youl Lee · 대한지리학회지 · South Korea (Seoul)
This article examines the concept of 'community' in Seoul's community garden program, comparing how ordinary citizens and civil society activists interpret and practice it. Empirical findings suggest a contestation over community, with ordinary citizens prioritizing place-based experiences and activists viewing community gardens as a governmental technology. A gap between ordinary practical achievements and civic activism poses a potential danger to urban community policy.
Governance failureCommunityPolicyFood sovereignty & justiceUrban 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 agricultureModernized Development of Urban Farming Industry: A Case Study of Kunming City
2016Ning Wang, Fang Liu, WANG, Ning, LIU, Fang · · China (Kunming)
This study analyzed the current situation and difficulties of the urban farming industry in Kunming City, China, based on an empirical study. It explored development ideas for the urban farming industry and provided recommendations concerning institutional innovation, overall planning, property right reform, infrastructure construction, and talent team cultivation.
EconomicsPolicy“We’re Doing It Ourselves”
2016Suleiman Osman · Journal of Planning History · United States (New York City)
The origins of public-private parks in New York City trace back to the 1970s fiscal crisis. Due to severe budget cuts at the Parks and Recreation Department, thousands of volunteers in block associations and community groups began maintaining parks through "do-it-yourself" urbanism, including guerrilla horticulture and community gardens. These self-help efforts evolved into new public-private parks by the early 1980s, reflecting antistatist impulses from both the left and right in the 1970s.
CommunityDIYPolicy