Research & reports

Joimel S., Grard B., Chenu C., Auclerc A., Bernard M., Mondy S., Dewulf L., Lelièvre M., El Mekdad F., Vieublé Gonod L. · European Journal of Soil Science · France (Paris)

Study of 12 urban microfarm plots in the Paris region found high intra- and inter-site variability in soil biological properties, with microfarm soils hosting lower bacterial diversity than forests or cultivated soils. Both ground-level and rooftop microfarms were surveyed.

Berliner, Susanne · · Germany

An ethnographic inquiry into a "refugees welcome" community garden in Germany offers power-critical reflections on social encounters, participation, inequalities, and the dynamics between 'the host' and 'the newcomer' in home-making. The study enhances understanding of how people with refugee biographies shape their surroundings and how communities navigate social heterogeneity. Specifically, it highlights inequalities and power dynamics within the context of home-making.

İsmail Suat Başoğlu, Bahadır KOZ · Karadeniz Fen Bilimleri Dergisi · Turkey (Giresun City Center)

This research evaluated the diversity of flowering plants, physical properties of garden areas, and green space in 18 high schools in Giresun City Center. A total of 45 flowering plant species were identified in the school gardens, but the overall presence of endemic and rare species was found to be low. These findings indicate that high school gardens in Giresun City Center require improvement in terms of existing green areas and plant diversity.

Della Rocca Francesca, Musiani Marco, Taioli Domitilla, Nardelli Edoardo, Milanesi Pietro · Biodiversity and Conservation · Italy (Bologna)

In Bologna, Italy, data on bird and butterfly communities were analyzed across an anthropogenic disturbance gradient encompassing urban, agricultural, and semi-natural contexts. The study found the highest species richness and diversity in peri-urban areas with natural and semi-natural habitats, while dense built-up areas supported fewer, mostly generalist species. Agricultural areas favored birds but not butterflies, and continuous urban cover, discontinuous high-density urban areas, distance to streets, and wood coverage were identified as main drivers of diversity.

Marcia Eugenio-Gozalbo, Inés Ortega-Cubero, Rafael Suárez-López · International explorations in outdoor and environmental education · Spain (Soria)

This chapter describes an educational project conducted with 8-year-old children in the Organic Learning Garden of the Faculty of Education of Soria, University of Valladolid, Spain. The project aimed to promote detailed observation and learning about insect morphology and diversity through scientific drawing. The use of school gardens is proposed to foster children's knowledge and appreciation of insect biodiversity.

Marta Melon, Tomasz Dzieduszyński, Piotr Sikorski, Beata Joanna Gawryszewska, Maciej Lasocki, Arkadiusz Przybysz · Sustainability · Poland (Warsaw)

The capacity of Family Allotment Gardens (FAGs) in Warsaw, Poland, to provide air-pollution filtration and microclimate regulation was quantified. Particulate matter, air temperature, and relative humidity were measured inside and outside three allotment complexes in autumn 2023. Results showed a moderate reduction in PM concentrations inside gardens (by about 2 µg/m³) and slightly higher humidity (2.1%). However, the cooling effect was weak (less than 0.3 °C), indicating a limited spatial range under autumn conditions.

Agnieszka Klucznik-Tӧrő · Economics and Environment · Europe

This research investigated whether vertical gardens can effectively reduce urban air pollution, using Cracow as an example. Field experimentation, biochemical and laboratory studies, statistical analysis, and quantitative techniques were applied using plant species such as fennel spike, lemon balm, thyme, chives, dill, and common ivy. The analysis proved that a significant level of phytoremediation of air pollutants can be achieved with vertical gardens.

Abdullah Ahmadi, Daniele Codato, Francesca Peroni, Massimo De Marchi · Urban Climate · Italy (Padua)

The Rooftops for Equity and Sustainability (RT4ES) model, a GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis, was applied to Padua, Italy, to map suitable urban rooftops for green roofs and photovoltaic systems. The model identified 11.67 km² of suitable rooftops across 29,493 buildings, with rooftop greening offering 10.94 km² of additional vegetated surfaces and rooftop PVs potentially generating 302% of municipal household electricity. RT4ES prioritizes underserved neighborhoods by integrating social and environmental vulnerability.

Jana Marion Böhme · PubData · Europe

This study investigated the current state and professionality of biodiversity monitoring in food forest projects and influencing social-ecological factors through an online survey and interviews with German and Dutch experts. It found heterogeneous characteristics and professionality levels in monitoring activities, primarily due to context factors like actors, governance systems, and socio-economic settings. The professionality of monitoring depended on volunteer and expert availability and funding, indicating a lack of integrated, standardized, and systematic monitoring concepts and institutionalization.

Lorenzo Federico, Valeria Tatangelo, Francesca Pittino, Claudia Russo, Emanuele Vegini, Sandra Citterio, Andrea Franzetti, Sara Villa · Urban Ecosystems · Europe

This pilot study investigated the use of behavioral bioassays as screening indicators for invertebrate and bacterial biodiversity in three urban soils in Europe. While model organisms' behavioral responses consistently aligned with reductions in invertebrate biodiversity, these changes did not emerge from microbial analysis. The findings support behavioral bioassays combined with faunal diversity assessments as a first-tier screening tool for urban soil health, but suggest further investigation is needed for links with microbial diversity.

Dagmar Haase, Dara V. Gaeva · Plant-Environment Interactions · Germany (Berlin)

An exploratory study conducted in allotment gardens in Berlin, Germany, from May to July 2019, investigated plant species richness and ecosystem services, particularly pollinator habitats and local food provision. Comparing 10 plots with varying management intensities, 376 plant species were identified. The study found that native species richness, weedy plant species richness, and the richness of species contributing to regulation and maintenance ecosystem services were significantly negatively correlated with garden management intensity. Urban allotments support pollinator populations due to a wide variety of nectar-producing plants, but this capacity is greatly affected by local gardener management.

Nicholas Balfour, Johnstone Caitlyn, Emma Bush · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · United Kingdom

A 2025 survey of 31 green spaces in central Edinburgh, UK, including allotments, public gardens, cemeteries and roof gardens, assessed pollinator diversity and resource availability. The pollinator community was a generalist assemblage dominated by bumble bees (45%) and honey bees (26%), while butterflies, moths and beetles were notably scarce. Semi-natural areas, allotments and cemeteries sustained the highest pollinator diversity, linked to native vegetation and rich floral resources. Two-thirds of the plant species recorded were non-native horticultural varieties, yet 87% of recorded plants were visited by pollinators, and the three plant species attracting the widest range of pollinator taxa were all indigenous.

Florio Furno M, Tramontini M, Gaggero E, Rigoletto M, Fabbri D, Malandrino M, Calza P, Varese GC, Spina F · Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology · Europe

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) persist in soil and resist common recovery strategies, which matters for urban agriculture because such sites are highly exposed to varied pollution sources — and because that exposure shapes how urban growing is perceived. This study examined the fungi already present in polluted soil intended for urban agriculture, aiming to build an active microbial consortium able to transform the pollutants and lower site toxicity. The mycobiota was dominated by Ascomycota; among 28 isolated taxa across 16 genera, Aspergillus, Scedosporium, Trichoderma and Fusarium were the most abundant. Isolates differed markedly, between and within species, in their ability to grow in the presence of low- and high-molecular-weight PAHs, and some produced biosurfactants. Combining this with the ability to grow on carriers, six fungi were selected for in situ soil remediation, and biostimulation was compared with bioaugmentation using strains in co-culture. The best results came from a consortium that also showed high tolerance to high-molecular-weight PAHs. Chronic ecotoxicity testing showed no effect on Eisenia fetida except under biostimulation, which produced a 44 per cent decrease in toxicity. A mix of millet and canary seeds worked as an efficient fungal carrier.

· Wikipedia (italiano) · Italy

An Italian Wikipedia article on Parco Agricolo Sud Milano, established on 23 April 1990 under Lombardy regional law (LR 24), covering 46,300 hectares across roughly 60 municipalities. More than 1,400 farms operate within the park, with cereals accounting for 43% of cultivation, rice 22%, and forage 16%. Forty-one traditional irrigated meadows (marcite) are protected within the park, alongside native mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, plus reported invasive species such as nutria.

· Wikipedia · United Kingdom

Kensington Roof Gardens is a roughly 6,000 sq m garden atop the former Derry & Toms department store building, designed and built between 1936 and 1938 by landscape architect Ralph Hancock, comprising three themed gardens: a Spanish garden, a Tudor-style garden, and an English woodland garden with a stream and pond. The trees received a tree preservation order in 1976, the garden was Grade II listed in 1998, but public access ended in 2018; after a 2021 acquisition, it reopened in 2024 as a private members' club.

· Wikipedia · United Kingdom

This Wikipedia article covers Robert Hart (1913-2000), a British horticulturist credited as the pioneer of temperate-climate forest gardening. He converted a 0.12-acre (500 sqm) orchard at his Shropshire home into a model forest garden structured in seven layers (canopy, low-tree, shrub, herbaceous, ground-cover, rhizosphere, and vertical/climber). The article also notes he followed a roughly 90% raw vegan diet, citing the Hippocratic maxim to 'let food be thy medicine.'

AVVN · AVVN (official) · Netherlands

The official site of AVVN, the Dutch federation of allotment/community gardening associations. It describes its mission as bringing together garden enthusiasts, associations, and green initiatives across the Netherlands, and operates a knowledge bank (covering social greening, vegetable gardens, natural/sustainable gardening, and association management), webinars and activities, and news articles. It is based at Rijnzathe 12, Utrecht. The homepage displays a member/affiliate count of '+1,489.' The page itself does not state a founding year, which could not be confirmed here.

Stichting DakAkker · Stichting DakAkker (official) · Netherlands

The official site of DakAkker, a rooftop farm on top of the Schieblock building in Rotterdam. It describes itself as a 1,000-square-meter rooftop farm growing vegetables, edible flowers, and fruit and keeping bees, calling itself the largest open-air rooftop farm in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. It is presented as an initiative of ZUS (Zones Urbaines Sensibles) and the Rotterdam Environmental Centre together with Optigrün Benelux and binder daktuinen, framed as part of Rotterdam's first city initiative 'de Luchtsingel.' The roof also hosts 'Slimdak,' a test site for smart rainwater management. 'Dakennie,' its environmental education program for Rotterdam primary schools, is financially supported by Watersensitive Rotterdam, the City of Rotterdam's nature and environmental education division, and the Hoogheemraadschap Schieland en de Krimpenerwaard water authority. The page itself does not state an opening year, which could not be confirmed here.

European Social Fund Plus (European Commission) · European Social Fund Plus, Social Innovation Match · Netherlands

A case study of Herenboeren, a Dutch citizen-owned cooperative farm model started in 2016. Around 250 households jointly finance and govern each 'Herenboerderij', paying a one-off investment of roughly €2,000–2,500 and a monthly fee of about €45–80 (depending on location and meat consumption) in exchange for a weekly share of seasonal vegetables, fruit, eggs, and optionally meat. Professional farmers are employed to run nature-driven production. As of 2026 there are 23 operational farms across the Netherlands with more than 9,000 citizen members.

Plantlife · Plantlife · United Kingdom

An overview of Plantlife's 'No Mow May' campaign, urging people in the UK to stop mowing their lawns during May to let wildflowers grow and support bees and butterflies. The page states that approximately 97% of the UK's flower-rich meadows have been lost since the 1930s, and notes there are around 23 million gardens in the UK, meaning even small patches can add up. It encourages extending the practice beyond May into a year-round 'No Mow Movement' of managing lawns with mixed grass lengths for nature.

Buglife · Buglife · United Kingdom

An introduction to Buglife's 'B-Lines' initiative, which states that over 97% of the UK's flower-rich grasslands (an area the size of Wales) have been lost since the 1930s, and describes a nationwide network of flower-rich habitat 'stepping stones' linking existing wildlife areas across the countryside and towns. B-Lines have been mapped across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, with a target to create and restore at least 150,000 hectares of flower-rich habitat across the UK.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) · Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) · United Kingdom

The RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) runs a campaign to make plants "an integrated part of everyday school life," offering free biannual newsletters, online training courses, a five-level School Gardening Award, and a library of activity plans and teaching guides. It also offers guided and self-guided school visits to RHS gardens and a biodiversity project with the Natural History Museum (the National Education Nature Park). The page does not state specific participation figures such as the number of schools involved.

Berliner Forum für Geschichte und Gegenwart e.V. · Welterbe Siedlungen der Berliner Moderne (Berliner Forum für Geschichte und Gegenwart e.V.) · Germany

The page on the Britz Horseshoe Estate from the official site for the Berlin Modernism Housing Estates World Heritage property. Construction ran from 1925 to 1931, with Bruno Taut and Martin Wagner responsible for the overall plan and urban design and Leberecht Migge and Ottokar Wagler for the garden design. The estate comprises 1,963 dwellings — 679 single-family rowhouses and 1,284 flats — ranging from 1.5 to 5 rooms. The World Heritage property covers 37.1 hectares with a 73.1-hectare buffer zone, and the emblematic horseshoe-shaped main block is 350 metres long. It was inscribed as World Heritage in 2008 and designated a garden monument in 2010.

Wilkens J., Mombo S., Dumat C. · Urban Science · France (Toulouse)

Examines 11 years of collective urban gardens in the Toulouse region through the lens of global health—encompassing human well-being, soil health, and interspecies interactions—as a driver of agroecological transitions among gardeners.

· Landscape Ecology · Germany (Berlin, Munich)

Recorded pollinators and garden features across 33 community gardens in Berlin and Munich over two summers, finding local-scale garden features—rather than landscape context—predominantly structured urban pollinator communities.