Interim use & idle land
Meanwhile use turns pre-development sites and long-vacant land into farms for a set period. It starts without buying land, but everything must be designed around eventually handing the site back.
61 cases
Key takeaways
- 61 cases use land on an interim ("meanwhile") basis.
- Free loans, short leases and permits dominate — cheap, easy to exit.
- Movable planters keep restoration easy and end-of-term risk low.
What the data shows
The key is land tenure. Across the cases, low-cost, easy-exit arrangements dominate — free loans, short leases and permits. Movable planters and containers that make site restoration easy are the standard way to cut end-of-term risk.
Even time-limited, the community, education and greening value is real. For governments and developers it means land stewardship, safety and rising local value until development begins — making win-win arrangements easy to design.
Representative cases
See related cases →Kibera Sack Gardening
KENairobi, Kenya
Vertical sack gardening spreading through Nairobi's large Kibera settlement, where residents grow kale and spinach in soil-filled bags in densely packed areas with no farmland.
foodsystemsjournal.org+4
Minna no Uen PARK Minatogawa
JPKobe, Hyogo, Japan
A social-experiment site (opened 2022) on about 1,540 sqm of idle UR land in Minatogawa, Hyogo-ku, Kobe, regenerated as a rental farm plus open park space, with about one third as farm and the rest as park.
minnanouen.jp+2
Chiang Mai Urban Farm (Mae Kha Canal)
THChiang Mai, Thailand
During COVID-19, a 'Promoter' group led by local architecture firm Jaibaan Studio worked with residents and civic groups to turn state-owned idle land into an inclusive public space and food-producing site, aiming to improve food security, nutrition and self-sufficiency for vulnerable residents.
link.springer.com+2
Ichibatake (Nada Central Market)
JPKobe, Japan
A community garden that revived a vacant lot along the passageway of Kobe's roughly century-old Nada Central Market using handmade planters and lighting, turning land left derelict for over 20 years into organic rental plots and a lively market space.
ichiba-kobe.gr.jp+2
Related research
Growing Greener Cities
FAO's programme on urban and peri-urban agriculture, presenting a framework to support city food production for food security, jobs, environment and nutrition.
FAO · 2010 · Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
The Socio-Cultural Benefits of Urban Agriculture: A Review of the Literature
A systematic review of 272 peer-reviewed publications drawing on urban-agriculture sites in 57 countries, organizing socio-cultural benefits into four domains: cohesive communities, health and well-being, economic opportunities, and education. Community connection and learning emerged as the most frequently reported benefits.
Ilieva R.T., Cohen N., Israel M. et al. · 2022 · Land (MDPI), 11(5):622
Community gardens and their effects on diet, health, psychosocial and community outcomes: a systematic review
A systematic review synthesizing 53 eligible studies. Community garden participation was positively associated with fruit and vegetable intake and several psychosocial and community outcomes, though effects on physical health indicators were mixed.
Hume C., Grieger J.A., Kalamkarian A. et al. · 2022 · BMC Public Health, 22:1247
How Does Urban Farming Benefit Participants' Health? A Case Study of Allotments and Experience Farms in Tokyo
A cross-sectional study comparing 783 urban-farming participants with 1,254 non-participants in Tokyo. Participants in both allotment and experience-farm programs reported significantly better self-rated and mental health, highlighting the health value of regular social interaction in urban farming.
Harada K., Hino K., Iida A. et al. · 2021 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH), 18(2):542
Community gardens as local learning environments in social housing contexts: participant perceptions of enhanced wellbeing and community connection
A mixed-methods study of 42 social-housing residents across six new community garden sites in Sydney. Participants reported greater health and wellbeing awareness, new interest in growing fresh food, shared produce and recipes, happiness, and frequent socialization and community connectedness.
Gray T., Tracey D., Truong S. et al. · 2022 · Local Environment, 27(5):570-585