SYMP 14-4
Designing a sustainable urban agriculture
Urban agriculture has been gaining attention in recent years as an important contributor to sustainable cities because of the potential to integrate multiple functions and supply ecosystem services. Production functions support the needs of local residents through the provision of vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, cut flowers, nursery plants, and other products. If designed appropriately, ecological functions such as nutrient cycling, microclimate control, stormwater infiltration, and biodiversity conservation may be supported by urban agriculture. The cultural functions provided by these spaces can be critical to their long-term success because of their potential to support social networks, education of youth, recreational amenities, artistic expression, and visual quality of the neighborhood. While urban agriculture has contributed to the food systems of cities in many developing countries for years, the movement is spreading to the United States and other Western countries as a strategy for building resilience into a complex, dynamic ecosystem. In these regions, urban agriculture offers a new frontier for ecological designers to become involved in the development and transformation of community farms, allotment gardens, rooftop gardens, edible landscaping, urban food forests, and other productive features of the urban environment.
Results/Conclusions
My research team has been working in Chicago to quantify the current extent of food production in the city, assess ecosystem services provided by food production systems, and explore the potential to expand production on city-owned vacant lots and other underused spaces. We integrate and apply knowledge across disciplines including ecology, horticulture, and landscape architecture to study and promote the complex system of urban food production. The challenge is to design these spaces to be multifunctional, matching the specific needs and preferences of local residents, while also protecting the environment. A few of the design guidelines that have been revealed through the research include: 1) integrating floral plantings to draw in pollinators and other beneficial insects; 2) capturing runoff from the site to avoid nutrient contamination; 3) grouping plantings based on similar water, sunlight, and fertility requirements; 4) building in infrastructure for mild processing of crops; 5) improving the visual quality of the site as viewed from the outside; and 6) respecting and reflecting the cultural heritage of the urban stakeholders. Following these guidelines might lead to urban agriculture solutions that are more successful, durable, and sustainable.