scholarly journals Mapping the growing capacity of climate smart food in urban environments

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Schneider ◽  
Victoria Fast
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Production Capacity ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Private Land ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Smart Agriculture ◽  
Using Data

The practice of urban agriculture (UA) is a unique food system model that localizes the production of sustainable, geographically appropriate food. The environmental benefits inherent in UA aligns with the emerging field of climate smart agriculture (CSA). However, the agro-industry focus of CSA is beyond the scope of most UA initiatives. Instead, we put forward the term “climate smart food” as a more appropriate framework to examine the environmental impact of food production in an urban context. The purpose of this study, rooted in the recognition of underutilized private urban land resources for UA, is to assess the potential of urban land to grow climate smart food. The Bowness neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta is used as a case study. A geospatial process of constraint mapping was applied to analyze suitable private land space that could be converted from lawns to cultivated gardens. Using data from a local food cooperative as a benchmark for local urban production capacity, it was determined that six urban farms in Calgary produced roughly 8,200 pounds of food from private gardens in 2016. In the Bowness neighbourhood, 42 percent of the land was held as private turf grass, and produced only about 800 pounds of food. This type of analysis serves to quantify the magnitude of underutilized land within an urban boundary that could produce significant amounts of climate smart food.

Smart Place Making Through Digital Communication and Citizen Engagement

2022 ◽  
pp. 1220-1237
Author(s):  
Angel Bartolomé Muñoz de Luna ◽  
Olga Kolotouchkina
Keyword(s):  
Information Technologies ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Citizen Engagement ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
City Governments ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
New Information ◽  
The City

The disruptive growth of new information technologies is transforming the dynamics of citizen communication and engagement in the urban context. In order to create new, smart, inclusive, and transparent urban environments, the city governments of London and Madrid have implemented a series of innovative digital applications and citizen communication channels. Through a case study approach, this research assesses the best practices in the field of digital communication and citizen engagement implemented by London and Madrid, with a particular focus on the profile, content, and functions of these new channels. The results of this research are intended to identify relevant new dynamics of interaction and value co-creation for cities and their residents.

Coupling Coordination Analysis of Urban Land Intensive Use Benefits Based on TOPSIS Method in Xianning City

2014 ◽  
Vol 1073-1076 ◽  
pp. 1387-1392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya Qun Wang ◽  
Cheng Shun Song ◽  
Zheng Xiong
Keyword(s):  
General System ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Development Stage ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Intensive Use ◽  
High Coordination ◽  
Coordination Degree

With the theory and method of general system science, the paper, by taking Xianning City as a case study, established coupling coordination theoretical models of socio-economic benefits and eco-environmental benefits of urban land intensive use, then analyzed socio-economic benefits and eco-environment benefits of urban land intensive use, coupling degree and coupling coordinative degree between urban land intensive use socio-economic and eco-environmental by using the statistical data during 1999-2010. The results showed that: (1) The socio-economic benefits of urban land intensive use increased rapidly, however, the eco-environmental benefits of urban land intensive use increased in a fluctuation; (2) The coupling degrees of urban land intensive use socio-economic benefits and eco-environmental benefits was at an antagonism development stage, the coupling degrees decreased slowly; (3) The coupling coordination degree of urban land intensive use socio-economic benefits and eco-environmental benefits experienced moderate coordination level and high coordination level.

scholarly journals Torontonians have a nature problem - can biophilic design be a solution?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Easton
Keyword(s):  
Design Research ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Biophilic Design ◽  
Planning Framework ◽  
Economic Support ◽  
The City

Biophilic design stems from the term biophilia; a concept that describes humans’ innate connection and love for nature. It is an innovative way to bring nature into cities, reconnecting urban residents to the natural world through the built environment, while simultaneously contributing many mental, physical and environmental benefits. Despite extensive research on the significance of biophilic design, application in many urban environments, including Toronto, is minimal. This paper investigates what, if any, obstacles may be preventing Toronto from integrating biophilic design. Research was conducted through a literature review, case study analysis and four key informant surveys. It finds that there are obstacles to local implementation including a lack of supportive planning framework, a lack of economic support and incentives, lacking professional expertise and absent demand. The paper acknowledges the literature, case studies and informant responses through the provision of recommendations that are designed to help the city overcome these obstacles. Key words: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Planning, Toronto

scholarly journals Tension, Conflict, and Negotiability of Land for Infrastructure Retrofit Practices in Informal Settlements

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1311
Author(s):  
Mahsa Mesgar ◽  
Diego Ramirez-Lovering ◽  
Mohamed El-Sioufi
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Poverty ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Private Land ◽  
Urban Context

Tension and conflict are endemic to any upgrading initiative (including basic infrastructure provision) requiring private land contributions, whether in the form of voluntary donations or compensated land acquisitions. In informal urban contexts, practitioners must first identify well-suited land for public infrastructure, both spatially and with careful consideration for safeguarding claimed rights and preventing conflicts. At the same time, they need to defuse existing tensions over land ownership and land use rights while negotiating for the potential use of a unit of land for infrastructure. Even in the case of employing participatory methods, land negotiations are never tension-free. Despite the extensive literature on linkages between urban poverty, inefficient land management systems, and land disputes, in both rural and urban settings, land negotiations for community-scale infrastructure retrofit projects (e.g., neighbourhood roads, water and sanitation infrastructure) are yet to be fully explored. Drawing on a case study of a live green infrastructure retrofit project in six informal settlements in Makassar, Indonesia, we establish links to exchange theory, collective action, and negotiation theory to build a reliable analytical framework for understanding and explaining the land negotiations in small-scale infrastructure retrofit practices. We aim to describe and assess the fundamental conditions for land negotiations in an informal urban context and conclude the paper by summarising several key strategies developed and used in the case study area to forge land agreements.

scholarly journals Torontonians have a nature problem - can biophilic design be a solution?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Easton
Keyword(s):  
Design Research ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Biophilic Design ◽  
Planning Framework ◽  
Economic Support ◽  
The City

Biophilic design stems from the term biophilia; a concept that describes humans’ innate connection and love for nature. It is an innovative way to bring nature into cities, reconnecting urban residents to the natural world through the built environment, while simultaneously contributing many mental, physical and environmental benefits. Despite extensive research on the significance of biophilic design, application in many urban environments, including Toronto, is minimal. This paper investigates what, if any, obstacles may be preventing Toronto from integrating biophilic design. Research was conducted through a literature review, case study analysis and four key informant surveys. It finds that there are obstacles to local implementation including a lack of supportive planning framework, a lack of economic support and incentives, lacking professional expertise and absent demand. The paper acknowledges the literature, case studies and informant responses through the provision of recommendations that are designed to help the city overcome these obstacles. Key words: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Planning, Toronto

scholarly journals Spatial Correlation of Formats in the Central Districts of a Megacity: The Case of Shanghai

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyu Hu ◽  
Zhonghu Zhang ◽  
Junyan Yang
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Spatial Relationships ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Central District ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Using Data

A “format” is an essential component of a city’s central districts and reflects their economic characteristics. In the urban context, individual formats relate to and mutually influence each other. Using data from two central districts in Shanghai—People’s Square and Lujiazui—and a case study approach, we investigated the mutual influences and relations among formats in these districts. We collected and categorized data on formats and assessed the degree of format aggregation. We also identified and described three different types of spatial relationships that may exist among formats: Strong two-way correlations, strong one-way correlations, and weak two-way correlations. These spatial relationships reflect the spatial distribution structure in an urban central district, embodying the systemicity and integrity of formats. The relationships we found have significance for future research on spatial relationships in other urban central districts.

Smart Place Making Through Digital Communication and Citizen Engagement

2020 ◽  
pp. 206-228
Author(s):  
Angel Bartolomé Muñoz de Luna ◽  
Olga Kolotouchkina
Keyword(s):  
Information Technologies ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Citizen Engagement ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
City Governments ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
New Information ◽  
The City

The disruptive growth of new information technologies is transforming the dynamics of citizen communication and engagement in the urban context. In order to create new, smart, inclusive, and transparent urban environments, the city governments of London and Madrid have implemented a series of innovative digital applications and citizen communication channels. Through a case study approach, this research assesses the best practices in the field of digital communication and citizen engagement implemented by London and Madrid, with a particular focus on the profile, content, and functions of these new channels. The results of this research are intended to identify relevant new dynamics of interaction and value co-creation for cities and their residents.

Disruptive innovation and operationalization in local and sustainable food systems: Examining the University of Toronto-Local Food Plus partnership

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-139
Author(s):  
Lori Stahlbrand
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Food System ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Disruptive Innovation ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
The University

This paper traces the partnership between the University of Toronto and the non-profit Local Food Plus (LFP) to bring local sustainable food to its St. George campus. At its launch, the partnership represented the largest purchase of local sustainable food at a Canadian university, as well as LFP’s first foray into supporting institutional procurement of local sustainable food. LFP was founded in 2005 with a vision to foster sustainable local food economies. To this end, LFP developed a certification system and a marketing program that matched certified farmers and processors to buyers. LFP emphasized large-scale purchases by public institutions. Using information from in-depth semi-structured key informant interviews, this paper argues that the LFP project was a disruptive innovation that posed a challenge to many dimensions of the established food system. The LFP case study reveals structural obstacles to operationalizing a local and sustainable food system. These include a lack of mid-sized infrastructure serving local farmers, the domination of a rebate system of purchasing controlled by an oligopolistic foodservice sector, and embedded government support of export agriculture. This case study is an example of praxis, as the author was the founder of LFP, as well as an academic researcher and analyst.

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