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A review of the role of urban agriculture in the sustainable city discourse
- Source :
- Cities. 93:104-119
- Publication Year :
- 2019
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2019.
-
Abstract
- The debate on the role of urban agriculture in the sustainable city discourse remains unresolved in the conventional literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to review relevant literature to clarify the role of urban agriculture in sustainable cities. The search for literature was guided by themes such as: a) urban agricultural practices, b) indicators for the measurement of sustainable cities, c) economic, social and environmental benefits of urban agriculture, and d) negative effects of urban agriculture on the city. The results from a synthesis of the literature indicate that urban agriculture supports the economic, social and environmental sustainability of cities. However, if the discussion gives credence to only the economic dimension of sustainability, then urban agriculture loses the debate. This is because the economic benefits of prime city land that is used used for non-agricultural purposes (such as commercial or industrial) is profound. However, the social and environmental functions of responsible urban agriculture, particularly in reducing the rift between urbanisation and nature, may be difficult to quantify. These social and environmental functions underscore the importance of urban agriculture in the city landscape. The paper concludes by arguing that focussing on only economic sustainability in the urban agriculture-sustainable city discourse is a travesty of the idea of sustainable development. The paper presents practical steps that can be taken to preserve agriculture in cities towards their sustainability.
- Subjects :
- Sustainable development
Sociology and Political Science
business.industry
Credence
05 social sciences
0211 other engineering and technologies
0507 social and economic geography
Urban studies
021107 urban & regional planning
02 engineering and technology
Development
Urban Studies
Sustainable city
Agriculture
Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management
Political science
Urbanization
Sustainability
Urban agriculture
business
050703 geography
Environmental planning
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 02642751
- Volume :
- 93
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Cities
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........a504df286fad295f56361b10ec67edaa