With its early start in urbanization, Europe has accumulated a wealth of practical experience in urban agriculture (UA), exploring various development models. This paper compares and analyzes the characteristic patterns of UA in Europe and China through theoretical research, academic frontier exploration, and case analysis. In order to investigate and analyze theoretical developments and the current state of academic frontiers in a systematic, accessible, and comprehensive approach, the methodology of bibliometric analysis has been utilized. A bibliometric method is applied to analyze relevant data from the Web of Science (WoS) core collection database and 2230 CNKI publications. The case study section conducts separate field research on nine representative European practices of urban food gardening and urban farming. Additionally, the study scrutinizes UA research development and its implementation in Hangzhou, China. Based on the findings of this study, the authors recommend that European approaches to the development of UA in China’s future UA practice be taken into account, in particular their methods and strategies for realizing social and cultural benefits. It is imperative to integrate UA projects into urban green space system planning and to rationalize their construction types. Simultaneously, Chinese scholars are encouraged to explore the socio-cultural functions of UA, with a particular focus on urban agricultural heritage conservation.

Urban agricultural heritage is an essential subject when investigating urban history. The preservation of it contributes to inheriting farming traditions, supporting local food, and reinforcing the cities’ cultural identity. To emphasize the significance and urgency of preserving urban agricultural heritage, this article first describes the concept of urban agricultural heritage from historical, ecological, social, and economic dimensions. We then choose the traditional urban grape garden in the Ancient City of Xuanhua as a case study. According to a new method we have developed, we provide a comprehensive description of the existing issues in the grape garden and the external factors that impact the study area. The results show that the traditional farming technique has been inherited; the urban fabric of courtyards containing grape funnels has not changed; the study area still lacks social concerns; and a part of households should optimize their business models.

Urbanization severely threatens the dynamic conservation of Agricultural Heritage Systems (AHS). Focusing on the Haizhu High Bed-Low Ditch Agroecosystem (HHBLDA) in Guangzhou, China—a rare urban AHS facing rapid encroachment—this study integrates the Semantic Differential (SD) method with VR eye-tracking to quantify the public’s subjective evaluations and objective visual preferences. The findings reveal a critical perceptual discrepancy: despite expressing subjective interest in the AHS, participants’ objective visual attention heavily gravitates toward designed garden landscapes, exposing an intrinsic inadequacy in the agricultural site’s aesthetic appeal. Analysis identifies “uniqueness” and “sense of order” as core perceptual drivers, especially among younger demographics exhibiting high visual exploration. Consequently, this study proposes a perception-driven, hierarchical zoning conservation strategy. By prioritizing these core drivers and enriching the site’s cultural-artistic ambiance, this strategy provides a scientific framework to transform urban AHS from traditional productive systems into engaging experiential spaces, ensuring their sustainable conservation.

Affiliated Open Spaces (AOS) constitute vital public assets within high-density vertical cities. However, prevailing scholarship remains largely confined to two-dimensional horizontal perspectives, overlooking the quantitative impact of vertical built environment characteristics on spatial distribution and human behavior. Focusing on four high-density districts in Guangzhou typified by distinct three-dimensional morphologies, this study integrates field surveys, 3D geospatial data acquisition, and 621 valid questionnaires to empirically analyze the impact of 3D spatial features on user behavior and the mediating role of accessibility. Utilizing the ArcGIS 3D Analyst for vertical accessibility measurement and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for path analysis, the study tests the hypothesized relationships using multi-source data. The results indicate that (1) a user’s vertical location exerts a significant negative impact on both accessibility and human behavior; (2) building density and building functional diversity indirectly promote user engagement primarily by significantly enhancing accessibility, thereby confirming accessibility as a critical mediator; and (3) significant spatial heterogeneity exists, revealing distinct correlation patterns across varying built environments. This research elucidates the pivotal constraint of “vertical location” and validates the mediating efficacy of accessibility, offering empirical insights for human-centric vertical urban planning.