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Planetary Boundaries help quantify the environmental sustainability of consumption. We developed LCIA-based planetary boundaries for evaluating the EU consumption. EU consumption occupies a high share of the safe operating space globally available. Planetary boundaries are fundamental to support policy making towards sustainability. LCA-based planetary boundaries show intrinsic uncertainties.
Serenella Sala; Eleonora Crenna; Michela Secchi; Esther Sanyé-Mengual. Corrigendum to “Environmental sustainability of European production and consumption assessed against planetary boundaries”. Journal of Environmental Management 2021, 281, 111904 .
AMA StyleSerenella Sala, Eleonora Crenna, Michela Secchi, Esther Sanyé-Mengual. Corrigendum to “Environmental sustainability of European production and consumption assessed against planetary boundaries”. Journal of Environmental Management. 2021; 281 ():111904.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSerenella Sala; Eleonora Crenna; Michela Secchi; Esther Sanyé-Mengual. 2021. "Corrigendum to “Environmental sustainability of European production and consumption assessed against planetary boundaries”." Journal of Environmental Management 281, no. : 111904.
Within the scholarly debate, Urban Agriculture (UA) has been widely acknowledged to provide diverse environmental and socio-cultural ecosystem services (ESs) for cities. However, the question of whether these potential benefits are also recognized as such by the involved societal groups on the ground has not yet been investigated. This paper aims at (1) assessing the perceived ESs of UA, comparing the views of different societal groups in the city of Bologna, Italy (namely: UA project leaders, stakeholders and the general public) and (2) to identify differences in the evaluation of specific UA types (indoor farming, high-tech greenhouses, peri-urban farms, community-supported agriculture, community rooftop garden and urban co-op). In total, 406 individuals evaluated 25 ESs via a standardized Likert-scale survey. The study unveiled similarities and divergences of perceptions among the different societal groups. The statistical analysis indicated that the general public and UA stakeholders agree on the high relevance of socio-cultural ESs, while provisioning ESs was considered as less significant. UA types focusing on social innovation were expected to provide higher socio-cultural ESs whereas peri-urban activities were more closely linked to habitat ESs. We assume that involvement and knowledge of UA are determining factors for valuing the provision of ESs through UA, which needs to be considered for ES valuation, particularly in a policymaking context.
Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Kathrin Specht; Jan Vávra; Martina Artmann; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Gianquinto. Ecosystem Services of Urban Agriculture: Perceptions of Project Leaders, Stakeholders and the General Public. Sustainability 2020, 12, 10446 .
AMA StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual, Kathrin Specht, Jan Vávra, Martina Artmann, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Gianquinto. Ecosystem Services of Urban Agriculture: Perceptions of Project Leaders, Stakeholders and the General Public. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (24):10446.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual; Kathrin Specht; Jan Vávra; Martina Artmann; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Gianquinto. 2020. "Ecosystem Services of Urban Agriculture: Perceptions of Project Leaders, Stakeholders and the General Public." Sustainability 12, no. 24: 10446.
Compared to rural agriculture, urban agriculture (UA) has some distinct features (e.g., the limited land access, alternative growing media, unique legal environments or the non-production-related missions) that encourage the development of new practices, i.e., “novelties” or “innovations”. This paper aims to (1) identify the “triggers” for novelty production in UA; (2) characterize the different kinds of novelties applied in UA; (3) evaluate the “innovativeness” of those social, environmental and economic novelties; and, (4) estimate the links between novelties and sustainability. The study was based on the evaluation of 11 case studies in four Western European countries (Italy, Germany, France and Spain). The results show that the trigger and origin of new activities can often be traced back to specific problems that initiators were intended to address or solve. In total, we found 147 novelties produced in the 11 case studies. More novelties are produced in the environmental and social dimensions of sustainability than in the economic. In most cases, external stakeholders played an important role in supporting the projects. The analysis further suggests that innovativeness enhances the overall sustainability in urban agriculture projects.
Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Kathrin Specht; Erofili Grapsa; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Gianquinto. How Can Innovation in Urban Agriculture Contribute to Sustainability? A Characterization and Evaluation Study from Five Western European Cities. Sustainability 2019, 11, 4221 .
AMA StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual, Kathrin Specht, Erofili Grapsa, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Gianquinto. How Can Innovation in Urban Agriculture Contribute to Sustainability? A Characterization and Evaluation Study from Five Western European Cities. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (15):4221.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual; Kathrin Specht; Erofili Grapsa; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Gianquinto. 2019. "How Can Innovation in Urban Agriculture Contribute to Sustainability? A Characterization and Evaluation Study from Five Western European Cities." Sustainability 11, no. 15: 4221.
Notwithstanding that indoor farming is claimed to reduce the environmental pressures of food systems, electricity needs are elevated and mainly associated with lighting. To date, however, no studies have quantified the environmental and economic profile of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lighting in indoor farming systems. The goal of this study is to quantify the effect of varying the red (R) and blue (B) LED spectral components (RB ratios of 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 4) on the eco-efficiency of indoor production of lettuce, chicory, rocket and sweet basil from a life cycle perspective. The functional unit of the assessment was 1 kg of harvested fresh plant edible product, and the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) method was employed for impact assessment. Even though most of the materials of the LED lamp and electronic elements were imported from long distances (14,400 km), electricity consumption was the largest contributor to the environmental impacts (with the LED lamps being the main electricity consumers, approximately 70%), apart from the resources use indicator, where the materials of the lamps and the mineral nutrients were also relevant. RB0.5 was the most energy-efficient light treatment but had the lowest eco-efficiency scores due to the lower crop yields.
Giuseppina Pennisi; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Francesco Orsini; Andrea Crepaldi; Silvana Nicola; Jesús Ochoa; Juan Fernandez; Giorgio Gianquinto. Modelling Environmental Burdens of Indoor-Grown Vegetables and Herbs as Affected by Red and Blue LED Lighting. Sustainability 2019, 11, 4063 .
AMA StyleGiuseppina Pennisi, Esther Sanyé-Mengual, Francesco Orsini, Andrea Crepaldi, Silvana Nicola, Jesús Ochoa, Juan Fernandez, Giorgio Gianquinto. Modelling Environmental Burdens of Indoor-Grown Vegetables and Herbs as Affected by Red and Blue LED Lighting. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (15):4063.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiuseppina Pennisi; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Francesco Orsini; Andrea Crepaldi; Silvana Nicola; Jesús Ochoa; Juan Fernandez; Giorgio Gianquinto. 2019. "Modelling Environmental Burdens of Indoor-Grown Vegetables and Herbs as Affected by Red and Blue LED Lighting." Sustainability 11, no. 15: 4063.
Urban gardens are spreading in many cities across Europe, with community gardening being a fundamental form of urban agriculture. While the literature reveals the essential role that community gardens can play in terms of learning and education, no studies have investigated the training needs for participants in community gardens to ensure their successful development. The goal of this article is to evaluate the training requirements of urban community gardens to ensure their successful implementation and their contribution to sustainability in European cities. Two questionnaires of users’ needs analysis were designed and implemented in Berlin, Bologna, Budapest, and Cartagena. The results unveiled the need to re-enforce the training in the formation and community building phases of community gardens towards ensuring the creation of an engaged gardening community to maintain activity, particularly for top-down activities (e.g., research-related gardens). Users claimed their need for being trained on crop management skills (e.g., maintenance, bed preparation, organic practices) and on communication skills to further disseminate their activity, thereby increasing the potential for citizen engagement. Such requirements could be overcome with the creation of urban gardens networks, where experiences and knowledge are shared among practitioners. Policy recommendations are provided based on the outputs of this study.
Jesus Ochoa; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Kathrin Specht; Juan A. Fernández; Sebastián Bañón; Francesco Orsini; Francesca Magrefi; Giovanni Bazzocchi; Severin Halder; Doerte Martens; Noemi Kappel; Giorgio Gianquinto. Sustainable Community Gardens Require Social Engagement and Training: A Users’ Needs Analysis in Europe. Sustainability 2019, 11, 3978 .
AMA StyleJesus Ochoa, Esther Sanyé-Mengual, Kathrin Specht, Juan A. Fernández, Sebastián Bañón, Francesco Orsini, Francesca Magrefi, Giovanni Bazzocchi, Severin Halder, Doerte Martens, Noemi Kappel, Giorgio Gianquinto. Sustainable Community Gardens Require Social Engagement and Training: A Users’ Needs Analysis in Europe. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (14):3978.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJesus Ochoa; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Kathrin Specht; Juan A. Fernández; Sebastián Bañón; Francesco Orsini; Francesca Magrefi; Giovanni Bazzocchi; Severin Halder; Doerte Martens; Noemi Kappel; Giorgio Gianquinto. 2019. "Sustainable Community Gardens Require Social Engagement and Training: A Users’ Needs Analysis in Europe." Sustainability 11, no. 14: 3978.
Urban agriculture has become a common form of urban land use in European cities linked to multiple environmental, social and economic benefits, as well as to diversified forms (from self-production allotments to high-tech companies). Social acceptance will determine the development of urban agriculture and specific knowledge on citizens’ perception is required in order to set the basis for policy-making and planning. The ecosystem services provided by urban agriculture can be determinant in this process. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the social acceptance and the perceived ecosystem services of urban agriculture in the city of Bologna (Italy), as an example of a Southern European city. In particular, we evaluated the preferences for urban land uses, for different typologies of urban agriculture and for the resulting products, the perceived provision of ecosystem services and the willingness to engage in new initiatives. A survey that investigated these topics (including open questions, closed questions and Likert-scale evaluation) was performed on the citizens of Bologna (n = 380) between October and November 2016. Results showed that urban agriculture is widely accepted by the inhabitants of Bologna, particularly regarding vegetable production. Although intensive farming systems were the least preferred forms to be implemented in Bologna, citizens highly accepted a large variety of urban agriculture goods, with preference for those obtained from plants as compared to animal products. The willingness-to-pay for urban food products was mostly the same as for conventional ones, although the participants recognised the social values, proximity and quality of the former. Socio-cultural ecosystem services were perceived as more valuable than environmental ones. Policy-making recommendations can be extracted from the results to facilitate the development of urban agriculture plans and policies.
Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Kathrin Specht; Thomas Krikser; Caterina Vanni; Giuseppina Pennisi; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Prosdocimi Gianquinto. Social acceptance and perceived ecosystem services of urban agriculture in Southern Europe: The case of Bologna, Italy. PLoS ONE 2018, 13, e0200993 .
AMA StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual, Kathrin Specht, Thomas Krikser, Caterina Vanni, Giuseppina Pennisi, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Prosdocimi Gianquinto. Social acceptance and perceived ecosystem services of urban agriculture in Southern Europe: The case of Bologna, Italy. PLoS ONE. 2018; 13 (9):e0200993.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual; Kathrin Specht; Thomas Krikser; Caterina Vanni; Giuseppina Pennisi; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Prosdocimi Gianquinto. 2018. "Social acceptance and perceived ecosystem services of urban agriculture in Southern Europe: The case of Bologna, Italy." PLoS ONE 13, no. 9: e0200993.
Urban Food Production (UFP) initiatives are expanding worldwide to enhance urban food production while contributing to the development of sustainable cities in a three-bottom perspective (environment, society, economy). Although the sustainability aspects of UFS have been addressed in the literature, there is a need to set a sustainability framework for UFP based on the concepts and the understanding of the stakeholders as a basis for quantifying their sustainability and for developing effective policy-making. This paper evaluates the concepts of the UFP sustainability from a stakeholders’ perspective through participatory methods and network analyses. Two different workshops were organized in the city of Bologna (Italy), where mind-mapping exercises to define the environmental, economic and social sustainability elements of UFP were performed. This bottom-up approach unveiled a comprehensive and complex vision of sustainable UFP, the relevance of certain sustainability elements and key aspects to take into consideration for the development of UFP and effective policy-making. The existence of bidimensional and tridimensional concepts indicated priorities, synergies and trade-offs among the dimensions of sustainability. The multi-scalar nature of UFP suggested that specific policies can be supported by global schemes (e.g., Sustainable Development Goals) and that UFP can be a local tool for democracy and equity at lower scales.
Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Gianquinto. Revisiting the Sustainability Concept of Urban Food Production from a Stakeholders’ Perspective. Sustainability 2018, 10, 2175 .
AMA StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Gianquinto. Revisiting the Sustainability Concept of Urban Food Production from a Stakeholders’ Perspective. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (7):2175.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Gianquinto. 2018. "Revisiting the Sustainability Concept of Urban Food Production from a Stakeholders’ Perspective." Sustainability 10, no. 7: 2175.
In the expanding urban agriculture phenomenon in Europe, home gardens are a traditional form that have kept agriculture within cities, even becoming crucial in certain historical periods (e.g., war periods). However, horticultural practices in home gardens can also have negative consequences. The goal of this paper is to assess the eco-efficiency of home gardens as a type of urban agriculture. To do so, a case study in Padua (Italy) was evaluated following life cycle assessment and life cycle costing methods. A home garden of 30.6 m2 and 21 crop cycles were evaluated. The functional unit of the assessment was 1 kg of harvested fresh vegetable at the consumption point, and the ReCiPe method was employed for impact assessment. Environmental assessment indicated that organic fertilization, use of tap water, mineral fertilization and pesticides were the most contributing elements of the entire life cycle. Furthermore, the relevance of garden design and crop selection was a determinant in the eco-efficiency results. The assessed home garden could satisfy the food requirements of between 1 and 2 members of the household. Crop management and design recommendations are provided to improve eco-efficiency and food security potential of home gardens.
Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Daniela Gasperi; Nicola Michelon; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Ponchia; Giorgio Gianquinto. Eco-Efficiency Assessment and Food Security Potential of Home Gardening: A Case Study in Padua, Italy. Sustainability 2018, 10, 2124 .
AMA StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual, Daniela Gasperi, Nicola Michelon, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Ponchia, Giorgio Gianquinto. Eco-Efficiency Assessment and Food Security Potential of Home Gardening: A Case Study in Padua, Italy. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (7):2124.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual; Daniela Gasperi; Nicola Michelon; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Ponchia; Giorgio Gianquinto. 2018. "Eco-Efficiency Assessment and Food Security Potential of Home Gardening: A Case Study in Padua, Italy." Sustainability 10, no. 7: 2124.
Food security in cities is an increasing concern due to the impact of climate change and the concentration of world population in cities. Urban agriculture (UA) aims at enhancing food production in urban areas, providing potential environmental advantages by reducing food transport, packaging and waste generation. Among UA alternatives, rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) are greenhouses built on top of urban roofs, in which mainly soil-less agriculture systems are used to produce food. When RTGs are integrated into the metabolism of their buildings, they exchange CO2, energy and water to improve their performance. This alternative is called integrated RTG (i-RTG). This chapter analyses the use of i-RTGs to improve buildings and cities’ metabolism and its particular application in the area of Barcelona. This analysis aims to define a new agricultural system from a technological and sustainability approach focusing on Mediterranean cities. Our research is based on the development and results of the Fertilecity project. A particular experimental analysis was conducted at ICTA’s i-RTG lab located near Barcelona. The main factors of interest are architectural and engineering requirements, urban integration, CO2 emissions management, energy consumption, food production, social integration and rainwater harvesting. This analysis has used different methods such as life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC) and semi-quantitative assessments. Multiple integrated results were obtained both at the building and city scale. For example, we proved that the i-RTG and its flow exchanges with the building could help to save heating energy, waste generation, water consumption and CO2 emissions.
David Sanjuan-Delmás; Pere Llorach-Massana; Ana Nadal; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Anna Petit Boix; Mireia Ercilla-Montserrat; Eva Cuerva; Maria Rosa Rovira; Alejandro Josa; Pere Muñoz; Juan Ignacio Montero; Xavier Gabarrell; Joan Rieradevall; Oriol Pons. Improving the Metabolism and Sustainability of Buildings and Cities Through Integrated Rooftop Greenhouses (i-RTG). Sustainable Development and Biodiversity 2018, 53 -72.
AMA StyleDavid Sanjuan-Delmás, Pere Llorach-Massana, Ana Nadal, Esther Sanyé-Mengual, Anna Petit Boix, Mireia Ercilla-Montserrat, Eva Cuerva, Maria Rosa Rovira, Alejandro Josa, Pere Muñoz, Juan Ignacio Montero, Xavier Gabarrell, Joan Rieradevall, Oriol Pons. Improving the Metabolism and Sustainability of Buildings and Cities Through Integrated Rooftop Greenhouses (i-RTG). Sustainable Development and Biodiversity. 2018; ():53-72.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavid Sanjuan-Delmás; Pere Llorach-Massana; Ana Nadal; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Anna Petit Boix; Mireia Ercilla-Montserrat; Eva Cuerva; Maria Rosa Rovira; Alejandro Josa; Pere Muñoz; Juan Ignacio Montero; Xavier Gabarrell; Joan Rieradevall; Oriol Pons. 2018. "Improving the Metabolism and Sustainability of Buildings and Cities Through Integrated Rooftop Greenhouses (i-RTG)." Sustainable Development and Biodiversity , no. : 53-72.
Urban agriculture (UA) is a strategic means of achieving sustainable urban food security now and into the future. While a number of different models of agriculture will be required to provide food for the concentrated number of people in urban spaces, UA can be key tool in helping urban residents meet micronutrient requirements, whose deficiency is now recognized as the most important cause of “hidden hunger” globally. UA, or the cultivation of crops for food in small and irregular spaces within a city and its periphery, has been practiced for as long as cities have existed. However, it is gaining increased attention for both its limited scale, its effects on nutrition and community building, the associated possibilities for employment and social mobility, its relevance in a vibrant and diverse food system and for all of these reasons, its sustainability. UA projects are springing up in cities all over the world, always engaging the collaboration of multiple urban stakeholders and increasingly with a focus on the most vulnerable people in society: the poor, the elderly, children, and those suffering malnutrition and chronic disease. For all city dwellers, UA improves livelihoods within the city environment by reducing city ecological footprint, strengthening city resilience to climate change and environmental hazards, reducing noise, improving air quality and the city microclimate, minimizing drought by improving storm water management, and contributing to solid waste management. It increases human health and well-being through stress recovery, encouragement of exercise, reduction of urban violence, facilitating social contact, and providing sources of added employment and income. Using the concept of urban political ecology as a foundation for understanding food dynamics, this chapter will describe a range of different UA initiatives across the globe, giving special attention to their multifunctionality in the context of social vulnerabilities within urban spaces. In so doing, it will present UA as an important platform for community engagement and sustainability building toward increased food security. Turning concrete into green productive lands results in changes in physical, psychological, environmental, and community health. At the same time, the application of social leftovers (abandoned lands, unused rooftops, plastic and wood containers, etc.) onto productive means creates a new model for adding micronutrition to urban diets that integrates and takes seriously social, cultural, nutritional, and economic outcomes.
Monique Centrone Stefani; Francesco Orsini; Francesca Magrefi; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Giuseppina Pennisi; Nicola Michelon; Giovanni Bazzocchi; Giorgio Gianquinto. Toward the Creation of Urban Foodscapes: Case Studies of Successful Urban Agriculture Projects for Income Generation, Food Security, and Social Cohesion. Sustainable Development and Biodiversity 2018, 91 -106.
AMA StyleMonique Centrone Stefani, Francesco Orsini, Francesca Magrefi, Esther Sanyé-Mengual, Giuseppina Pennisi, Nicola Michelon, Giovanni Bazzocchi, Giorgio Gianquinto. Toward the Creation of Urban Foodscapes: Case Studies of Successful Urban Agriculture Projects for Income Generation, Food Security, and Social Cohesion. Sustainable Development and Biodiversity. 2018; ():91-106.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonique Centrone Stefani; Francesco Orsini; Francesca Magrefi; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Giuseppina Pennisi; Nicola Michelon; Giovanni Bazzocchi; Giorgio Gianquinto. 2018. "Toward the Creation of Urban Foodscapes: Case Studies of Successful Urban Agriculture Projects for Income Generation, Food Security, and Social Cohesion." Sustainable Development and Biodiversity , no. : 91-106.
Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Julia Martinez-Blanco; Matthias Finkbeiner; Marc Cerdà; Miria Camargo; Aldo R. Ometto; Luz Stella Velásquez; German Villada; Samuel Niza; André Pina; Gonçalo Ferreira; Jordi Oliver-Solà; Juan Ignacio Montero; Joan Rieradevall. Urban horticulture in retail parks: Environmental assessment of the potential implementation of rooftop greenhouses in European and South American cities. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 172, 3081 -3091.
AMA StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual, Julia Martinez-Blanco, Matthias Finkbeiner, Marc Cerdà, Miria Camargo, Aldo R. Ometto, Luz Stella Velásquez, German Villada, Samuel Niza, André Pina, Gonçalo Ferreira, Jordi Oliver-Solà, Juan Ignacio Montero, Joan Rieradevall. Urban horticulture in retail parks: Environmental assessment of the potential implementation of rooftop greenhouses in European and South American cities. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 172 ():3081-3091.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual; Julia Martinez-Blanco; Matthias Finkbeiner; Marc Cerdà; Miria Camargo; Aldo R. Ometto; Luz Stella Velásquez; German Villada; Samuel Niza; André Pina; Gonçalo Ferreira; Jordi Oliver-Solà; Juan Ignacio Montero; Joan Rieradevall. 2018. "Urban horticulture in retail parks: Environmental assessment of the potential implementation of rooftop greenhouses in European and South American cities." Journal of Cleaner Production 172, no. : 3081-3091.
This section focuses on the environmental dimension of implementing rooftop agriculture (RA) regarding energy efficiency, water footprint, use of residual CO2 from buildings and global environmental preservation. RA contributes to improving the energy performance of cities, buildings and food production systems. The selection of water-efficient techniques and the promotion of rainwater harvesting and greywater recovery systems is a critical issue for minimizing the water footprint of RA. Finally, RA can positively contribute to face global-scale environmental problems such as climate change.
Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Joan Rieradevall; Juan Ignacio Montero. Resource Efficiency and Waste Avoidance. Urban Agriculture 2017, 263 -276.
AMA StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual, Joan Rieradevall, Juan Ignacio Montero. Resource Efficiency and Waste Avoidance. Urban Agriculture. 2017; ():263-276.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual; Joan Rieradevall; Juan Ignacio Montero. 2017. "Resource Efficiency and Waste Avoidance." Urban Agriculture , no. : 263-276.
This chapter examines the community and social justice aspects of rooftop agriculture (RA), focusing on cities in the Global North. The goal is to provide an overview of the social aspects of diverse RA typologies and the potential community and social justice effects, from the individual level to the city scale. We show that, like urban agriculture overall, RA may have multiple benefits in the urban setting (such as improving community food security, providing educational opportunities, or fostering neighborhood participation). However, we argue that, like urban agriculture overall, RA is not in and of itself a sustainable or socially just practice. The chapter discusses these dynamics with examples from several Global North cities. We conclude with generalizable policy, funding, and design recommendations for RA that advances community well-being and social equity goals. While focused on the Global North context, the principles behind these recommendations are also applicable in Global South regions.
Kathrin Specht; Kristin Reynolds; Esther Sanyé-Mengual. Community and Social Justice Aspects of Rooftop Agriculture. Urban Agriculture 2017, 277 -290.
AMA StyleKathrin Specht, Kristin Reynolds, Esther Sanyé-Mengual. Community and Social Justice Aspects of Rooftop Agriculture. Urban Agriculture. 2017; ():277-290.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKathrin Specht; Kristin Reynolds; Esther Sanyé-Mengual. 2017. "Community and Social Justice Aspects of Rooftop Agriculture." Urban Agriculture , no. : 277-290.
Rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) can generate significant advantages provided RTGs and buildings are connected in terms of energy, water and CO2 flows. Beyond the production of high-value crops, environmental benefits such as re-use of waste water, application of residual heat and absorption of carbon dioxide are derived from urban RTGs. Social benefits viz the creation of employment, social cohesion and so on are also important assets of RTGs. This chapter is focussed on RTGs technology. RTG share many common aspects with conventional greenhouses, but at the same time RTGs show attributes that should be discussed separately. Synergies such as using residual heat, rain water for irrigation, CO2 exchange, etc. are part of the common metabolism greenhouse-building. This chapter will concentrate on the available technology from conventional greenhouses which is more suitable for RTGs, particularly concerning greenhouse structure, covering materials, climate control and soilless cultivation systems.
Juan I. Montero; Esteban Baeza; Pere Muñoz; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Cecilia Stanghellini. Technology for Rooftop Greenhouses. Urban Agriculture 2017, 83 -101.
AMA StyleJuan I. Montero, Esteban Baeza, Pere Muñoz, Esther Sanyé-Mengual, Cecilia Stanghellini. Technology for Rooftop Greenhouses. Urban Agriculture. 2017; ():83-101.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJuan I. Montero; Esteban Baeza; Pere Muñoz; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Cecilia Stanghellini. 2017. "Technology for Rooftop Greenhouses." Urban Agriculture , no. : 83-101.
Rooftop agriculture (RA) is an innovative form of urban agriculture that takes advantage of unused urban spaces while promoting local food production. However, the implementation of RA projects is limited due to stakeholders’ perceived risks. Such risks should be addressed and minimized in policymaking processes to ensure the sustainable deployment of RA initiatives. This paper evaluates the risks that stakeholders perceive in RA and compares these perceptions with the currently available knowledge, including scientific literature, practices and market trends. Qualitative interviews with 56 stakeholders from Berlin and Barcelona were analyzed for this purpose. The results show that perceived risks can be grouped into five main categories: i) risks associated with urban integration (e.g., conflicts with images of “agriculture”), ii) risks associated with the production system (e.g., gentrification potential), iii) risks associated with food products (e.g., soil-less growing techniques are “unnatural”), iv) environmental risks (e.g., limited organic certification) and v) economic risks (e.g., competition with other rooftop uses). These risks are primarily related to a lack of (scientific) knowledge, insufficient communication and non-integrative policymaking. We offer recommendations for efficient project design and policymaking processes. In particular, demonstration and dissemination activities as well as participatory policymaking can narrow the communication gap between RA developers and citizens
Kathrin Specht; Esther Sanyé-Mengual. Risks in urban rooftop agriculture: Assessing stakeholders’ perceptions to ensure efficient policymaking. Environmental Science & Policy 2017, 69, 13 -21.
AMA StyleKathrin Specht, Esther Sanyé-Mengual. Risks in urban rooftop agriculture: Assessing stakeholders’ perceptions to ensure efficient policymaking. Environmental Science & Policy. 2017; 69 ():13-21.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKathrin Specht; Esther Sanyé-Mengual. 2017. "Risks in urban rooftop agriculture: Assessing stakeholders’ perceptions to ensure efficient policymaking." Environmental Science & Policy 69, no. : 13-21.
In recent years, urban agriculture has been asserting its relevance as part of a vibrant and diverse food system due to its small scale, its focus on nutrition, its contribution to food security, its employment opportunities, and its role in community building and social mobility. Urban agriculture may also be a tool to re-appropriate a range of abandoned or unused irregular spaces within the city, including flowerbeds, roundabouts, terraces, balconies and rooftops. Consistently, all spaces that present a lack of identity may be converted to urban agriculture areas and, more specifically, to urban horticulture as a way to strengthen resilience and sustainability. The goal of this paper is to analyse current practices in the requalification of vacant areas as urban gardens with the aim of building communities and improving landscapes and life quality. To do so, the city of Bologna (Italy) was used as a case study. Four types of vacant areas were identified as places for implementing urban gardens: flowerbeds along streets and squares, balconies and rooftops, abandoned buildings and abandoned neighbourhoods. Six case studies representing this variety of vacant areas were identified and evaluated by collecting primary data (i.e., field work, participant observations and interviews) and performing a SWOT analysis. For most cases, urban horticulture improved the image and quality of the areas as well as bringing numerous social benefits in terms of life quality, food access and social interaction among participants. Strong differences in some aspects were found between top-down and bottom-up initiatives, being the later preferable for the engagement of citizens. Policy-making might focus on participatory and transparent planning, long-term actions, food safety and economic development.
Daniela Gasperi; Giuseppina Pennisi; Niccolò Rizzati; Francesca Magrefi; Giovanni Bazzocchi; Umberto Mezzacapo; Monique Centrone Stefani; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Gianquinto. Towards Regenerated and Productive Vacant Areas through Urban Horticulture: Lessons from Bologna, Italy. Sustainability 2016, 8, 1347 .
AMA StyleDaniela Gasperi, Giuseppina Pennisi, Niccolò Rizzati, Francesca Magrefi, Giovanni Bazzocchi, Umberto Mezzacapo, Monique Centrone Stefani, Esther Sanyé-Mengual, Francesco Orsini, Giorgio Gianquinto. Towards Regenerated and Productive Vacant Areas through Urban Horticulture: Lessons from Bologna, Italy. Sustainability. 2016; 8 (12):1347.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Gasperi; Giuseppina Pennisi; Niccolò Rizzati; Francesca Magrefi; Giovanni Bazzocchi; Umberto Mezzacapo; Monique Centrone Stefani; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Francesco Orsini; Giorgio Gianquinto. 2016. "Towards Regenerated and Productive Vacant Areas through Urban Horticulture: Lessons from Bologna, Italy." Sustainability 8, no. 12: 1347.
Joan-Manuel F. Mendoza; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Sara Angrill; Raúl García-Lozano; Gumersindo Feijoo; Alejandro Josa; Xavier Gabarrell; Joan Rieradevall. Development of urban solar infrastructure to support low-carbon mobility. Energy Policy 2015, 85, 102 -114.
AMA StyleJoan-Manuel F. Mendoza, Esther Sanyé-Mengual, Sara Angrill, Raúl García-Lozano, Gumersindo Feijoo, Alejandro Josa, Xavier Gabarrell, Joan Rieradevall. Development of urban solar infrastructure to support low-carbon mobility. Energy Policy. 2015; 85 ():102-114.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJoan-Manuel F. Mendoza; Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Sara Angrill; Raúl García-Lozano; Gumersindo Feijoo; Alejandro Josa; Xavier Gabarrell; Joan Rieradevall. 2015. "Development of urban solar infrastructure to support low-carbon mobility." Energy Policy 85, no. : 102-114.
Urban rooftop farming favours local food production. Although rooftop farming is perceived as a sustainable system, there is a lack of quantitative studies. There, we set up experiments in the community rooftop garden of a public housing building in Bologna, Italy, between 2012 and 2014. We grew lettuce, a leafy vegetable, using three techniques: nutrient film, floating hydroponic and soil cultivation. We also grew tomato, chilli pepper, eggplant, melon, watermelon on soils. Data was analysed by life cycle assessment for environmental and economic performance. Results reveal that the best techniques of lettuce cultivation to address global warming were floating in the summer, with 65–85 % less environmental impact per kilogran than nutrient film; and soil production in the winter, with 85–95 % less environmental impact. Furthermore, floating production was 25 % cheaper in summer, and soil was 65 % cheaper in winter, compared to the nutrient film technique. For soil production, eggplants and tomatoes showed the best environmental performances of about 74 g CO2 per kg. Eggplant production in soil was cheapest at 0.13 € per kg.
Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Francesco Orsini; Jordi Oliver-Solà; Joan Rieradevall; Juan Ignacio Montero; Giorgio Prosdocimi Gianquinto. Techniques and crops for efficient rooftop gardens in Bologna, Italy. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 2015, 35, 1477 -1488.
AMA StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual, Francesco Orsini, Jordi Oliver-Solà, Joan Rieradevall, Juan Ignacio Montero, Giorgio Prosdocimi Gianquinto. Techniques and crops for efficient rooftop gardens in Bologna, Italy. Agronomy for Sustainable Development. 2015; 35 (4):1477-1488.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual; Francesco Orsini; Jordi Oliver-Solà; Joan Rieradevall; Juan Ignacio Montero; Giorgio Prosdocimi Gianquinto. 2015. "Techniques and crops for efficient rooftop gardens in Bologna, Italy." Agronomy for Sustainable Development 35, no. 4: 1477-1488.
Urban agriculture (UA) is spreading within the Global North, largely for food production, ranging from household individual gardens to community gardens that boost neighborhood regeneration. Additionally, UA is also being integrated into buildings, such as urban rooftop farming (URF). Some URF experiences succeed in North America both as private and community initiatives. To date, little attention has been paid to how stakeholders perceive UA and URF in the Mediterranean or to the role of food production in these initiatives. This study examines the promotion and inclusion of new forms of UA through the practice of URF and contributes to the nascent literature on the stakeholder and public perceptions of UA. It seeks to understand how those perceptions shape the development of new urban agriculture practices and projects. Barcelona (Spain) was used as a Mediterranean case study where UA and URF projects are growing in popularity. Through semi-structured interviews with 25 core stakeholders, we show that UA is largely perceived as a social activity rather than a food production initiative, because the planning of urban gardens in Barcelona was traditionally done to achieve leisure and other social goals. However, several stakeholders highlighted the potential to increase urban fertility through URF by occupying currently unused spaces. As a result, the positive valuation of URF depends on the conceptualization of UA as a social or food production activity. In turn, such conceptualization shapes barriers and opportunities for the development of URF. While most UA-related stakeholders (e.g., food co-ops, NGOs) preferred soil-based UA, newer stakeholders (e.g., architects) highlighted the economic, social and environmental opportunities of local and efficient food production through innovative URF.
Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Isabelle Anguelovski; Jordi Oliver-Solà; Juan Ignacio Montero; Joan Rieradevall. Resolving differing stakeholder perceptions of urban rooftop farming in Mediterranean cities: promoting food production as a driver for innovative forms of urban agriculture. Agriculture and Human Values 2015, 33, 101 -120.
AMA StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual, Isabelle Anguelovski, Jordi Oliver-Solà, Juan Ignacio Montero, Joan Rieradevall. Resolving differing stakeholder perceptions of urban rooftop farming in Mediterranean cities: promoting food production as a driver for innovative forms of urban agriculture. Agriculture and Human Values. 2015; 33 (1):101-120.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual; Isabelle Anguelovski; Jordi Oliver-Solà; Juan Ignacio Montero; Joan Rieradevall. 2015. "Resolving differing stakeholder perceptions of urban rooftop farming in Mediterranean cities: promoting food production as a driver for innovative forms of urban agriculture." Agriculture and Human Values 33, no. 1: 101-120.
Rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) are increasing as a new form of urban agriculture. Several environmental, economic, and social benefits have been attributed to the implementation of RTGs. However, the environmental burdens and economic costs of adapting greenhouse structures to the current building legislation were pointed out as a limitation of these systems in the literature. In this sense, this paper aims to analyse the environmental and economic performance of RTGs in Barcelona. A real RTG project is here analysed and compared to an industrial greenhouse system (i.e. multi-tunnel), from a life cycle perspective. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methods are followed in the assessment. The analysis is divided into three parts that progressively expand the system boundaries: greenhouse structure (cradle-to-grave), at the production point (cradle-to-farm gate), and at the consumption point (cradle-to-consumer). The applied LCIA methods are the ReCiPe (hierarchical, midpoint) and the cumulative energy demand. A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) approach is considered in the LCC. For the horticultural activity, a crop yield of 25 kg · m−2 is assumed for the RTG reference scenario. However, sensitivity analyses regarding the crop yield are performed during the whole assessment. The greenhouse structure of an RTG has an environmental impact between 17 and 75 % higher and an economic cost 2.8 times higher than a multi-tunnel greenhouse. For the reference scenario (yield 25 kg · m−2), 1 kg of tomato produced in an RTG at the production point has a lower environmental impact (10–19 %) but a higher economic cost (24 %) than in a multi-tunnel system. At the consumption point, environmental savings are up to 42 % for local RTGs tomatoes, which are also 21 % cheaper than conventional tomatoes from multi-tunnel greenhouses in Almeria. However, the sensitivity assessment shows that the crop efficiency is determinant. Low yields can produce impacting and expensive vegetables, although integrated RTGs, which can take advantage from the residual energy from the building, can lead to low impacting and cheap local food products. RTGs face law limitations that make the greenhouse structure less environmentally friendly and less economically competitive than current industrial greenhouses. However, as horticultural systems and local production systems, RTGs can become an environmentally friendly option to further develop urban agriculture. Besides, attention is paid to the crop yield and, thus, further developments on integrated RTGs and their potential increase in crop yields (i.e. exchange of heat and CO2 with the building) are of great interest.
Esther Sanyé-Mengual; Jordi Oliver-Solà; Juan Ignacio Montero; Joan Rieradevall. An environmental and economic life cycle assessment of rooftop greenhouse (RTG) implementation in Barcelona, Spain. Assessing new forms of urban agriculture from the greenhouse structure to the final product level. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2015, 20, 350 -366.
AMA StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual, Jordi Oliver-Solà, Juan Ignacio Montero, Joan Rieradevall. An environmental and economic life cycle assessment of rooftop greenhouse (RTG) implementation in Barcelona, Spain. Assessing new forms of urban agriculture from the greenhouse structure to the final product level. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2015; 20 (3):350-366.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEsther Sanyé-Mengual; Jordi Oliver-Solà; Juan Ignacio Montero; Joan Rieradevall. 2015. "An environmental and economic life cycle assessment of rooftop greenhouse (RTG) implementation in Barcelona, Spain. Assessing new forms of urban agriculture from the greenhouse structure to the final product level." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 20, no. 3: 350-366.