Production Functions. Ecological Functions. Cultural Functions. â¢Fresh food, herbs. â¢Food for processing. â¢Medicinal products. â¢Fuel and firewood. â¢Feed for ...
Designing a Sustainable Urban Agriculture Sarah Taylor Lovell, Assistant Professor Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois
Landscape Multifunctionality offers a framework for design
Landscapes that integrate ecological, cultural, and production functions, considering the site-specific context and needs of the users
LANDSCAPE PERFORMANCE Production Functions Ecological Functions Cultural Functions
Landscape Multifunctionality offers a framework for design LANDSCAPE PERFORMANCE Environmental Economic Social
Multifunctional = Sustainable
Production Functions Ecological Functions Cultural Functions
Landscape Multifunctionality offers a framework for design Production Functions
Ecological Functions
Cultural Functions
•Fresh food, herbs •Food for processing •Medicinal products •Fuel and firewood •Feed for livestock •Fiber in many forms •Cut flowers
•Biodiversity •Nutrient cycling •Microclimate control •Water quality •Carbon sequestration •Soil conservation •Water storage
•Recreation •Visual Quality •Artistic Expression •Education •Historic Preservation •Ethnic reflection •Cultural heritage
Urban agriculture represents a multifunctional land use alternative …producing food in the city
Cities are highly modified, offering unique characteristics
Urban Ecosystems
Fragmented habitats Competition for land Impervious surfaces Heat island effect Waste products Anthropogenic soils Dense populations Political boundaries Cultural networks
Types and Extent of Urban Agriculture
Research in Chicago indicates urban agriculture is an important land use type
Satellite imagery scanned for signature food production sites, including backyard gardens Known community garden sites were verified Distribution correlated with demographic data
Many previously undocumented food production spaces were identified
Taylor & Lovell 2012
Food production was extensive, and residential was contributing
Backyard gardening was found to be unequally distributed
Correlations with backyard gardens per HH
% born in eastern or southern Europe (r2 = 0.23) % born in Poland (r2 = 0.28) % born in China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong (r2 = 0.44)
Potential to Expand Urban Agriculture
Extensive green space is available for expansion of urban agriculture
Public parks Natural areas Forest preserves Boulevards Campus Parks Commercial space
Extensive green space is available for expansion of urban agriculture
Vacant lots and underutilized space
70-80,000 vacant lots in Chicago; 11,000 city-owned
City of Chicago is promoting a plan to expand local food
CMAP: “Promote Sustainable Local Food”
Modeling suitable and available land Projecting food production capacity Connecting consumers and producers Identifying the roles of community gardens Protecting and conserving water resources
Design Guidelines for Urban Agriculture
Landscape designs focus on perennial plants and built features
Designate areas for annual production, but avoid prescribing specific crops or management
Focus on plant materials that will provide continuous cover and improve site over time
Establish zones for a variety of functions, considering surrounding landscape context
Consider margins and edges where synergistic or antagonistic interactions occur
Integrate floral plantings to draw in pollinators and beneficial insects
Prairie plantings attract predators as biological control agents.
Bennett and Lovell, 2014. Insect Conservation & Diversity. In press.
Integrate floral plantings to draw in pollinators and beneficial insects
Site characteristics impact pollinator abundance
Bennett and Lovell, 2014. In preparation.
Integrate floral plantings to draw in pollinators and beneficial insects
Include buffers for stormwater management and other functions
Buffers provide a wide range of functions to support healthy sites
Microclimate Filtering runoff Filtering air Productivity Visual quality
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Wortman and Lovell, 2014. Journal of Environmental Quality 42:1283-1294
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Lovell and Sullivan, 2006. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 77:152-166.
Improve visual quality of the site as viewed from the outside
Urban agriculture can interface with community, but visual quality will impact public perception. A creative design encourages public education. •
Lovell, 2010. Sustainability Journal 2(8):2499-2522
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Lovell and Johnston, 2009. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 7:121-220.
Respect and reflect the cultural heritage of urban stakeholders
Various ethnic groups have different preferences for crops and planting structure. Taylor and Lovell, 2014. Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems. In press.
Taylor and Lovell, 2014. Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems. In press.
Built infrastructure can be used to add value and reduce risk
Hoop houses extend the growing season Washing stations can improve food safety Storage sheds shelter and hide tools/equipment Creative marketing stations mobilize sales
Urban ag faces challenges, but sustainable design offers solutions
MLAD lab website: www.multifunctionallandscape.com
Bennett, A.B., Lovell, S.T. 2014. Comparison of arthropod abundance and arthropod mediated predation services in urban green spaces. Insect Conservation and Diversity. Lovell, S.T. 2010. Multifunctional urban agriculture for sustainable land use planning. Invited submission for Sustainability 2(8):2499-2522 Lovell, S.T. and Johnston, D.M. 2009. Creating multifunctional landscapes – How can the field of ecology inform the design of the landscape? Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 7(4):212-220. Lovell, S.T. and Sullivan, W.C. 2006. Environmental benefits of conservation buffers in the United States: Evidence, promise, and open questions. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 112(4):249-260. Taylor, J.R., Lovell, S.T. 2012. Mapping public and private spaces of urban agriculture in Chicago through the analysis of high-resolution aerial images in Google Earth. Landscape & Urban Planning 108(1):57-70. Taylor, J.R., Lovell, S.T. In press. Urban food production in the Global North: A mixed methods study of ethnic and migrant home gardens in Chicago, IL. Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems. Wortman, S.E., Lovell, S.T. 2013. Environmental challenges threatening the growth of urban agriculture in the United States. Journal of Environmental Quality 42(5):1283-1294.
