The students of PLAN 587B Introductory Urban Design Studio, under the instruction of Dr. Maged Senbel, worked in collaboration with developer Wayne Allen to create 3 sustainable designs for the redevelopment of an amalgamated site in the Big Bend area of Burnaby BC adjacent to Willard Park. Concurrently, through a research-based directed study project Jeca Glor-Bell conducted research on green design principles and technologies to aid the design students in achieving a high level of sustainability in design. This book brings together the research on green design principles and application of green technologies with the final designs. The purpose of this effort is to offer a resource for the developer, other urban planning students as well as interested practitioners seeking to apply green design principles and technologies to future sites. The book begins by explaining the green principles and features which have informed and influenced these designs and then presents the three completed site designs. The first site design, Fenwick Village, was created by Jennifer Fix, Bronwyn Jarvis and Chani Joseph. The second design, Willard’s Eco-Village, was created by Brian Gregg, Lang Lang and Sawngjai Manityakul, and finally the Sprout: The City is the Country Design which was created by Kaitlin Kazmierowski, Jeff Deby and Andrew Merrill. Each of these designs sought to combine three elements: the client’s vision, ecological development principles, and green design features. Finally the book includes several appendices with greater detail on the application of green energy technologies, including calculations for the capacity of different green technologies.

In the past 20 years, Cuba has emerged as a world leader in urban agriculture and sustainable development, having shifted its policies and practices toward local, organic food production and self-sufficiency. This collective case study explored small-scale, unwaged urban agriculture and household livelihoods in Havana, Cuba. Data were collected from three case households through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and photos. Two of the families produce fruits, vegetables and animal products, and the third produces organic fertilizers. For these families, agricultural production requires time and labour, but produces multiple material and non-material benefits at the individual, household, and community level. The findings demand a more nuanced view of household livelihoods and agency in the Cuban context, and the notion of agriculture as work vs. leisure. As global concerns about resource depletion and social justice in food systems increase, much can be learned from families and countries that have successfully implemented alternatives.

As North American cities begin to age, our impermanent building methods inevitably lead to urban decay. Much of the housing stock has an expected lifespan and although this can be extended with proper and regular maintenance ultimately, much of this housing will face the bulldozer. Consequently, we are constantly engaged in the continuing cycle of urban revitalization, striving to keep our cities new and novel. This requires an immense amount of reinvestment and for some neighbourhoods, this is not an issue. This is not the case however for neighbourhoods considered to be ‘in distress’ which, face challenges not seen in more affluent areas. Revitalization efforts in at risk areas need to be more sensitive in their approach as they can displace, gentrify, and otherwise exacerbate the problems. This practicum is an exploration of that approach to renewal in grass roots fashion, using urban agriculture as a means to building community.

The intention behind this work was to re-imagine the possibilities for productive landscapes within our city. The purpose of this practicum is to design opportunities for people to become more self-sufficient, self-sustaining and less-dependant on the current food system through productive urban landscapes. This practicum proposes that we design a strong network of city wide productive landscapes in order to provide people with the space to grow, trade, buy or sell good quality food at a fair and just price. Through a set of strategies derived from research, observation and experience, we can design a new way of looking at landscapes within our city in order to create a connected, resilient, fair and sustainable food system within Winnipeg.

As North American cities begin to age, our impermanent building methods inevitably lead to urban decay. Much of the housing stock has an expected lifespan and although this can be extended with proper and regular maintenance ultimately, much of this housing will face the bulldozer. Consequently, we are constantly engaged in the continuing cycle of urban revitalization, striving to keep our cities new and novel. This requires an immense amount of reinvestment and for some neighbourhoods, this is not an issue. This is not the case however for neighbourhoods considered to be ‘in distress’ which, face challenges not seen in more affluent areas. Revitalization efforts in at risk areas need to be more sensitive in their approach as they can displace, gentrify, and otherwise exacerbate the problems. This practicum is an exploration of that approach to renewal in grass roots fashion, using urban agriculture as a means to building community.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes special report study entitled : A study on building technologies for an agricultural skyscraper. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources / Candice A. Shoemaker / In our ever-growing urban environments food security is dwindling. Healthy food may be difficult to find in city centers, but publicly owned land is still common. In many cities, a significant percentage of green space is publicly accessible and regularly maintained. Under appropriate circumstances these green spaces can be utilized to grow edible food and benefit the cities and communities they are placed in. Claims of the benefits of public edible landscapes include: beautification, strengthening communities, food security, ecological services, self-sufficiency, education and may lead to a more positive attitude towards urban agriculture. Existing organizations working with public edible landscapes in three US municipalities of varying size were used as case studies to explore strategies and challenges in proposing, implementing and maintaining public edible spaces. Interviews were conducted with representatives from the Beacon Food Forest in Seattle, WA, the Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park in Asheville, NC, and the Upper Valley Apple Corps in Hartford, VT. These case studies identified common concepts related to the success of public edible landscapes: a presence of community interest, actively involved individuals with a skill set in food production, the presence of an umbrella or advocacy organization, and support from city officials. A discussion of approaches being used by others could provide the foundation for future research into the effects of introducing edible plants into public green space on the local community and environment.

Extensive urban development has led to the resurgence of green roofs. These vegetated roofs provide significant ecological and economic benefits including mitigation of the urban heat island effect, reduced storm-water runoff, lower energy costs, increased biodiversity, and improved aesthetics, as well as food production and security. Urban agriculture and food security are becoming increasingly important factors of the green roof renaissance. Due to weight load limitations of potential buildings, the ability to produce quality food in shallow media, less than 6.75 cm, could encourage green roof food production. The effectiveness of a commercially available green roof media and a vermicompost custom blended green roof media was evaluated in two experiments on the roof of the Agriculture building at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. In a randomized complete block design, twelve green roof modular trays (six 61 cm x 61 cm and six 46 cm x 56 cm) were filled to the depth of 5.72 cm with each media type. Each block consisted of four treatments with three replications in two locations on the roof. One location received full sun and the other only partial shade. Two commercially-grown annual herbs, sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) and Thai basil (Albahaca tailandesa) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum; Petroselinum crispum `Krausa'; and Petroselinum crispum crispum) were evaluated during the two experiments. The first experiment ran from mid-May to mid-July, 2011, and the second experiment ran from mid-August to late September, 2011. Media content, mineral analysis, and biomass were recorded for each treatment. Hand irrigation was utilized as needed. In the first experiment, media, and an interaction of sunlight and media produced significant (P< 0.05) results for parameters of shoot height, shoot width and shoot weight. Sunlight, specifically partial shade, produced significant (P< 0.05) for shoot to root ratio. The commercially available green roof media produced more significant results for the parameters measured than the vermicompost-blend. In the second experiment, an interaction was detected for basil shoot width; otherwise all other variables evaluated for basil were insignificant. Media, specifically the commercial green roof media, was significant (p< 0.05) for parsley shoot height, with an interaction of sunlight and media; shoot weight and dry shoot weight, and with an interaction of sunlight and media for shoot width. No significant results were observed with the other parameters measured. The experiments indicated that the production of annual herbs on a green roof environment is possible. Further, the experiments found that the commercially available green roof media performed better than the custom vermicompost blend. Modular tray type had limited effect on results, but the advantage of pre-planting the trays before placement onto a green roof environment is an incentive for its use.

Urban agriculture serves a growing and valuable market in today's food industry yet is challenged by the lack of available space in urban settings. Green roofs are proving not to only offer environmental benefits to buildings, but to also function as sites to grow produce. Adding fertilizer is important for plant health though fertilizer runoff and over application is a concern. Therefore, an evaluation of four Romaine lettuce cultivars (Lactuca sativa L.) comparing the use of three different fertilizers was conducted on the green roof of the Agriculture Building on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus in the fall of 2012 and 2013. The fertilizer treatments were OsmocoteTM (190,000 mg/kg N), Miracle GroTM (16,100 mg/kg N), and a control (no fertilizer). Supplemental water was applied though a drip tape irrigation system as needed. The lettuce cultivars evaluated were: ‘Parris Island Cos’, ‘Rouge d'Hiver’, ‘Rubens Baby’, and ‘Outredgeous’ Romaine lettuce. Results indicated that plant growth measurements of height and width, chlorophyll index, leaf mass and wet/dry weight were greater (P < 0.05) when OsmocoteTM and Miracle GroTM were used as a fertilizer source compared to the no fertilizer treatment. This study indicates that with supplemental nutrients, acceptable lettuce yields can be achieved in a three-inch extensive medium on a green roof. Results of this evaluation will contribute to the emerging interest in urban agriculture, specifically regarding lettuce production on extensive green roofs.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T18:57:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4819.pdf: 7827407 bytes, checksum: cdbddf2de7d3c5f4eb0385533005254f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-15 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The importance of Urban Agriculture (UA) has been increasingly recognized in recent years. It emerges as an important survival strategy, especially for the poorest population who can consume and sell the food produced. It also has other advantages such as occupation of empty spaces, maintenance of green areas and the producers' increase of their self-esteem. But the practice also has certain barriers that require care, as the misuse of pesticides, the possibility of food contamination by water or land, theft of crops and other risks. The municipality of Rio Claro (SP), the object of the present study, is an example of a city that has several types of UA initiatives, however there is still no specific legislation directed to the sector. Thus, we sought to conduct an analysis of these urban gardens in the city considering the optical output and public policies. The field research included observations and interviews, using semistructured questionnaire applied to farmers responsible for the gardens. From the analysis of the results it's noted that the gardens in Rio Claro are still few, occupying a small area. Despite the difficulties, the UA provided, in general, an improvement in the respondents' quality of life. Moreover, the practice of UA has great potential for expansion and could be better exploited in the city. Thus some actions are required by the municipality to encourage urban agriculture in the city, extending its benefits and reducing its drawbacks. / A importância da Agricultura Urbana (AU) vem sendo cada vez mais reconhecida nos últimos anos. Ela surge como uma importante estratégia de sobrevivência, principalmente para a população mais pobre que pode consumir e vender o alimento produzido. Além disso, possui outras vantagens como ocupação de espaços ociosos, manutenção de áreas verdes e aumento da autoestima dos produtores. Entretanto, a prática também tem certos entraves que exigem cuidados, como o uso indevido de agrotóxicos, possibilidade de contaminação dos alimentos através da água ou do solo, roubo dos cultivos, entre outros riscos. O município de Rio Claro (SP), objeto de estudo deste trabalho possui diversas iniciativas de AU. Contudo ainda não existe legislação específica voltada ao setor. Desta forma, buscou-se a realização de uma análise de hortas urbanas presentes no município, considerando as óticas da produção e as políticas públicas. A pesquisa de campo contemplou observações e entrevistas, utilizando questionário semiestruturado aplicado aos agricultores responsáveis pelas hortas. A partir da análise dos resultados, nota-se que as hortas existentes em Rio Claro são ainda de reduzido número, ocupando uma pequena área do município. Apesar das dificuldades, a AU proporcionou, de maneira geral, uma melhora na qualidade de vida dos entrevistados. Além disso, a prática da AU tem grande potencial de expansão e poderia ser melhor explorada no município. Desta forma, são necessárias algumas ações por parte da prefeitura a fim de incentivar a agricultura urbana na cidade, ampliando seus benefícios e reduzindo suas desvantagens.