Tools for Edible Cities: A Review of Tools for Planning and Assessing Edible Nature-Based Solutions

In the last five years, European research and innovation programmes have prioritised the development of online catalogues and tools (handbooks, models, etc.) to facilitate the implementation and monitoring of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). However, only a few catalogues and toolkits within European programmes are directly related to mainstreaming of NBS for food production (i.e., edible NBS). Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to present existing NBS tools through the eyes of productive urban landscapes. We reviewed 32 projects related to NBS and 50 tools were identified and characterised. Then, the six tools already available and provided indicators were further analysed in terms of their format and knowledge domains. Our main conclusion demonstrates that there is a lack of tools capable of supporting users for planning and implementing edible NBS; calculating the food potential of a city and/or of individual edible NBS, including the needed resources for implementation and operation (water, nutrients, energy); and assessing their urban design value, environmental and socio-economic impacts. Moreover, when they do exist, there is a resistance to share the models and equations behind the tools to allow other projects to reuse or validate them, a fact which is contrary to the open science principles upheld by many public research agencies.

Tools for Edible Cities: A Review of Tools for Planning and Assessing Edible Nature-Based Solutions

In the last five years, European research and innovation programmes have prioritised the development of online catalogues and tools (handbooks, models, etc.) to facilitate the implementation and monitoring of Nature Based Solutions (NBS). However, only a few catalogues and toolkits within European programmes are directly related to mainstreaming of NBS for food production (i.e., edible NBS). Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to present existing NBS tools through the eyes of productive urban landscapes. We reviewed 32 projects related to NBS and 50 tools were identified and characterised. Then, the 6 tools already available, and providing indicators, were further analysed in terms of their format and knowledge domains. Our main conclusion demonstrates that there is a lack of tools capable of supporting users for planning and implementing edible NBS, calculating the food potential of the city and/or of individual edible NBS, including the needed resources for implementation and operation (water, nutrients, energy), and assessing their urban design value, environmental and socio-economic impacts. And when they do exist, there is a resistance to share the models and equations behind the tools to allow other projects to reuse or validate them, fact which is contrary to Open Science principles stood up by many research public agencies.

The Gardiner SkyPark: continuous productive urban landscape as infrastructure

The concept of Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes (CPUL) was introduced by Andrè Vilijoen and Katrin Bohn in 2004. This thesis project tests the application of the CPUL concept to Toronto, a densely developed North America winter city. It examines: 1. The challenges, limitations and opportunities of an existing high-rise city fabric as a platform for creating new coherent, continuous and active pedestrianized landscapes by reclaiming unused and under-utilized spaces. 2. The implications of merging reclaimed spaces with existing circulation arteries and infrastructure, to improve, invigorate and strengthen connections in the city. Through an iterative research and design exercise, which discovered many hidden potentials within the CPUL framework, this project is able to demonstrate how a linear park system is capable of seamlessly reconnecting a severed Toronto’s waterfront to the dense downtown core. Such projects can substantially benefit community life, and offer new and meaningful forms of urban connectivity that are sustainable and productive.

The Gardiner SkyPark: continuous productive urban landscape as infrastructure

The concept of Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes (CPUL) was introduced by Andrè Vilijoen and Katrin Bohn in 2004. This thesis project tests the application of the CPUL concept to Toronto, a densely developed North America winter city. It examines: 1. The challenges, limitations and opportunities of an existing high-rise city fabric as a platform for creating new coherent, continuous and active pedestrianized landscapes by reclaiming unused and under-utilized spaces. 2. The implications of merging reclaimed spaces with existing circulation arteries and infrastructure, to improve, invigorate and strengthen connections in the city. Through an iterative research and design exercise, which discovered many hidden potentials within the CPUL framework, this project is able to demonstrate how a linear park system is capable of seamlessly reconnecting a severed Toronto’s waterfront to the dense downtown core. Such projects can substantially benefit community life, and offer new and meaningful forms of urban connectivity that are sustainable and productive.

Walkable live/work neighbourhoods in big box greyfields

The research focussed on how urban greyfields, especially abandoned big box retail, can be redeveloped into mixed-use walkable live/work neighbourhoods for an energy-efficient future. The history of shopping centre and big box retail and the mixed-use residential redevelopment of such sites using the new LEED Neighbourhood Development rating system were studied. Four principle concepts were found and used to guide the design projects. They were sustainable urbanism planning versus Modernist auto-dependency; mixed-use planning; walkable neighbourhood concepts; and live/work units. These help create local employment in transit-based neighbourhoods having nearby services and amenities to reduce commuting and auto-dependency. The design project on a 25-acre Toronto greyfield includes Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes for food production and a trail system promoting walking, cycling and greater contact with nature. Greyfield sites used for sustainable communities help offset valuable farmland losses and offer useful urban intensification possibilities for a looming energy crisis.

Walkable live/work neighbourhoods in big box greyfields

The research focussed on how urban greyfields, especially abandoned big box retail, can be redeveloped into mixed-use walkable live/work neighbourhoods for an energy-efficient future. The history of shopping centre and big box retail and the mixed-use residential redevelopment of such sites using the new LEED Neighbourhood Development rating system were studied. Four principle concepts were found and used to guide the design projects. They were sustainable urbanism planning versus Modernist auto-dependency; mixed-use planning; walkable neighbourhood concepts; and live/work units. These help create local employment in transit-based neighbourhoods having nearby services and amenities to reduce commuting and auto-dependency. The design project on a 25-acre Toronto greyfield includes Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes for food production and a trail system promoting walking, cycling and greater contact with nature. Greyfield sites used for sustainable communities help offset valuable farmland losses and offer useful urban intensification possibilities for a looming energy crisis.

Paisagens produtivas como estratégia de sustentabilidade e segurança alimentar nas cidades

A alimentação, apesar de um fator básico para a vida humana, não é tratada como uma questão relevante no planejamento urbano. A incorporação de espaços produtivos na cidade poderia trazer inúmeros benefícios ambientais, econômicos e sociais. Neste trabalho, através de revisão bibliográfica e documental, se apresentam reflexões para o planejamento e projeto de espaços públicos produtivos, experimentados através da proposição de um plano urbanístico para a cidade de Niterói. Esse plano se baseia no conceito de CPULs (Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes), que compreende a agricultura como infraestrutura essencial à vida urbana e também como elemento de paisagens produtivas que articulam múltiplos usos e funções, incitando novas práticas e relações sócio-espaciais. Por fim, se discute o papel de fatores-chave para a efetividade do planejamento proposto, como a participação da população e a articulação de políticas públicas multissetoriais para fortalecer os efeitos gerados por esses espaços.