Abstract
With the steadily increasing population density - especially in Western cities - the need for green spaces in the urban environment rises equally. To secure healthy urban growth, particular attention should be paid to the sustainable use of space and resources. Urban gardening is known to provide a wide range of sustainable ecosystem services to the urban environment, however, little is known about the implementation of sustainable operation methods and structures within urban community gardens. This paper examines the environmental sustainability strategies of urban gardening projects in the example of Christchurch, with a focus on biodiversity, irrigation, and waste cycling. It aims to identify the sustainability strategies that are present in the gardens and explores the conditions for implementing such strategies effectively. To gain hands-on insights into the structures, practices, and organisations, five urban community garden projects were investigated, and a case study analysis was conducted. Site visits and semi-structured interviews with garden managers were carried out and further zoning maps of the gardens were created. Results indicated that many sustainability strategies emerged naturally within the gardens (e.g., composting), however, strategies based on specific local conditions were also present. This research concludes with recommendations for strategies to implement environmentally sustainable urban gardening practices and systems, learnt from the New Zealand case. This provides inspiration for urban gardening projects internationally and can be used by urban planners, designers, and policymakers to better understand the importance of community gardening within the urban context and their contributions to a range of environmental sustainability outcomes.
Presenters
Julia KasprowskiStudent, Master's Program, Natural Resources Management and Ecological Engineering, BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Urban Gardening, Environmental Sustainability, Biodiversity, Irrigation, Waste Cycling, New Zealand
