Agroecology for the Shrinking City

Area of Science:

• Urban Sustainability
• Agroecology
• Green Infrastructure

Background:

• Cities face population and economic decline, leading to vacant land, especially in vulnerable areas.
• Vacant urban land presents challenges but also opportunities for green infrastructure development.
• Existing urban sustainability frameworks must adapt to the unique context of shrinking cities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how an agroecological approach can operationalize the 'ecology for the shrinking city' framework.
• To investigate the potential of agroecology in managing vacant land for ecosystem services.
• To examine how agroecology can support social-ecological innovations and resilience in shrinking cities.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual framework development integrating agroecology with urban sustainability principles.
• Analysis of vacant land as a resource for green infrastructure and ecosystem services.
• Focus on participatory approaches to vacant land management and community-led environmental shaping.

Main Results:

• Agroecology can secure provisioning services through participatory vacant land management.
• It enhances regulating and supporting ecosystem services in shrinking cities.
• Agroecological principles foster social-ecological innovations and community agency for resilience.

Conclusions:

• Agroecology provides a viable strategy for transforming vacant land in shrinking cities.
• It enables communities to actively shape their environment, enhancing urban resilience.
• This approach must be integrated into broader strategies addressing systemic urban challenges.