Container gardens: Possibilities and challenges for environmental and social benefits in cities

Abstract

Container gardens are used in cities around the world where access to soil at ground level is limited. They represent artificial ecosystems but often provide the only vegetation in some highly urbanized locations, and have been used in vertical and horizontal forms of living architecture. Although there are many container gardens in urban areas, container gardening as a component of more broadly considered green infrastructure seems to be unappreciated. The aim of this review is to elucidate potential ecosystem services provided by container gardening. The ultimate goal of this review is to recognize the value of container gardens in order to promote them as part of green infrastructure in urban areas. The ecosystem services which container gardens provide were sorted into the following categories (1) Provisioning (food production and security); (2) Regulating (stormwater management, improvement of air quality, energy savings and thermal comfort); (3) Habitat/Supporting (plant biodiversity and creation of animal habitats); (4) Cultural (aesthetic and improvement of visible green ratio, communication and environmental education, material reuse). Container gardens deserve serious attention as a form of urban greening that can provide many direct and indirect benefits to people living in cities. Moreover, it is important for citizens, local authorities and academics to be aware of the ecosystem services associated with container gardening to promote further development of its potential.