Integrating Horticulture into Cities: A Guide for Assessing the Implementation Potential of Rooftop Greenhouses (RTGs) in Industrial and Logistics Parks

Abstract

Recently, the application of rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) to integrate agriculture into cities has increased, although the area where they can be potentially implemented has not been quantified yet. Consequently, this paper aims to design a guide to evaluate the potential implementation of RTGs in industrial and logistics parks and to apply the guide to the case study of Zona Franca Park (Barcelona, Spain). Eight percent of the rooftops were identified as feasible for a short-term implementation of RTG, according to the defined technical, economic, legal, and agricultural criteria. Estimations indicated that the annual tomato production in this area could account for almost 2,000 tons, which is equivalent to the yearly tomato demand of 150,000 people. Besides, this production could substitute imported tomatoes, and avoiding their distribution would represent savings of 65.25 t of CO 2 eq . m 22 .

Rooftop production of leafy vegetables can be profitable and less contaminated than farm-grown vegetables

“…Studies have previously suggested that rooftop farming can be a valuable supplement to conventional farming, particularly with locally popular vegetables (e.g., Astee and Kishnani 2010;Li et al 2012;Taylor et al 2012;Whittinghill & Rowe 2012;Specht et al 2014;Orsini et al 2014;Eigenbrod & Gruda 2015;Sanyé-Mengual et al 2015a;Goldstein et al 2016). We further confirm that certain leafy vegetables can be as productive in yield and quality as those sold by local farms.…”

“…Grewal and Grewal (2012) used community garden soil production data to estimate that if 62 % of every industrial and commercial rooftop in Cleveland were used for agriculture, it could meet up to 32 % of the city's fresh produce needs. Orsini et al (2014) extrapolated data from experimental plots that the available rooftops of Bologna, Italy, could satisfy 77 % of the city's vegetable requirement, and Sanyé-Mengual et al (2015a) used literature data to estimate that 8 % of the rooftops of a typical logistics and industrial park in Barcelona, Spain, could provide tomatoes for about 150,000 residents. Aside from extrapolated estimates, Li et al (2012) conducted large-scale planting on~10,000 m 2 of flat and sloped roofs in Zhejiang Province, China, and reported that the yield of 23 vegetables, fruits, flowers, and grain crops was equal to or higher than conventional Chinese farming.…”

Zero-Acreage Farming in the City of Berlin: An Aggregated Stakeholder Perspective on Potential Benefits and Challenges

“…Cerón-Palma et al [15] investigate the barriers and opportunities that technical focus groups (e.g., architects, engineers) associate with implementing Rooftop Greenhouses in the Mediterranean region. Previous studies of large European cities have investigated the potential for rooftop greenhouses in Barcelona (Spain) [15,[30][31][32], rooftop farming in London (UK) [33], and large-scale urban agriculture in the Netherlands [34,35]. To date, no previous studies have focused on Germany, and no previous studies have reported on the introduction and innovation process of ZFarming from a stakeholder perspective.…”

Revisiting the Sustainability Concept of Urban Food Production from a Stakeholders’ Perspective

“…When evaluating the contribution of UFP to the social sustainability of cities, studies have focused on the food production capacity and the resulting impact on food security and food self-sufficiency. Studies in Bologna (Italy) [49], Cleveland (United States) [25], Manila (The Philippines) [34], Boston (United States) [27], Oakland (United States) [26] and Barcelona (Spain) [35] agreed on the potential of vacant spaces for producing local food to have significant impact at the city scale in terms of self-sufficiency capacity. Other studies quantified the current contribution of UFP forms at the city scale (e.g., Philadelphia [37], Camden [38]).…”