Landscape As A Resource For Squat Farming

Abstract

The contemporary Urban Agriculture (UA) is represented by a range of diverse farming typologies taking place in the urban environment. Nowadays, there is an unconventional form of UA called squat farming. The research object of this paper is represented by the case study of Can Masdeu which stands for a squatted and cultivated land at the northern city border of Barcelona. The goal of our Short Term Scientific Mission carried out in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region was to define and study diverse typologies of UA at different levels and scales. One of these types is represented by the ongoing phenomenon of squat farming. Concerning this form, there are two main research questions: 1) How are landscape and urban structures influenced and formed by the activity of land cultivation? and 2) How is the social dimension of squat farming structured – who are the users, what is their motivation, aim and vision? To answer the first research question, we applied spatial and perceptual analyses, and concerning the second research question, the users have been interviewed within discussions and questionnaires. The results include characteristics of spatial and social dimensions of squat farming described on the case study of Can Masdeu.

Recognising Green Infrastructure as a Part of the Fourth Nature Concept Through University Campuses

“…Moreover, for achieving a sustainable university campus, main dimensions of a sustainable university as are natural environment (Melo et al, 2020), social, cultural and economic ones must be considered in the university strategy plan (Lukman and Glavic, 2007). Cultivated squatted urban and peri-urban areas, which undoubtedly the university campuses could be considered as, represent a significant element of the Urban Agriculture (UA) (Tóth and Feriancová, 2015), which, according to Lohrberg (2011) and Lohrberg and Timpe (2012), provides an important contribution to a sustainable and resilient urban development and creation and maintenance of the multifunctional urban landscapes. The UA has been increasingly recognised for the multiple functions, which are supported by it and which the urban society benefits from (Bryant, 2012).…”

“…Green infrastructure, as a part of the Fourth Nature concept, is globally considered to be the most effective strategic planning tool to help create a sustainable and resilient urban landscape. It is also an effective measure to mitigate the effects of the climate change, providing a range of ecosystem services as well as social, environmental and economic benefits (Tóth and Feriancová, 2015;Mell, 2016). The university campus is a part of these structures and through the hierarchy of the individual buildings, the campus creates inter-pavilion spaces with a public character, which, in terms of quality and overall visual identity, affect the surrounding environment equally significantly (Čibik and Štěpánková, 2019).…”

Changing Patterns of Allotment Gardening in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

“…The social aspect of gardening is also very important, observable in the strengthening of interpersonal connections through food sharing (Domene and Saurí 2007;Gray et al 2014;Smith and Jehlička 2013), the perception of gardening as an important point of social life (Torsello 2005), and the improvement of community feeling through successful home gardening programs (Gray et al 2014). More recently, there has been an increasing global trend in reclaiming urban space (Caputo et al 2016), in the form of squat farms (Tóth and Feriancová 2014), guerrilla gardens, or pop-up gardens located in public open spaces. Some authors interpret gardening as a means of resistance and empowerment, for instance, in the case of US community gardens (Taylor and Lovell 2013), while others emphasize the aspect of food sovereignty (Larder et al 2014;Tóth et al 2016).…”