Urban Agriculture Barcelona: Space, Use, Perception

Slovenská po nohospodárska univerzita v Nitre Študentská vedecká konferencia FZKI 2013 Zborník príspevkov zo študentskej vedeckej konferencie Nitra - 23. apríl 2013 Slovenská po nohospodárska univerzita v Nitre Študentská vedecká konferencia FZKI 2013 Zborník príspevkov zo študentskej vedeckej konferencie Nitra - 23. apríl 2013 Zostavovate : doc. Ing. arch. Roberta Št pánková, PhD. Fakulta záhradníctva a krajinného inžinierstva SPU v Nitre Technická spolupráca: Ing. Monika Jan ovi ová Ing. Dominika Titková Ing. Lukáš Štrba Roman Ludva Schválil rektor Slovenskej po nohospodárskej univerzity v Nitre d a 12.6.2013 ako recenzovaný zborník z vedeckej konferencie na CD nosi i. Neprešlo redak nou úpravou vo vydavate stve Text jednotlivých príspevkov neprešiel jazykovou úpravou, za technickú, jazykovú a estetickú úrove sú zodpovední jednotliví autori. ISBN 978-80-552-1039-1 URBAN AGRICULTURE BARCELONA: SPACE, USE, PERCEPTION Attila TÓTH, (SR) – ubica FERIANCOVÁ, (SR) Department of Garden and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to introduce urban agriculture (UA) in Barcelona Metropolitan Region on four case studies including different types of UA at several scales and in diverse contexts. The seven analysed case studies were selected with the purpose to emphasise the diversity and complexity of UA and in order to discuss diverse aspects and issues related to different typologies. We grouped these case studies into four main categories. The smallest scale is represented by the category of urban gardens, followed by squat farming, vineyard landscape, up to the largest scale represented by the category of agricultural parks. Our main objective is to provide a complex analysis of spatial and perceptual characteristics of UA sites in relation to their users. We used UA Identity Cards as a tool to summarise the most important issues and information about selected case studies in the form of factsheets including also results of our spatial and perceptual analyses. KEY WORDS agricultural parks, squat farming, urban agriculture, urban gardens, vineyard landscape. INTRODUCTION Urban Agriculture (UA) plays a key role in two global challenges: urbanisation and food security. It can provide an important contribution to sustainable, resilient urban development and the creation and maintenance of multifunctional urban landscapes (COST-Action UAE, 2012). It is an approach to strengthen the resilience of cities (Lohrberg, 2011, p.148). UA has existed as long as there have been cities. Its activities have however not been always defined as Urban Agriculture. Many producers in the city proper have always grown food for their own needs or for barter as was the case in many rural areas. Such farmers had recognised the importance of the urban market early on without calling themselves urban farmers. UA is also increasingly recognised for the multiple functions that it supports and that benefit urban society. These multiple functions include the conservation of cultural heritage landscapes, agricultural land and water resources; leisure and tourist activities that can use farming landscapes as resources; educational functions; social integration; food production for involved families and urban consumers (Bryant, 2012, p.7-8). The Barcelona Declaration on UA and the CAP (COST-Action UAE, 2013) defines UA as: "...spanning all actors, communities, activities, places and economies that focus on bio-based production, in a spatial context that, according to local opinions and standards, is perceived as “urban”. UA takes place in intra-urban and peri-urban areas." It consists of six main components: spatial, functional, market, origin, actor, stakeholder/beneficiary. UA and a city’s role in supporting it has gained new significance in cities around the world. It is more than growing vegetables in the city. It is about finding and implementing new ways of achieving multiple objectives through food and about the potential to make cities more liveable and sustainable. (Jäggi, 2011, p.69-70) The popularity of UA has increased as communities realize the environmental, economic, cultural, and social benefits of community gardens (Lehrer-Rombouts, 2011, p.72). MATERIALS AND METHODS This paper bases on methodology and results of the 1st Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) of the COST-Action TD1106 Urban Agriculture Europe (UAE) in Barcelona Metropolitan 253 Region presented at the 2nd WG meeting of the action in Castelldefels on the 12th of March 2013 and reported in the STSM report (Giacchè - Tóth, 2013). Case studies We have applied the method of field trips combined with interviews to analyse 4 different types and scales of urban agriculture (UA) in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region grouped into 4 main categories including 7 visited, observed and analysed case areas: 1) Urban Gardens: a) Hort del Xino, b) Hort Sant Pau del Camp, c) L´hortet del Forat; 2) Squat Farming: Can Masdeu; 3) Vineyard Landscape: Masia Casa Gran, St Joannes Winery and Vineyard; 4) Agricultural Parks: a) Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat, b) L´espai Rural Gallecs. The smallest scale is represented by urban gardens situated directly in the city centre of Barcelona in a dense urban fabric. The contemporary phenomenon of squat farming is described on the case of Can Masdeu located on the hillside above Barcelona. Within the category of agricultural parks we compare two cases differing mainly in management and use. Professional agriculture is described on the case of a traditional vineyard and winery locate in the Penedès region near Barcelona. Urban Agriculture Identity Cards "Identity cards" are used as a tool to summarise the most important issues and information about selected case studies in the form of factsheets in order to provide comparability. These include 1) graphical information concerning UA typology, geographical localisation, spatial, visual and perceptual characteristics; 2) text information concerning general data about start date, origin and aims of the project; surface of the analysed area; provided products and services; users; management; governmental support and network. In order to provide a more complex information about the space we describe perception by users in the form of terms and keywords and our perception in the form of sketches, drawings and diagrams accompanied by additional terms and description. The aim of this method is on the one hand to emphasise diversity, contrasts between different land use types and the whole range of what UA is and on the other hand to point out identity, uniqueness and values of UA case areas and typologies. Within the "UA continuum" we define ten types of urban agriculture: agriculture preserved as cultural heritage, family gardening, community gardening, vertical or roof-top gardening, agro-quarter, agro-park, proximity agriculture (community supported agriculture, residential agriculture, social farming), agriculture oriented to local market (public procurement), agriculture in transition, agriculture oriented to global market. Each of the four categories of UA refers to at least one (urban gardens) or more (squat farming, vineyard landscape, agricultural parks) types along the continuum. Spatial and perceptual analyses Our analyses focus on 1) spatial situations (how is UA occurring in landscape and urban structures and how is it impacted by 3-dimensional elements like buildings, vegetation etc.); 2) uses / users and observers (actual and if applicable, potential uses in the space) and 3) atmosphere (explored by observation and perception of the space, captured by sketches, drawings, cross sections, photos and diagrams). We use terms as an additional tool to describe overall characteristics, atmosphere and perception of selected case studies. Spatial analysis is provided on sketches, topographical and orthophoto maps in order to locate UA sites within urban or landscape structures. We analyse the relation between different land use types in smaller urban context (built-up space / open space) and in wider territorial context (open land / urban area). The emphasis is laid on definition of spatial qualities related to real and perceived ownership relations (private / semi-public / public). We define visual and functional linkages between UA sites and its surroundings represented either by dense urban fabric, scattered suburban structures or open land. A description of diverse spatial perceptions (inner / outer space » private / semi-public / public space) is provided by diagrams. The perception of selected UA sites bases on observation, experiencing their essence, multifunctionality and 254 multilevel values. Within our interviews several questions have been formed in order to find out the role of UA for the actors (users of the space, stakeholders, observers) and their perception of the space and its surroundings. RESULTS Results described in this chapter are complementary presented on four UA identity cards (factsheets) attached to this article. All mentioned spatial and perceptual situations are supplemented by sketches, drawings, diagrams and photos which can be found on the identity cards. Besides visual information there are also some general information about different case studies. Therefore we don't refer to figures in the text but to identity cards by identically named subchapters of Results. Urban Gardens Barcelona We compared three urban gardens located in Barcelona in order to explain and emphasise the spatial diversity of this type of UA. There were different situations according to perceptual and spatial characteristics. In the case of Hort del Xino the garden space is located in a very dense urban situation. We perceived it as a closed and cosy private space surrounded by high buildings and divided from the streetscape (public space) by a high wall. There is no direct visual linkage between public (streetscape) and private (garden) space. An interesting finding is how much our perception (a more unprejudiced one) can differ from users perception who understand the space as a public open space where they can enjoy freedom in activities and creativity and where they interact socially with other inhabitants from different districts or even with passers-by. The aim of this garden is firstly to claim social space by occupying an empty space. Users create a natural space within the built-up area, they organise workshops, learn about gardening, invite people from the streetscape and thereby form a social space. The other case of Hort Sant Pau del Camp is quite different. Although the garden space makes an impression of a private closed space, there is a clear direct visual linkage between public streetscape and private garden space. Users of the public streetscape can follow the garden life from an elevated space. Despite the strong and clear physical border between public and private space they are directly involved by observation. We can state that there is an interaction and coexistence of two different spatial phenomena. On the one hand garden users can enjoy a piece of enclosed and cosy private space while on the other hand users of the public streetscape represent a certain kind of co-users in terms of visual perception as they don't feel completely excluded. For retired garden users that piece of private land means a space to take care of and at the same time to spend their spare time more actively. The third garden L´Hortet del Forat is in terms of physical space and perception from all three cases mostly integrated into the public space. Due to a transparent fence with a height underneath the observers eye level the community garden is perceived as an integrated part of the public open space. In physical terms it can be defined as a semi-public space with bilateral visual linkages. The community garden and the surrounding public space serve as a meeting point providing social interaction in the form of educational activities and workshops. Squat Farming To clarify this ongoing phenomenon we have selected the case of a former, since 40 years abandoned hospital, Can Masdeu. This 'squat farm' has been established more than a decade ago. A group of people started to use the space with the aim to live in a different way, a more sustainable one. They want to restore former land use in the valley (horticulture and forestry) and use the empty building as a place to live. They produce vegetable covering around 80 percents of their needs and organise workshops about permaculture, agro-ecology and other issues concerning sustainability self-sufficiency. Can Masdeu has a surface of around 1.6 hectares. Although it is located very close to the city, its character is very countryside-like as it is situated on a hillside and surrounded by 255 successive pine forests. The geomorphology and the vegetation cover create an atmosphere of a closed, intimate, hidden and forgotten space linked directly to the nature. Only some views to skyscrapers of Barcelona from upper terraces of Can Masdeu remind us that we are right at the city border. They serve as a visual mental linkage. The intensively cultivated terraced vegetable gardens dynamise the landscape of the squat farm. In terms of perception the two former hospital buildings play an important role as architectural landmarks supporting local identity of the space embedded in woodland. According to interviewed users' perception, UA or farming as an activity represent a modern food resource. They perceive the space as a reconnecting element with the nature, as a space to find an own lifestyle by using and reusing of resources, waste reduction and ecological farming. They form a community linked to nature and heading towards food self-sufficiency and sustainable way of life. Vineyard Landscape We decided to name this case study as 'Vineyard Landscape' as it is a very complex case representing on the one hand a still active agriculture preserved as cultural heritage and on the other hand an agricultural landscape in transition. In terms of market orientation the selected case study of St Joannes winery and vineyard is oriented to local and to global market as well. It represents a vineyard landscape where historical legacy and tradition meet living agricultural land use and food production. Vine cultivation and wine making provide an active preservation of historical landscape structures, cultural heritage, tradition and knowledge. It is a continuation of historical legacy of the space. In terms of perception the landscape tells a story by its structures and landmarks. Of course there can be found some imprints of urbanisation in the open land due to its proximity to urban areas. In the traditional cultural landscape of Penedès region the vineyard structures clearly form aesthetic values enriching perception. The primary landscape structure is formed by geomorphologic structure of open land and the Montserrat mountain as a regional landmark. The secondary landscape structure is formed by vineyards which represent the physical expression of vine cultivation. This is a way of conveying the history, maintaining the tradition and know-how in vine cultivation and wine-making. Users of the vineyard landscape understand UA as a tool of continuation in historical legacy which lies in knowledge, tradition and landscape structures. They perceive this historical landscape as a boundary between urban (city) and rural (countryside). Locals perceive Casa Gran (the historic winery building) as an important architectural landmark which together with surrounding vineyards form local identity of the area. Agricultural Parks At the largest scale of UA in Barcelona Metropolitan Region we analysed agricultural parks. We selected two case studies differing mainly in aims, activities, management and surface in order to show the complexity of agricultural parks and the diversity of UA. Concerning their complexity agricultural parks represent several types of UA along the continuum. Due to historic landscape structures and the tradition of land cultivation they represent agriculture preserved as cultural heritage. They include family gardening and proximity agriculture. Concerning market orientation agricultural parks trade on the local market in the spirit of short supply chain but indirectly also on global markets. In case of Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat the emphasis is put on farming and agricultural production rather than social issues. It aims to protect and preserve agricultural land by supporting agriculture as an economic activity. Social issues like environmental education play a supporting role. The park is recognised as a model of agricultural land management. In terms of spatial perception its clearly recognisable that production plays the main role. There are extensive farmlands with greenhouse production. The artichoke fields represent a certain kind of local identity as they are very popular on local markets. Concerning spatial characteristics its not easy to perceive an overall image of landscape structures in situ due to 256 their large scale. An overall land structure can be perceived only from elevated spaces by aerial views. At this scale the Parc Agrari contributes to local identity of Barcelona with an image of a city with integrated farmland. The in situ perception is very much influenced by the proximity to the city and surrounding geomorphologic structures. Mountains and urban structures in the background together with valuable farmhouse architecture represent local landmarks. Users represented mainly by farmers and involved agronomists perceive the space in terms of its proximity to the city and inhabitants as potential consumers. Historical legacy and local identity formed by long-term land cultivation play an important role for them. Farmers have a very strong personal linkage to their land and they perceive it as a private space dedicated to food production, not to leisure and recreation. The case of agricultural park Gallecs is compared to Baix Llobregat quite different. The social dimension is much more emphasised. This has a lot to do with the origin of the site as in 2005 it was decided to preserve and protect non-urbanised areas as public open spaces. Therefore Gallecs is perceived more as a public open space rather than a farmland, although 75 percents of the overall area are represented by cultivated open land. The aim this agricultural park is to preserve a valuable agricultural land in urban context. Besides recreational services it is involved in global networks dedicated to environmental and ecological issues. Due to different geographical location and geomorphologic conditions the landscape of Gallecs is clearly structured and more dynamic than in the previously described case. The open landscape is not that much influenced by industrialisation and urbanisation. There is a real interaction between agriculture, nature and society as the space is more frequently used for recreation and leisure activities. The agricultural landscape serves besides production also as public open space. In terms of perception the landscape character is more rural than in case of Baix Llobregat. The scale of landscape structures is smaller - there is a mixture of bigger corn fields with smaller vegetable plots. This smaller structure makes Gallecs into a more human-scale rather than a machinery-scale landscape. The society using park Gallecs perceives the space in terms of its unique historical landscape structure. It is understood as an 'agricultural jewel' within the residential area. It forms the local identity and cultural heritage of the space. According to users' opinion the main values of Gallecs lie in preserved productivity of the land integrating recreational services as well. In this context UA is understood as a way to make urban society more sustainable. Local stakeholders perceive a clear change in mentality concerning UA as it is an approach where agriculture meets the city, gets integrated and is no more located behind or at the city border. It represents a challenge to integrate agriculture into urban structure and make peri-urban into urban. DISCUSSION Research into UA seems to be a very relevant approach as it is according to Lorleberg (2012, p.31) making a critically important contribution to sustainable development and covers all components of sustainability: economy, society and environment. We deal with issues concerning space, use and perception of UA as there are according to Veen (2012, p.44) two main things which need to be changed: processes and perceptions concerning multifunctionality and values of UA. She states that these changes could be provided among others through better accessibility (physical or mental). Therefore we analysed perception of spaces as public, semi-public or private (in terms of physical or mental accessibility). She also emphasises the importance of looking at different scales and contexts and that´s why we presented UA in Barcelona at different scales - from micro-scale of urban gardens up to macro-scale of agricultural parks. In order to represent the complexity of UA in terms of historical landscape structures and their legacy we analysed vineyard landscape as a special type of UA to respond to the fact pointed out among others by Verešová and Supuka (2012, 257 p.105) who state that: "Vine cultivation and wine production belong to the oldest agricultural activities and land use forms". Paradis (2012, p.45) states that according to European Landscape Convention the role of local society concerning definition of interest and values of their landscapes should be considered and the governance should take in consideration perceptions and values of different stakeholders. Taking into account this statement we compared our perception of UA sites with perceptions by users of the spaces. We emphasise the multifunctional use of different UA case studies as according to Chowney (2012, p.48) multifunctionality of a space represented by a range of functions (productivity, leisure, accessibility, environment, education etc.) makes a landscape successful and working. Our results and the COST-Action UAE respond to deficiencies pointed out by Viljoen et al. (2011, p.67) who state that although UA is receiving a great deal of attention, the theory underpinning its design and the rationale for developing policy to support its practice will require sophisticated cross-disciplinary research to articulate the concept’s full potential as an element of essential infrastructure within future sustainable cities. CONCLUSION This paper represents the whole range of UA in Barcelona Metropolitan Region by spatial and perceptual analyses of seven case studies grouped into four main categories: urban gardens, squat farming, vineyard landscape, agricultural parks. Our results provide an overview of UA typologies at different scales and in diverse spatial contexts. They contribute to the COSTAction TD1106 Urban Agriculture Europe by verification of the methodology of spatial and perceptual analyses applied to UA. Analysed case studies and the attached UA Identity Cards provide an overview of main aspects and issues which have to be considered within analyses of UA sites. Our results represent a framework which can be applied to different cases situated in diverse cultural contexts. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We wish to thank the COST-Action TD1106 Urban Agriculture Europe for financial and organisational support of the Short Term Scientific Mission in Barcelona (2013) and the research projects of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic VEGA No. 1/0769/12 and KEGA No. 019SPU-4/2011. LITERATURE PREVIEW BRYANT, R. Christopher. 2012. Keynotes: The discovery of Urban Agriculture. In COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe: Documentation of 1st Working Group Meeting. Aachen : COST, ESF, RWTH Aachen University, pp. 5-9. CHOWNEY, Charlotte. 2012. How to make the landscape work? In COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe: Documentation of 1st Working Group Meeting. Aachen : COST, ESF, RWTH Aachen University, pp. 46-47. COST-Action UAE. 2013. Barcelona Declaration on Urban Agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy [online] Available at: http://www.urbanagricultureeurope.la.rwthaachen.de/mediawiki/index.php/%22Barcelona_Declaration_on_Urban_Agriculture_and_the_Common_Agricultur al_Policy%22> [Accessed 16 April 2013]. COST-Action UAE. 2012. COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe [online] Available at: http://www.urbanagricultureeurope.la.rwth-aachen.de/> [Accessed 16 April 2013]. GIACCHÈ, Giulia - TÓTH, Attila. 2013. COST-Action Urban Agriculture Europe: UA in Barcelona Metropolitan Region: Short Term Scientific Mission Report [online]. Available at: http://www.urbanagricultureeurope.la.rwth-aachen.de/files/130319_stsmreport_barcelona.pdf> [Accessed 16 April 2013]. 258 JÄGGI, Monika. 2011. Urban agriculture as an instrument of sustainable city planning: A case study from Toronto, Canada. In Scales of Nature: 48th IFLA World Congress Proceedings. Zürich : IFLA, BSLA, pp. 69-70. LEHRER, Mia - ROMBOUTS, Christina. 2011. Sustainable Subsistence - Bringing people and producer together! In Scales of Nature: 48th IFLA World Congress Proceedings. Zürich : IFLA, BSLA, pp. 72-75. LOHRBERG, Frank. 2011. Urban agriculture - General aspects and examples from Germany. In Scales of Nature: 48th IFLA World Congress Proceedings. Zürich : IFLA, BSLA, p. 148. LORLEBERG, Wolf. 2012. Working Group 3: Entrepreneurial models of Urban Agriculture. In COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe: Documentation of 1st Working Group Meeting. Aachen : COST, ESF, RWTH Aachen University, pp. 29-31. PARADIS, Sylvie. 2012. How should / can landscape be planned? In COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe: Documentation of 1st Working Group Meeting. Aachen : COST, ESF, RWTH Aachen University, p. 45. VEEN, Esther. 2012. What has to / can be changed? In COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe: Documentation of 1st Working Group Meeting. Aachen : COST, ESF, RWTH Aachen University, pp. 44-45. VEREŠOVÁ, Martina - SUPUKA, Ján. 2012. Kultúrno-historické a vizuálno-estetické hodnoty vinohradníckej krajiny. Nitra : Slovenská po nohospodárska univerzita. 113 s. ISBN 978-80-552-0867-1. VILJOEN, Andre et al. 2011. CPUL City: An evolving design strategy and case for food urbanism. In Scales of Nature: 48th IFLA World Congress Proceedings. Zürich : IFLA, BSLA, pp. 66-68. CONTACT ADDRESS Ing. Attila Tóth, tel.: 037 641 5447, e-mail: [email protected] prof. Ing. ubica Feriancová, PhD., tel.: 037 641 5426, e-mail: [email protected] Department of Garden and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tulipánová 7, SK-949 76 Nitra, SR ANNEXE Urban Agriculture Identity Cards: 1) Urban Gardens Barcelona, 2) Squat Farming, 3) Vineyard Landscape, 4) Agricultural Parks Spä na obsah 259 Zostavovate : doc. Ing. arch. Roberta Št pánková, PhD. Študentská vedecká konferencia FZKI 2013 - Zborník príspevkov zo študentskej vedeckej konferencie Vydavate : Slovenská po nohospodárska univerzita v Nitre Vydanie: prvé Rok vydania: 2013 Náklad: 80 ks Neprešlo redak nou úpravou vo vydavate stve. Schválil rektor Slovenskej po nohospodárskej univerzity v Nitre d a 12.6.2013 ako recenzovaný zborník z vedeckej konferencie na CD nosi i. ISBN 978-80-552-1039-1