Urban agriculture in the framework of sustainable urbanism
- Autores: Ana Nadal Fuentes
- Directores de la Tesis: Joan Rieradevall (dir. tes.), Alejandro Josa García-Tornel (dir. tes.), Eva Cuerva Contreras (dir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ( España ) en 2018
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Jordi Bartrolí i Molins (presid.), Enric Pol Urrutia (secret.), Francesco Orsini (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencia y Tecnología Ambientales por la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Tesis en acceso abierto en: TESEO
- Resumen
Sustainable urbanism promotes strategies for the sustainability of the territory. One of these strategies is urban agriculture (UA). Specifically, rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) are an alternative that in recent years has had a considerable rise in European compact cities, as they enable the cultivation of food in the city without compromising permeable soil surface. However, research that addresses their energy behavior and provides tools for the quantification and analysis of their viability is limited. In the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, the study of UA is still in an initial stage, so it is necessary to deepen and promote its analysis. In this sense, the present doctoral thesis aims to cover these areas of study and answer the following four questions: -For developed countries (i) To what extent do urban-architectural, social and sustainable tools contribute to assess the potential for implementation of agriculture on roofs of existing buildings in Southern European cities?, (ii) Can the integration of a greenhouse into the rooftop of a building, taking advantage of its exchange of residual thermal flows, contribute technologically and architecturally to the development of urban agriculture? For developing countries (iii) What is the current state of urban agriculture in developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean? and (iv) What are the implications of urban planning and social housing in the promotion of urban agriculture for the sustainability of the medium-sized Latin American cities? This thesis includes an interdisciplinary framework that combines aspects of various disciplines. In each line of research studied, complementary materials and methods have been used to obtain specific data: TASI-600 and Leica ALS50-II airborne sensors, air humidity and temperature sensors, various software, document review, interviews and focus groups, among others. The results showed that an integrated rooftop greenhouse (iRTG) can provide temperatures within the range of 14-26 °C, which are ideal for closed horticultural systems in the Mediterranean area. Moreover, 341.93 kWh / m2 / year of heating energy can be "recycled" from the rest of the building. The use of airborne sensors (TASI 600 and Leica ALS50-II) for the identification of the basic characteristics of the roofs is viable and reliable. The multicriteria tool for decision making for the implementation of RTGs proved to be viable and objective; and the use of a global sustainability index minimizes the subjectivity of the process and allows selecting the most sustainable alternative.
The study of UA in LAC is being developed in at least 14 countries, but 86% of the research is developed in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. UA develops five functions: ecological-environmental, social, productive, urban-political and economic. In addition, the UA is an emergency measure in the face of social problems and natural hazards. The UA in LAC is linked to social housing and urban planning; and social housing neighborhoods have characteristics that make them suitable spaces for the development of vertical agriculture. The UA is usually developed within the boundaries of private properties on a small scale and privately. Fruit cultivation is imposed (70%) against vegetables and aromatic plants (30%).
Future research in Europe should focus on the analysis of the bidirectional energy interconnection between the iRTG and the building; deepening the identification of roof materials using airborne sensors through laboratory tests; analyzing the feasibility of multipurpose covers in industrial parks. In the case of LAC, on exploring the less developed functions of UA (economic and political-urban); working with LAC community organizations to quantify the potential of agriculture on the roof; and developing a database on the current development of UA in social housing.
