IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v16y2019i21p4145-d280979.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Community-Engaged Research for the Promotion of Healthy Urban Environments: A Case Study of Community Garden Initiative in Shanghai, China

Author

Listed:
  • Huaiyun Kou

    (College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Institute for Advanced Study in Architecture and Urban-Rural Planning, Key Laboratory of Ecology and Energy-Saving Study of Dense Habitat of Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

  • Sichu Zhang

    (Shanghai Urban Construction Vocational College, Shanghai 200433, China)

  • Yuelai Liu

    (College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Key Laboratory of Ecology and Energy-Saving Study of Dense Habitat of Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

Abstract

The importance of community gardens in a healthy urban environment has been extensively documented, while the garden building involving communities has not been much explored in fast-developing cities. This study examines community engagement in garden building activities in a rapid urbanization context, aiming to explore the application of community-engaged research methods for the promotion of neighbourhood environments. The Community Garden Initiative consisting of an array of progressive actions is formulated by the research team, featuring a process of increasing involvement of community members and decreasing intensity of external interventions. These activities have been launched based on community-university partnerships in Shanghai since 2014, synchronising with a transformation of urban regeneration paradigm in China where people-oriented approaches are more emphasized. Five actions covering 70 community gardens are analysed through surveys on participants’ attitudes and perceptions towards the activities. The results of the study presented people’s rapid acceptance of participation in public affairs, reflected possible measures to promote public participation, and confirmed the positive impacts of the garden building on the neighbourhood environmental health as well as on the community-building. Taking into account that residents generally lack the consciousness and capacities required to implement actions at the initial stage of community engagement, we proposed in the conclusion to start with external interventions and capacity buildings carried out by professionals as a supplement to the ‘community-driven’ principle of CBPR methods.

Suggested Citation

  • Huaiyun Kou & Sichu Zhang & Yuelai Liu, 2019. "Community-Engaged Research for the Promotion of Healthy Urban Environments: A Case Study of Community Garden Initiative in Shanghai, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-24, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:21:p:4145-:d:280979
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/21/4145/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/21/4145/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Twiss, J. & Dickinson, J. & Duma, S. & Kleinman, T. & Paulsen, H. & Rilveria, L., 2003. "Community Gardens: Lessons Learned from California Healthy Cities and Communities," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1435-1438.
    2. Mikesell, L. & Bromley, E. & Khodyakov, D., 2013. "Ethical community-engaged research: A literature review," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(12), pages 7-14.
    3. Andrea Abraham & Kathrin Sommerhalder & Thomas Abel, 2010. "Landscape and well-being: a scoping study on the health-promoting impact of outdoor environments," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 55(1), pages 59-69, February.
    4. Andrew Binet & Vedette Gavin & Leigh Carroll & Mariana Arcaya, 2019. "Designing and Facilitating Collaborative Research Design and Data Analysis Workshops: Lessons Learned in the Healthy Neighborhoods Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-15, January.
    5. Juliana A. Maantay & Andrew R. Maroko, 2018. "Brownfields to Greenfields: Environmental Justice Versus Environmental Gentrification," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-17, October.
    6. Miller, Stephanie M. & Montalto, Franco A., 2019. "Stakeholder perceptions of the ecosystem services provided by Green Infrastructure in New York City," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 1-1.
    7. Aubree Driver & Crystal Mehdizadeh & Samuel Bara-Garcia & Coline Bodenreider & Jessica Lewis & Sacoby Wilson, 2019. "Utilization of the Maryland Environmental Justice Screening Tool: A Bladensburg, Maryland Case Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-21, January.
    8. Laura Saldivar-tanaka & Marianne Krasny, 2004. "Culturing community development, neighborhood open space, and civic agriculture: The case of Latino community gardens in New York City," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 21(4), pages 399-412, January.
    9. Masashi Soga & Daniel T. C. Cox & Yuichi Yamaura & Kevin J. Gaston & Kiyo Kurisu & Keisuke Hanaki, 2017. "Health Benefits of Urban Allotment Gardening: Improved Physical and Psychological Well-Being and Social Integration," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Donghyun Kim & Sanghoon Lee & Seiyong Kim, 2023. "Study of Campustown Projects for the Sustainable Win-Win Growth of Universities and Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-26, June.
    2. Huaiyun Kou & Sichu Zhang & Wenjia Li & Yuelai Liu, 2021. "Participatory Action Research on the Impact of Community Gardening in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigating the Seeding Plan in Shanghai, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-14, June.
    3. Hua Zheng & Min Guo & Qian Wang & Qinghai Zhang & Noriko Akita, 2023. "A Bibliometric Analysis of Current Knowledge Structure and Research Progress Related to Urban Community Garden Systems," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-34, January.
    4. Way Inn Koay & Denise Dillon, 2020. "Community Gardening: Stress, Well-Being, and Resilience Potentials," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-31, September.
    5. Xiyao Zhao & Yueting Mao & Yun Qian & Qing Lin, 2022. "The Promoting Effect of Mass Media on Participatory Landscape Revitalization—An Analysis from Newspaper Coverages of Participatory Urban Gardening in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-28, December.
    6. Anna Gregis & Chiara Ghisalberti & Savino Sciascia & Francesco Sottile & Cristiana Peano, 2021. "Community Garden Initiatives Addressing Health and Well-Being Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Infodemiology Aspects, Outcomes, and Target Populations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-12, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hua Zheng & Min Guo & Qian Wang & Qinghai Zhang & Noriko Akita, 2023. "A Bibliometric Analysis of Current Knowledge Structure and Research Progress Related to Urban Community Garden Systems," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-34, January.
    2. Kirsten Schwarz & Bethany B. Cutts & Jonathan K. London & Mary L. Cadenasso, 2016. "Growing Gardens in Shrinking Cities: A Solution to the Soil Lead Problem?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-11, February.
    3. Leslie Gray & Laureen Elgert & Antoinette WinklerPrins, 2020. "Theorizing urban agriculture: north–south convergence," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(3), pages 869-883, September.
    4. Scott Cloutier & Lincoln Larson & Jenna Jambeck, 2014. "Are sustainable cities “happy” cities? Associations between sustainable development and human well-being in urban areas of the United States," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 633-647, June.
    5. John Taylor & Sarah Lovell, 2014. "Urban home food gardens in the Global North: research traditions and future directions," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(2), pages 285-305, June.
    6. Sinan Kordon & Patrick A. Miller & Cermetrius L. Bohannon, 2022. "Attitudes and Perceptions of Community Gardens: Making a Place for Them in Our Neighborhoods," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-25, October.
    7. Jana Spilková, 2017. "Producing space, cultivating community: the story of Prague´s new community gardens," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(4), pages 887-897, December.
    8. Katie L. Butterfield, 2023. "Modeling community garden participation: how locations and frames shape participant demographics," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(3), pages 1067-1085, September.
    9. Sofya Aptekar & Justin S. Myers, 2020. "The tale of two community gardens: green aesthetics versus food justice in the big apple," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(3), pages 779-792, September.
    10. Luke Drake & Laura Lawson, 2015. "Results of a US and Canada community garden survey: shared challenges in garden management amid diverse geographical and organizational contexts," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(2), pages 241-254, June.
    11. Mari Johnsrud & Ursula Småland Goth & Hilde Skjerve, 2024. "The Impact of Urban Allotment Gardens on Physical and Mental Health in Norway," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(6), pages 1-8, May.
    12. Plane, Jocelyn & Klodawsky, Fran, 2013. "Neighbourhood amenities and health: Examining the significance of a local park," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 1-8.
    13. Hui, Ling Chui & Jim, C.Y., 2022. "Urban-greenery demands are affected by perceptions of ecosystem services and disservices, and socio-demographic and environmental-cultural factors," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    14. Park, Keunhyun & Chamberlain, Brent & Song, Ziqi & Nasr Esfahani, Hossein & Sheen, Jeff & Larsen, Teresa & Long Novack, Valerie & Licon, Carlos & Christensen, Keith, 2022. "A double jeopardy: COVID-19 impacts on the travel behavior and community living of people with disabilities," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 24-35.
    15. Hale, James & Knapp, Corrine & Bardwell, Lisa & Buchenau, Michael & Marshall, Julie & Sancar, Fahriye & Litt, Jill S., 2011. "Connecting food environments and health through the relational nature of aesthetics: Gaining insight through the community gardening experience," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(11), pages 1853-1863, June.
    16. Migle Baceviciene & Rasa Jankauskiene, 2022. "The Mediating Effect of Nature Restorativeness, Stress Level, and Nature Connectedness in the Association between Nature Exposure and Quality of Life," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-15, February.
    17. Hartl, Barbara & Hofmann, Eva & Kirchler, Erich, 2016. "Do we need rules for “what's mine is yours”? Governance in collaborative consumption communities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 2756-2763.
    18. Payam Sheikhattari & Emma Shaffer & Rifath Ara Alam Barsha & Gillian Beth Silver & Bethtrice Elliott & Christina Delgado & Paula Purviance & Valerie Odero-Marah & Yvonne Bronner, 2022. "Building Capacity for Community-Academia Research Partnerships by Establishing a Physical Infrastructure for Community Engagement: Morgan CARES," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-16, September.
    19. Michael Takudzwa Pasara & Steven Henry Dunga, 2022. "Value Chains And Climate Change Mitigation Strategies: A Case Of Nutritional Gardens In Zimbabwe," Eurasian Journal of Business and Management, Eurasian Publications, vol. 10(1), pages 62-75.
    20. Ooms, Tahnee & Klaser, Klaudijo & Ishkanian, Armine, 2023. "The role of academia practice partnerships in the well-being economy: Retracing synergies between health and social sciences using bibliometric analysis," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:21:p:4145-:d:280979. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.