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Urban Vertical Farming as an Example of Nature-Based Solutions Supporting a Healthy Society Living in the Urban Environment

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Zaręba

    (Faculty of Earth Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Wrocław, 50-137 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Alicja Krzemińska

    (Faculty of Earth Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Wrocław, 50-137 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Renata Kozik

    (Faculty of Civil Engineering, Cracow University of Technology, 31-155 Kraków, Poland)

Abstract

The subject of the article concerns vertical urban farms that play an important role in nature-based solutions and ecosystem services for the city. In the face of a changing climate, progressive environmental degradation, and the related loss of agricultural land, vertical farms can be seen as an alternative to traditional agriculture. Woven into the blue-green infrastructure of cities, they may not only constitute a base for food production, but can also create a new valuable ecological, social, and economic hub in contemporary cities, changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this paper is to show whether it is possible to introduce various functions which support ecosystem and social services, and whether they affect measurable benefits for urban residents in a large-scale system of solutions in the field of vertical urban agriculture. This research shows that urban vertical farms can perform many functions and bring diverse benefits to the inhabitants of cities. In a multi-scale system, they allow for the creation of patchwork connections, which stabilise a specific city biome in the vertical space.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Zaręba & Alicja Krzemińska & Renata Kozik, 2021. "Urban Vertical Farming as an Example of Nature-Based Solutions Supporting a Healthy Society Living in the Urban Environment," Resources, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:10:y:2021:i:11:p:109-:d:663829
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Justyna Kleszcz & Piotr Kmiecik & Jakub Świerzawski, 2020. "Vegetable and Gardening Tower of Othmar Ruthner in the Voivodeship Park of Culture and Recreation in Chorzów—The First Example of Vertical Farming in Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-23, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Abdul Munaf Mohamed Irfeey & Hing-Wah Chau & Mohamed Mahusoon Fathima Sumaiya & Cheuk Yin Wai & Nitin Muttil & Elmira Jamei, 2023. "Sustainable Mitigation Strategies for Urban Heat Island Effects in Urban Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-26, July.
    2. Mina, Giorgio & Peira, Giovanni & Bonadonna, Alessandro, 2023. "Public perception and social sustainability of indoor farming technologies: A systematic review," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    3. Mark Bomford, 2023. "More bytes per acre: do vertical farming’s land sparing promises stand on solid ground?," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(3), pages 879-895, September.

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