Urban Abundance
Field grown heirloom tomatoes / Author
Urban Abundance: Alternative Future Landscape Scenarios to Increase Urban Food Security and Optimize Ecological Integrity in Ottawa, Canada
Kira Burger, MLA Candidate, University of Guelph / Grant $2,000
Urban agriculture, defined as the cultivation, processing and distribution of crop and livestock goods within cities and towns, is widely regarded as an important strategy to enhance urban food security. Urban agriculture is associated with both positive and negative environmental impacts, and research the field of landscape ecology suggests that the spatial pattern of land uses, agriculture included, has critical ecological implications. Current efforts to increase urban agriculture in many North American cities are opportunistic, and lack a diversified, holistic approach that incorporates landscape pattern analysis to site urban agricultural activities in the urban matrix in configurations that optimize their benefits. This Master’s thesis seeks to answer the question: What landscape pattern of urban agricultural production systems will optimize both food production and ecological integrity? Using a normative landscape scenario approach, alternative land-use schedules for the City of Ottawa will be developed to demonstrate how evidence-based placement of suitable, high-yielding urban agricultural typologies across the urban fabric can contribute positively to food security, public welfare, and ecological integrity. This research will challenge conventional planning approaches for urban agriculture and contribute to a better understanding of the limitations and potential for cities to enhance both food security and environmental quality.