دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی شاخص هایی برای حمایت از باغبانی شهری سالم در مدیریت شهری - نشریه الزویر

abstract

Urban gardening is part of a trend towards more parks and green areas in cities, consumption of organic, locally grown products, and a closer relationship with one's own living environment. Our literature review shows that urban gardens provide opportunities for physical activity and allow people to consume homegrown fruit and vegetables. Urban gardens may also reduce stress levels of gardeners and improve social cohesion. In this way, they can help to prevent health problems. Good quality of urban soil and the functioning of soil ecosystems are indispensable prerequisites for these. We developed a framework that shows how ecosystem health and human health are interconnected in urban gardening, by placing it in the context of urban green space management and valuation. This study yields a set of indicators, which can be used to assess soil ecosystem services and health impacts. They may provide a basis for the evolving dialogue in decision-making processes and partnership activities in urban management. Recognizing the potential effects and discussing what is important to whom, might be enough to find synergies. Importantly, the initiators of urban gardens are often citizens, who seek support from other stakeholders. The social network established by gardens may contribute to health-enabling, cohesive communities involved with their living environment. To maximize health benefits, it is useful to make the urban gardens accessible to many people. This study suggests that urban gardens deserve a position in urban green space management as they may help to address societal challenges like urbanization, health and well-being in aging populations and climate adaptation.

1. Introduction

There is increasing interest in green space supporting healthy living because of rapid urbanization, climate change and aging of populations (EU, 2015; WHO, 2015a; WHO, 2015b; EEA, 2016; WHO, 2016). We previously showed that green spaces may contribute to human health and well-being by creating a living environment that promotes physical activity (Claessens et al., 2014). In addition, they facilitate stress reduction and social contacts (Claessens et al., 2014; Hartig et al., 2014; WHO, 2016). Recently, it has been suggested that urban gardens have similar and additional health benefits by facilitating healthy food consumption and socially cohesive communities (Alaimo et al., 2016; Al-Delaimy and Webb, 2017) although quantitative evidence is still scarce (Soga et al., 2017). In this paper, we define health indicators to assess and evaluate these benefits based on a literature review. We also identified healthrelevant ecosystem and management indicators. Altogether, these indicators may identify and pursue potential synergies between ecosystem and human health targets of different stakeholders. Together, they can make a stronger case for urban green management actions. The initiators of urban gardens are often citizens, who seek (financial) support from the local government. Urban managers are confronted with the costs of these activities and the potential risks of soil pollution. They have to motivate costs and land use in the context of competing land use and social services, e.g. the provisioning of adequate housing. The typical scenario has been for gardens to be established on land which is considered to have little market value. At the end of the crisis, however, governments might withdraw their support and focus instead on profitable real estate development on former garden plots. One way to motivate the preserve of the gardens, is to focus on the benefits that they may offer for the living environment, and thereby for public health. Like green spaces, they may contribute to an attractive environment to exercise, play, relax and meet people.