Food is one of our most basic needs. It is an integral part of culture and a driving force in the creation of human settlements.Today, the distancing of cities from growing food, and the domination of industrial methods of food production, are being questioned due to the degradation they cause to natural resources and the natural environment, the high energy consumption associated with the transport of food and their contribution to climate change. At the same time, the quality of food transported for consumption by city dwellers is low and access to healthy fresh produce is difficult in many urban areas of the planet.Reconnecting cities with their food systems is emerging, not only as a way to increase access to food, but also as one of the key features of sustainable urban settlements. Urban Agriculture is a very old practice, which appeared at the same time as the first attempts of humans to inhabit settlements and cities. Throughout its global history, its presence has become more pronounced, especially in times of crisis, contributing to solve problems of nutrition, quality of life, psychological and social empowerment. Urban food gandens become places for the expression of ideologies and attitudes, empowerment of identity and cultural characteristics. Despite the shaping power and importance of food in cities, the role of architecture and design in the production and distribution of food becomes crucial. The built environment and food policy meet where architects and landscape architects incorporate farmers markets, greenhouses, edible landscapes, living walls, sidewalks, green roofs and community gardens into architectural programs. In our era, characterized by the dramatic global increase in urban populations, when the planet faces the challenges of the Anthropocene, urban agriculture has been recognized as a "powerful vehicle" for supporting urban resilience, not only because of the production of fresh, healthy food within the urban fabric, but also because of its positive impact on a variety of issues facing modern cities, environmentally, socially, economically, and culturally.

Knowledge, Comprehension, Analysis, Synthesis

The purpose of the course is to present to the students the practice of  Urban Agriculture as it appears in the cities today and highlight the ways urban growing contribute to the urban sustainability and resilience. International examples and cases from the greek cities will be presented. The relation of urban agriculture and urban planning will be discussed, while international examples of “top down” and “bottom up” UA projects will be presented.

Urban Agriculture. Typology, characteristics.

Urban Agriculture.   Historic Flashback.

Urban Agriculture,  Food Security, Food Sovereignity.

Urban Agriculture and Urban Resilience.

Zero acreage Farming , Building Integrated Agriculture: New ways to feed cities.

Designinig Urban Agriculture.

Materials, technologies and elements of Urban Agriculture.

Rural Urban connections.

Designing an Urban Agriculture project.

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Anthopoulou, T., (2015). The field in the city. Urban agriculture and solidarity networks of producers-consumers in Athens neiborhoods, in Maloutas T. and Spyrellis S. (eds) Athens Social Atlas, Athens: Harokopion University/National Centres for Social Sciences/Ecole Francaise d’ Athenes.

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Camps-Calvet, M., Langemeyer, J., Calvet-Mir, L., & Gómez-Baggethun, E. (2015). RESEARCH ARTICLE SOWING RESILIENCE AND CONTESTATION IN TIMES OF CRISES : The case of urban gardening movements in Barcelona, 7623. https://doi.org/10.1285/i20356609v8i2p417

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Γιαννίση Φ., Κοτιώνης Ζ. (επιμ.), (2010). ΚΙΒΩΤΟΣ, παλαιοί σπόροι για νέες καλλιέργειες, Αθήνα, Βόλος: Υπουργείο Περιβάλλοντος, Ενέργειας και Κλιματικής Αλλαγής, Πανεπιστημιακές Εκδόσεις Θεσσαλίας.

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Eizenberg, E., (2013). From the Ground Up Community Gardens in New York City and the Politics of Spatial Transformation, Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Limited.

Goldstein, M., Bellis, J., Morse, S., Myers, A., & Ura, E. (n.d.). (2011). URBAN AGRICULTURE A sixteen city survey of urban agriculture practices across the country, Atlanda: Emory Law School.

Gorgolewski, M., Komisar, J., Nasr, J., (2011). Carrot City. Creating Places for urban agriculture, New York: The Monacelli Press.

Hardman M., Larkham P. (2014). Informal urban agriculture: The secret lives of guerrilla gardeners. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer

Holland, L. (2004). Diversity and connections in community gardens: A contribution to local sustainability. Local Environment 9(3), 285–305.

Krasny, E., (ed.) (2012), Hands-on Urbanism 1850-2012: The right to Green, Wien: MCCM Creations

Mougeot, L. (ed.) (2005). Agropolis: The Social, Political and Environmental Dimensions of Urban Agriculture. London: Earthscan

Martin-Moreau, M. and Ménascé, D. (dir.), 2019. Field Actions Science Reports, Special Issue 20 |, “Urban Agriculture: Another Way to Feed Cities” [Online], Online since 24 September 2019,
connection on 23 November 2021. URL: https://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/5536