Exploring Urban Agriculture: A Study of Sustainable Urban Agriculture Along with the Beltline in Atlanta, Georgia

Author

Pai Liu, Clemson University

Date of Award

5-2015

Document Type

Terminal Project

Degree Name

Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)

Department

Landscape Architecture

Advisor

Hala Nassar

Committee Member

Ufuk Ersoy

Committee Member

Thomas Schurch

Abstract

Urban agriculture is expected to benefit urban living environment with a wide spectrum of interests, from production, marketing and consumption, the traditional agriculture related activities, to multiple kinds of services, such as recreation, health, landscape and environmental restoration (Butler, Moronek, 2002). The benefits of urban agriculture indicate a possibility in dealing with some current urban problems caused by urbanization, a complicated shift related to social, cultural, political, and economic changes, influences all living organisms in urban and urban-rural areas (Boone, Fragkias, 2013). The existing urban farms, however, are not completely appropriate to urban environment. Food is the core of traditional farms. But to urban agriculture, both physical and psychological needs are emphasis to users. Additionally, it is probably a misunderstanding that sustainability is generally considered as an attachment to agriculture rather than a key term (Pretty, 2008). In response to these deficiencies, the study concerned about how urban agriculture be effective in cities. By comparing and evaluating eight case studies in United Stated, from east to west, with six criteria, locality, experience, economy, health, community engagement and resources, the study attempted to explore a new model of sustainable urban agriculture to improve urban living environment. The results indicated how the six criteria interact each other to form an integrated framework of perma-urban farm, a farm that was defined as sustainable urban agriculture. A design application along Beltline in Atlanta, Georgia provided an example implementation based on the study result.

Recommended Citation

Liu, Pai, "Exploring Urban Agriculture: A Study of Sustainable Urban Agriculture Along with the Beltline in Atlanta, Georgia" (2015). Master of Landscape Architecture Terminal Projects. 3.
https://open.clemson.edu/mlatp/3