The crisis as an opportunity to rethink land-use planning

idle urban land as a latent use for Urban Agriculture practices

Abstract

Crises, like the current pandemic Covid-19, are opportunities to rethink food systems, yet the lack of land access in particularly on urban perimeters is an obstacle. We argue that Urban Planning should consider Urban Agriculture as a tool for strengthening the urban and peri-urban fabric through permanent or temporary use of the vacant land. Urban Agriculture ensures food sovereignty and is an immediate answer to the needs of families devastated by economic crises. As it does not imply an irreversible use land use, it fits into a perspective of urban land temporary changes, what we refer as "Agricultural Zones of Social Inclusion". We intend to illustrate the state of the art in Portugal through two distinct processes. The first one illustrates an initiative based in the Metropolitan Area of Porto, managed by a solid waste company since 2003, that has implemented Urban Gardens in several municipalities of the metropolitan region. The second case study describes the Lisbon City initiative, which started in 2011, by promoting Horticultural Parks throughout linking leisure with urban agriculture. Both examples testify the relevance of a public policy on land access that would bring together Urban Planning, Agriculture, Social and Environmental policies.