Call for paper 2011

Ecocity 2011 – Call for papers about Urban Agriculture

Linked by Michael Levenston




Ecocity 2011 – Montréal (Québec, Canada), August 2011

Call for papers for the theme : Urban Agriculture
The deadline for proposal submission is January 31, 2011

Biodiversity, green spaces and urban agriculture are inter-related concepts which contribute (directly and indirectly) to our general well-being: to health, the environment, and the quality of our lives and that of the landscape around us. Over the past few years, science has made possible many advances in indentifying the social, economic and ecological importance of biodiversity and urban agriculture. Among these are solar shading and the reduction of urban heat islands, increasing urban surface permeability and rainwater capture, removing atmospheric pollutants, and food production.

It is also widely recognized that protecting the greatest possible number of living species is necessary for preservation of healthy ecosystems. With community outreach, these efforts have extended to involvement in our economic health, taxation system and social development. Despite growing recognition of the value of biodiversity, green spaces and urban agriculture for the development of ecocities, this theme area requires further development, solidification and enhancement.

Food being a vital human need, urban agriculture is a strategy for development of local food systems and should be a key component of the concept of a sustainable city. While its scale, functionality and productivity may vary greatly from city to city, urban agriculture has become a vector of innovation in urban design, architecture and planning.

More particularly, urban agriculture sessions will focus on 3 sub-themes:

Urban agriculture as a tool for ecocity : for this sub-theme we are looking for proposals on different examples of urban agriculture activity and assessment, including food security, city food supply, social interactions and integration, protection of urban biodiversity and the ?ow of matter and energy within the urban ecosystem. Proposals should describe how the example contributes to the development of ecocities.

Impact of municipal policies on urban agriculture : for this sub-theme we are looking for proposals that show how municipal policies could help or hinder development and effectiveness of urban agriculture. We are also looking for proposals that show how urban agriculture initiatives have changed municipal politics or planning. We encourage proposals based on field case studies.

Urban conditions for improving urban agriculture integration and programmes: for this sub-theme we are looking for proposals that show how urban conditions, such as housing, neighbourhood design, and urban management plans, impact the integration of urban agriculture in cities. Proposals could also explore the impacts of urban agriculture programs or initiatives on planning of housing, commercial buildings, roads and public transit.

The deadline for proposal submission is January 31, 2011.

Please note that you can begin the proposal submission process once you have created your account and keep the file open for editing until the deadline or until you are certain that you have no more changes left to make. All of the information that you enter into the system will be saved each time you access your file so that you can pick up where you left off.

For more information see:
http://www.ecocity2011.com/appel-de-communications/default_e.asp