Right to the city or environmental gentrification? A discussion about risks and potential of urban agriculture

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent literature has highlighted the role of urban agriculture (UA) in creating more sustainable and equitable cities through social participation and promotion of food and environmental justice. However, in a context of neoliberal urban development, the overall socio-spatial impact of UA remains a subject of intense debate. In particular, whilst some scholars focus on the social justice possibilities contained in UA projects, others draw attention to how UA unintentionally fosters revalorization and gentrification processes through an esthetic and environmental improvement of marginal and working-class neighborhoods and suburbs. This intervention aims to explore these contradictory interpretations of UA and offers some conceptual tools based on concrete practice and empirical evidence for clarifying and potentially also resolving them.