Urban Agriculture : Sustainability Multiplier

Abstract: For some years now, the phenomena of urban agriculture have been present in the public discourse on cities and sustainability. It is often assumed that urban agriculture has the potential to contribute to an increased sustainability of the cities. However, many practical and theoretical obstacles might have to be overcome in order to realize this potential. One ambition of this thesis is to analyse urban agriculture as a “sustainability multiplier” – that is, as a practice that can positively affect a large number of dimensions of sustainability. Another ambition is to study how urban agriculture can contribute to lower the “ecological footprint” of our cities. Two concepts are essential in the discussion and have been given special attention in the thesis: “ecological footprint” and “sustainability”.