Urban horticulture

Urban horticulture is the scientific study and practice of growing plants within urban environments. This field focuses on the functional use of plants to maintain and improve city areas. Researchers study how plants serve various purposes, including aesthetic, architectural, and recreational needs. They also examine the harvest, psychological, and food security effects of greenery in cities.

As global urbanization increases, the importance of this science grows. It seeks to integrate nature back into the built landscape of human civilization.

The practice of urban horticulture occurs through many different methods and scales. People may engage in small-scale cultivation, such as growing radishes on a balcony.

Others use larger spaces, like vacant lots, to create community gardens. In these gardens, members often work individual plots to grow food or flowers. Some people even utilize rooftops to create green roofs.

These green roofs can help regulate building temperatures by keeping homes cool in summer and warm in winter. Advanced techniques also include indoor gardening using metal halide lamps to grow vegetables and flowers.

Urban horticulture includes several distinct components beyond simple backyard gardening. Market gardens and small urban farms provide local produce for sale. Farmers' markets act as hubs where this food is distributed to the community. There is also a strong connection to the food security movement. This movement focuses on providing low-cost, nutritious food to areas facing scarcity. Such programs help solve problems like price inflation and the lack of local supermarkets.

The history of integrating nature into cities dates back to the Neolithic Revolution. During that time, early cities often featured market gardens and farms as trading centers. However, the Industrial Revolution caused a major shift in the urban landscape. Rapid city growth replaced green spaces with brick and asphalt. Following the nineteenth century, cities began developing parks to improve unhealthy factory neighborhoods. After World War II, urban horticulture declined as populations moved to the suburbs. This shift left many city centers with vacant lots and abandoned buildings.

Modern community gardening emerged as a response to these urban challenges. In the 1960s and 1970s, various social movements saw opportunity in vacant lands. These included the peace, environmental, and civil rights movements. The environmental justice movement of the 1980s and 1990s also helped revive communities through gardens. The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) estimates that municipal governments and non-profits operate programs in about 250 cities. They suggest the actual number could be twice as large. A 1994 survey showed that 6.7 million households would garden if a plot were nearby.

Gardening provides significant physical and psychological benefits to urban dwellers. Studies show that nature can reduce fatigue, irritation, and stress. Researcher Honeyman found that urban vegetation provides more mental restoration than areas without plants. Gardening also serves as a form of low-impact exercise. This activity can help reduce body mass index (BMI) and overall weight. One study found that men who gardened had a BMI 2.36 lower than their neighbors. Men who gardened were also 62% less likely to be overweight. Women gardeners had a BMI 1.88 lower than their neighbors and were 46% less likely to be overweight.

Beyond health, urban horticulture plays a vital role in education and social connection. School gardening programs teach children about nutrition and active lifestyles. Students also develop leadership, teamwork, and creative problem-solving skills through gardening. These programs help children learn to adapt to changing weather and soil conditions. Cultivating plants also creates a sense of place and builds community spirit. In the 1970s, the International Society for Horticultural Science recognized the need for more research in this area. This led to the 1982 establishment of the Commission for Urban Horticulture. This commission studies plant management and the functional use of plants in cities.