Peri-urban agriculture in Barcelona: outlining landscape dynamics vis à vis socio-environmental functions

• Published in: Landscape research Vol. 43; no. 5; pp. 613 - 631
• Main Authors: Serra, Pere, Saurí, David, Salvati, Luca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis Ltd 04-07-2018
• Subjects: Agricultural economics; Agriculture; Dynamic structural analysis; Economic analysis; Farming; Farms; Landscape; Metropolitan areas; Natural vegetation; Rural areas; Rural environments; Urban agriculture; Urban areas; Urban farming; Urban planning; Urbanization
• ISSN: 0142-6397; 1469-9710
• DOI: 10.1080/01426397.2017.1336758

Dispersed urbanisation promotes complex relationships between rural areas and the urban fringe, with emerging new functions for peri-urban agriculture (PUA). Although PUA is a type of productive farming of interest for urban planning due to its recognised functions, comparative analyses are needed to relate farm dynamics to fringe landscape modifications in different socio-economic contexts. Given the current limitation of specific methodologies to analyse PUA dynamics, a quantitative approach profiling farm types and the related landscape structure in an expanding urban region, the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, is proposed. Results indicate that PUA is based on five typologies with different territorial values, as a consequence of diverse economic relevance, socio-environmental weight and landscape prominence. Based on these results, a conservation strategy aimed at preserving the residual PUA landscape is proposed through the promotion of a polycentric functional network of farming with natural vegetation.