The Potential of Urban Agriculture in Montréal: A Quantitative Assessment

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information

Daniel Haberman²  Laura Gillies³  Aryeh Canter³  Valentine Rinner³  Laetitia Pancrazi¹ 

[1] Bartlett School of Planning, University College London, 14 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0NN, UK; E-Mail:;Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, Montréal, QC H9X 3V9, Canada;Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, QC H3A 2K6, Canada; E-Mails:

关键词: urban agriculture;    land use design;    Montréal;    sustainable communities;    food security;    urban planning;    resilience;    urban development;    food systems;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijgi3031101

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Growing food in urban areas could solve a multitude of social and environmental problems. These potential benefits have resulted in an increased demand for urban agriculture (UA), though quantitative data is lacking on the feasibility of conversion to large-scale practices. This study uses multiple land use scenarios to determine different spaces that could be allocated to vegetable production in Montréal, including residential gardens, industrial rooftops and vacant space. Considering a range of both soil-bound and hydroponic yields, the ability of these scenarios to render Montréal self-sufficient in terms of vegetable production is assessed. The results show that the island could easily satisfy its vegetable demand if hydroponics are implemented on industrial rooftops, though these operations are generally costly. Using only vacant space, however, also has the potential to meet the city’s demand and requires lower operating costs. A performance index was developed to evaluate the potential of each borough to meet its own vegetable demand while still maintaining an elevated population density. Most boroughs outside of the downtown core are able to satisfy their vegetable demand efficiently due to their land use composition, though results vary greatly depending on the farming methods used, indicating the importance of farm management.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.