Food community and urban space : a case study of The University of Hong Kong’s Developing Urban Farm

Abstract

Urban agriculture as a newly introduced city’s edible green infrastructure has gained increasing attention from the public, and correspondingly engaged the participation from different groups of people. In the way of growing foods in and around urban areas, these food communities are constructing unique urban spaces that contain particular spatial functions to serve and protect participants’ interests. An urban farm’s spatial functions are significantly determined by individuals’ motivations in engaging urban farming. Five motivation categories are demonstrated through a thematic review method, including social networks, psychological wellbeing, pro-environmental behaviors, physical health and financial management. These five categories are speaking for the majority of people’s interests in urban agriculture at a global scale. To better tell the story of the spatial functions of an urban farm, this study has mainly focused on the developing campus farms of the University of Hong Kong; conducting qualitative interviews with campus farming participants to discuss the distinctiveness of such an urban farm. The result shows that university students are initially mobilized by a strong will to make a better environment for both humans and other living creatures, and thereby, campus farms are the educational landscapes that gradually cultivate participants’ pro-environmental behaviors. Studying people’s motivations is not only to understand what certain spatial functions of an urban farm are activated, but also supply the demands from a specific group of people in a reasonable and effective approach. Consequently, urban farming has produced an inclusive, engaging and livable urban green space that goes beyond food production, and involves the participation from a wider audience to live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.