Strategies for Sustainable Development Based on Potentials of Urban Agriculture

Sustainability in now among the most challenging topics at urban and regional scale due to problems such as population growth and the pressure on nature to supply requirements including food, energy and materials. Environmental assessment of the urban areas during spatial development plans is one of the possible means for realizing the sustainability approach. Qazvin is a city in which agriculture was significantly widespread during last decades. It was surrounded by traditional gardens which are subject to destruction due to recent urban expansion and development. This issue can lead to numerous ecologic as well as economic problems in the region. In this paper, the relationship between different approaches to urban agriculture and their role in improving the quality of environment and, ultimately, urban sustainability were examined. Qazvin was selected as a case study and the data was obtained through library studies and field observations. Finally, the principles that can be achieved with regard to current life through urban agriculture were presented and discussed.

Keywords:

agriculture , city , ecology , landscape , sustainable development