Speaker
Description
Urban Vegetable Gardens (UVGs) have become an emerging urban landscape infilling the interstitial space of urban areas. Such informal self-motivated agricultural activities occupying vacant lands are primarily driven by elderly migrants. In the context of the Chinese ageing society, the expansion of UVGs shows a new pattern of fulfilling both the physical and mental needs of the elderly, potentially providing a prescription for creating age-friendly communities. However, existing studies that integrate the needs of residents involved in UVGs with the reuse of urban vacant land are still limited. To fill this gap, this mixed-methods research establishes a “Place-People” analytical framework, combining quantitative methods (i.e. spatial analysis) and qualitative (i.e. questionnaire and semi-structured interview) to investigate the spatial distribution and place attachment strength of the UVGs as well as the demography and motivation of the elderly participants in the most rapidly ageing Chinese city, Shanghai. This study aims to reveal how the underlying psychological needs of elderly migrants produced the space of place attachment by UVGs. Additionally, the re-agriculturalisation in UVGs shows a potential prescription for reclaiming and reusing vacant urban lands in the context of highly urbanised and populated Asia major cities. The findings will inspire policymakers, urban planners and designers to formulate ageing society related policies and the elderly-centred place-making.
| Keywords | Urban Vegetable Gardens; elderly migrants; place attachment; urban vacant land |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
