MANZAR, the Scientific Journal of landscape
Scientific Quarterly Journal

Developing the Evaluation Indicators of Urban Agriculture in Residential Environments Using the Delphi Method

https://doi.org/10.22034/manzar.2025.488867.2319
Volume 17, Issue 71
Summer 2025
Pages 56-69
MANZAR, the Scientific Journal of landscape

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Rana Soleymanpour Asl Navasar 1
Mohammad ali Khanmohammadi 2
Seyed Bagher Hosseini 2

1 Ph.D. Candidate in Architecture, School of Architecture & Environmental Design, Iran University of Science & Technology, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Professor in Architecture, School of Architecture and Environmental Design, Iran University of Science and Technology.

Abstract
Urban agriculture has historically served the residents of cities by producing and supplying food. Today, due to instabilities in social, economic, and environmental dimensions in the field of urban construction—particularly in residential areas caused by the dominance of modern lifestyle patterns, population growth in cities, and the increase of indiscriminate constructions with high density—there is a growing interest in urban agriculture as a suitable response to achieve sustainability. This trend has gained significant popularity among various communities. The purpose of this research is to identify the influential indicators of urban agriculture in residential environments. In this research, first, influential indicators of urban agriculture on residential environments were extracted using documentary and content analysis methods. Subsequently, to validate these indicators, the Delphi method was employed in three rounds with the participation of 20 experts and academic specialists in architecture and landscape architecture. Ultimately, 80 indicators were identified, and their importance in residential environments was determined based on the Likert ranking scale and statistical analyses. According to the research findings, the influential indicators of urban agriculture were classified into four dimensions: economic, social, environmental, and spatial-physical desirability. The results indicated that, from the specialists' perspective, the beneficial effects and influential indicators included "increased per capita urban green space," "increased carbon dioxide absorption," "reduced temperature," " increased freshness and pleasant aromas," "increased resident participation in greening their living environment," and "increased biodiversity through planting various plants and raising different animals" in environmental dimensions; "increased leisure time," "stress reduction," and "development of social relationships and interactions" in social dimensions; "investment in underutilized resources such as rooftops, terraces, balconies, etc.," "increased savings," and "increased property values" in economic dimensions; and finally, "increased the vitality of residential spaces," "improved quality and spatial capabilities for growth," and "Beautification of landscapes" in physical-spatial desirability dimensions were prioritized respectively.

Keywords

Urban Agriculture
Residential Environments
Impacts of Urban Agriculture
Delphi Method
Subjects
Azunre, G. A., Amponsah, O., Peprah, C., Takyi, S. A., & Braimah, I. (2019). A review of the role of urban agriculture in the sustainable city discourse. Cities, 93, 104-119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.04.006 
‎Barden, L. (1996). L’analyse de contenu‬ [Content analysis] (M. Ashtiani & M. Yamani-Dozi-Sorkhabi, Trans.). Shahid Beheshti University Publishing. (Original work published 1977)
Bohn, K., & Viljoen, A. (2012). CPUL: Continuous productive urban landscape; A new approach to integrating agriculture and urban. MANZAR, the Scientific Journal of Landscape, 4(20), 12–17. https://www.manzar-sj.com/article_2227.html?lang=en 
Burgin, S. (2018). Back to the future? Urban backyards and food self-sufficiency. Land Use Policy, 78, 29-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.06.012 
Colasanti, K. J., Hamm, M. W., & Litjens, C. M. (2012). The city as an” agricultural powerhouse”? perspectives on expanding urban agriculture from Detroit, Michigan. Urban Geography, 33(3), 348-369. http://doi.org/10.2747/0272-3638.33.3.348 
Dalkey, N., & Helmer, O. (1963). An experimental application of the Delphi method to the use of experts. Management science, 9(3), 458-467. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2627117 
de Oliveira Alves, D., & de Oliveira, L. (2022). Commercial urban agriculture: A review for sustainable development. Sustainable Cities and Society, 87, 104185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2022.104185 
Delavar A. (2014). مبانی نظری و عملی پژوهش در علوم انسانی و اجتماعی [Theoretical And Practical Foundations Of Research In Humanities And Social Sciences]. Roshd. [in Persian]
Dieleman, H. (2017). Urban agriculture in Mexico City; balancing between ecological, economic, social and symbolic value. Journal of Cleaner Production, 163, 156-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.01.082 
Dimitri, C., Oberholtzer, L., & Pressman, A. (2016). Urban agriculture: connecting producers with consumers. British Food Journal, 118(3), 603-617. http://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-06-2015-0200 
FAO. (1996). The state of food and agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations. https://www.fao.org/4/w1358e/w1358e.pdf 
FAO. (2017). The Future of Food and Agriculture - Trends and Challenges. Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations. Retrieved from https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/2e90c833-8e84-46f2-a675-ea2d7afa4e24/content
Grădinaru, S., Triboi, R., Iojă, C., & Artmann, M. (2018). Contribution of agricultural activities to urban sustainability: Insights from pastoral practices in Bucharest and its peri-urban area. Habitat International, 82, 62-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2018.09.005 
Gray, L., Elgert, L., & WinklerPrins, A. (2020). Theorizing urban agriculture: north–south convergence. Agric Hum Values, 37, 869–883. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-020-10015-x 
Hagey, A., Rice, S., & Flournoy, R. (2012). Growing Urban Agriculture: Equitable Strategies and Policies for Improving Access to Healthy Food and Revitalizing Communities. PolicyLink. Retrieved from https://www.policylink.org/sites/default/files/URBAN_AG_FULLREPORT.PDF
Hsu, C., & Sandford, B. (2007). The Delphi technique: Making sense of consensus. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation, 12, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.7275/PDZ9-TH90 
Indraprahasta, G., & Agustina, I. (2016). Urban agriculture Activity and its potentials to eradicate urban poverty in Jakarta. Tataloka, 14(3), 186-200. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271013305_Urban_Agriculture_Activity_and_Its_Potential_to_Eradicate_Urban_Poverty_in_Jakarta 
Miccoli, S., Finucci, F., & and Murro, R. (2016). Feeding the cities through urban agriculture the community esteem value. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia, 8, 128-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aaspro.2016.02.017 
Mohammadi, M., & Ebrahimi Nia, D. (2019). Applying urban agriculture principles in neighborhood scale: Case study—Imamzadeh Yahya neighborhood of Tehran. MANZAR, the Scientific Journal of Landscape, 11(46), 24–39. https://doi.org/10.22034/manzar.2019.84294 
Mougeot, L. J. (2000). Urban Agriculture: Definition, Presence, Potentials and Risks. International Workshop on Growing Cities Growing Food: Urban Agriculture on the Policy Agenda La. https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a0cf4b0d-b96c-4124-a1de-f006d4a97f00/content 
Mukherji, N., & and Morales, A. (2010). Zoning for urban agriculture (practice urban agriculture). Zoning Practice, 26(3), 1-8. Retrieved from https://www.planning.org/publications/document/9006942/ 
Powell, C. (2003). The Delphi technique: Myths and realities. Journal of Advanced Nursing 41(4), 376-382. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2003.02537.x 
Pradhan, P., Callaghan, M., Hu, Y., Dahal, K., Hunecke, C., Reusswig, F., Lotze-Campen, H., & Kropp, J.P. (2023). A systematic review highlights that there are multiple benefits of urban agriculture besides food. Global Food Security, 38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2023.100700  
Pradhan, P., Subedi, D., Dahal, K., Hu, Y., Gurung, P., Pokharel, S., Kafle, S., Khatri, B., Basyal, S., Gurung, M., & Joshi, A. (2024). Urban agriculture matters for sustainable development. Cell Reports Sustainability, 1(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2024.100217 
Pulighe, G., & Lupia, F. (2016). Mapping spatial patterns of urban agriculture in Rome (Italy) using Google Earth and web-mapping services. Land Use Policy, 59, 49-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.08.001 
Smit, J. A. (2001). Urban Agriculture Food, Jobs and Sustainable Cities (2001 ed.). Jac Smit. Retrieved from http://www.jacsmit.com/
Smit, J., Ratta, A., & Nasr, J. (1996). Urban Agriculture: Food, Jobs and Sustainable Cities (Vol. Habitat II Series). United Nations Pubns.
Specht, K., Siebert, R., Hartmann, I., Freisinger, U., Sawicka, M., Werner, A., Henckel, D., Walk, H., Dierich, A., & Thomaier, S. (2014). Urban agriculture of the future: An overview of sustainability aspects of food production in and on buildings. Agric. Hum, 31, 33–51. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-013-9448-4 
Urban Agriculture: Findings from Four City Case Studies. (2013). World-Bank. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/publication/urban-agriculture-four-city-case-studies 
Urban and peri-urban agriculture sourcebook – From production to food systems. (2022). FAO, Rikolto, and RUAF. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb9722en. 
Vagneron, I. (2007). Analysis Economic appraisal of profitability and sustainability of peri-urban agriculture in Bangkok 61. Ecological Economics, 61(2-3), 516-529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2006.04.006 
Veenhuizen, R. V. (2006). Cities Farming for the Future. Mid Term Review Report.  RUAF. Retrieved from http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1326958/ 
Yang, z., Cai, J., & Sliuzas, R. (2010). Agro-tourism enterprises as a form of multi-functional urban agriculture for peri-urban development in China. Habitat International, 34(4), 374-385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2009.11.002 

Home

Submit Manuscript

Contact Us