AGRiS: agriculture, growth and regeneration inspired by sustainability

Urban agriculture (UA) is sprouting up in the empty spaces of post-industrial landscapes. Beyond the opportunities toward improving local food supplies and economies, UA may also foster social inclusion and environmental sustainability. The project AGRiS, winner of the UrbanFarm2021 competition, was developed for Troisi Park in Naples (Italy), where an abandoned agricultural area of 0.5 ha needed renovation. Following a multi-disciplinary design approach, multifunctional UA was chosen to support the environmental, social, economic, and cultural well-being of the local community. To create a feasible and economically viable design solution, an incremental approach was proposed, based on a multi-criteria analysis to select the most preferable project scenario in which to invest the initial funding. The environmental impact of AGRiS was considered by assessing the energy demand, water usage and emissions associated with facility operations. Additionally, renewable energy sources, rainwater collection, and zero-waste strategies were integrated to minimize resource/material inputs and waste outputs. The design also incorporated sustainable crop production practices which promote biodiversity, such as crop rotation and intercropping, compost fertilization, recyclable growing-media, organic pest management and seed-to-seed cycles. Moreover, the architectural elements of the design were conceived from a circular-economy perspective and relied on the participation and feedback of the project stakeholders. The strong emphasis on feasibility and community involvement suggested that this UA project in Troisi Park is readily achievable and could also serve as a model for similar sites in need of regeneration.