Perceptions on barriers and opportunities for integrating urban agri-green roofs: A European Mediterranean compact city case

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to analyse the barriers and opportunities with regard to the implementation of urban agri-green roofs (UAGR) in cities. The case study was conducted in Barcelona, a Mediterranean compact city. The World Café methodology and a semi-quantitative analysis were used in this work. Five categories of barriers and opportunities were discussed (social, environmental, legal/administrative, technological/architectural, and economic) by interdisciplinary stakeholders.In total, 103 barriers and opportunities were identified. The main barriers identified were as follows: the lack of information and social cohesion regarding UAGR projects; the Mediterranean climate; the lack of specific regulations and protocols; and the initial investment, the pre-condition of the roof and its load bearing capacity. The main opportunities identified were as follows: social cohesion, improved life quality, new specific regulations, the profits derived from UAGR projects and aesthetic improvement. The UAGR's scale of impact results showed a homogeneous distribution between "building" and "city", while the "global" scale remains residual. Regarding the stage of the UAGR life cycle at which barriers and opportunities emerge, the results highlight how most opportunities appear during the "use" stage of the roof, whereas barriers do so during the "project" stage.

Potential Key Factors, Policies, and Barriers for Rooftop Agriculture in EU Cities: Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, and Paris

“…However, research on this issue is still recent, and further empirical evidence is necessary to validate the findings in different contexts. This study further revealed that stakeholders perceived the cost of water as a "hindering" factor, which had not been identified previously (Cerón-Palma et al, 2012;Specht et al, 2015Specht et al, , 2016aSanyé-Mengual et al, 2016;Specht and Sanyé-Mengual, 2017;Zambrano-Prado et al, 2021). Water for irrigation of crops can be expensive in urban areas.…”

“…In addition, financial incentives, the development of new technologies, education, food production and local policies such as the Milan urban food policy pact and Parisculteurs program were identified in this study as "promoting" RUA. Policies targeting the development of new technology not found in the previous literature (Cerón-Palma et al, 2012;Specht et al, 2015Specht et al, , 2016aSanyé-Mengual et al, 2016;Specht and Sanyé-Mengual, 2017;Zambrano-Prado et al, 2021) were also identified by the stakeholders in this study, possibly due to the involvement of academics. This finding is relevant for exploring techniques, procedures, and resource efficiencies for RUA.…”

“…Such barriers can be addressed with the support of financial policies and incentives, such as those already implemented in Barcelona and Paris. However, the initial investment goes beyond the financial cost, since maintenance of this kind of infrastructure is also expensive and constitutes an additional barrier during the operation stage (Zambrano-Prado et al, 2021). Therefore, for RUA that are successful and do not turn into short-lived projects, maintenance costs beyond the initial costs must be studied and considered.…”

Green methods that are used to ensure the sustainable development of the environment and the society

“…These can vary from legislation deficiency to clime characteristics or cost. On the other hand, positive aspects such as life quality enhancement, good opportunities for landscape painters to expand, or aesthetic enhancement need to be mentioned [11].…”

Visibilising the climate in social policies in Barcelona: Connections in the urban context

“…Faced with this reality, cities such as Barcelona have begun to tackle the climate challenge vigorously in areas such as urban mobility and energy efficiency while also integrating elements of social welfare. But these actions are still perceived as distant by citizens who report barriers such as lack of information, scepticism, feelings that some measures will bring more problems than benefits, or lack of social cohesion, including low community involvement (Echavarren et al ., 2019; Geiger and Swim, 2016; Zambrano-Prado et al ., 2021). Regardless of the barriers perceived by citizens, the global agreement is that all cities will experience the effects of climate change to a greater or lesser extent through different impacts on their urban metabolism and infrastructure and will suffer increased risk and vulnerability.…”