The Multifunctional Role of Urban Gardens in the Twentieth Century. The Bologna Case Study

"Urban Agriculture (UA) is an activity that produces, processes, and markets food and other products, on land and water in urban and peri-urban areas, applying intensive production methods, and (re) using natural resources and urban wastes, to yield a diversity of crops and livestock" (UNDP, 1996). UA began to develop with the urbanization process, that is, moving of people from villages and farms to cities. Initially the activity was generally practiced for income-earning or food producing but gradually the concept of urban agriculture expanded to ecological, social, educational and even "therapeutic" aspects. The multifunctional role of agriculture and in particular of vegetable and fruits production (horticulture) in most of European urbanized areas is officially recognized at the beginning of the 1980s. Since then an increasing number of associations and hobbyists are working in this field, creating a new style of consumption based on self-production of food. In the specific case of Bologna, this has resulted in 3,000 spot gardens (land plot of approximately 30-40 m(2) each for growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, ornamental shrubs or trees) grouped in 20 main community allotments, controlled by municipal administrations and assigned mainly to elderly people. However more and more often their management involves young people (usually unemployed), immigrants, women and several social associations. The community gardens have therefore became an example of places where people meet, discover old and new production techniques and exchange traditions and cultures.