CULTIVATING CHANGE: ANALYZING THE GEOSPATIAL DYNAMICS OF URBAN AGRICULTURE AND THE CORRESPONDING DEIJ IMPLICATIONS IN PORTLAND, OREGON
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Date
2024
Authors
Bowen, Karenna
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The discourse within the field of environmental science has been heavily dominated by discussions of mounting global crises stemming from growing urbanization. Downstream ramifications include food insecurity, the depletion of natural resources, and environmental concerns. As urbanization increases and access to rural land decreases, new solutions to ameliorate these issues become increasingly urgent. In response to these formidable concerns, urban agriculture (UA) is one potential solution that has grown in popularity. This thesis explores the premise of UA through a literature review that summarizes current research on the relevance, global trends, and its connection to the three pillars of sustainability—social, economic, and environmental. Building on this research, this study identifies a gap in knowledge associated with UA and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) implications. To address this, a case study is conducted in the neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon using ArcGIS Pro to assess UA’s impact on DEIJ from a racial, economic, accessibility, and environmental perspective. The results indicate that from a racial and ethnic standpoint, UA in Portland is located in primarily ethnically diverse neighborhoods. Relying on data exposing the median household income in Portland neighborhoods, UA is also determined through an economic outlook to be most prevalent in less affluent regions. To evaluate inclusion, it is found that UA plots are primarily accessible to the general public. Finally, from an environmental outlook, the distribution of UA is located typically in neighborhoods experiencing higher risk factors displayed by both the environmental hazard index and the urban heat island (UHI) index. Based on the findings from the literature review coupled with the data from the case study, it is concluded that Portland upholds many of the DEIJ principles through the implementation of UA. However, many of these issues have complexities that require future research regarding the long-term impacts between UA and DEIJ.
Description
69 pages
Keywords
Urban Agriculture, Urbanization, Sustainability, DEIJ, Portland