Multiscapes and Urbanisation: The Case for Spatial Agroecology

Richard Morris, Shannon Davis, Gwen-Aëlle Grelet and Pablo Gregorini
Additional contact information
Richard Morris: Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7674, New Zealand
Shannon Davis: Centre of Excellence Designing Future Productive Landscapes, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7674, New Zealand
Gwen-Aëlle Grelet: Manaaki Whenua—Landcare Research, 54 Gerald Street, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand
Pablo Gregorini: Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7674, New Zealand

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-22

Abstract: The two most significant signatures of the Anthropocene—agriculture and urbanisation—have yet to be studied synoptically. The term periurban is used to describe territory where the urbanising trend of the planet extends into multiscapes. A periurban praxis is required that spatially reconciles urbanisation and agriculture, simultaneously permitting urban growth and the enhancement of critical ecosystem services provided by agricultural hinterlands. This paper presents a synthesis of four fields of ecological research that converge on periurban multiscapes—ecological urbanism, landscape ecology, ecosystem services science and agroecology. By applying an ecosystem services approach, a diagram is developed that connects these fields as a holistic praxis for spatially optimising periurban multiscapes for ecosystem services performance. Two spatial qualities of agroecology—‘ES Density’ and ‘ES Plasticity’—potentiate recent areas of research in each of the other three fields—ecology for the city from ecological urbanism, landscape metrics from landscape ecology (particularly the potential application of fractals and surface metrics) and ecosystem services supply and demand mapping and ‘ES Space’ theory from ecosystems services science. While the multifunctional value of agroecological systems is becoming widely accepted, this paper focuses on agroecology’s specific spatial value and its unique capacity to supply ecosystem services specifically tailored to the critical ecosystemic demands of periurban multiscapes.

Keywords: agroecology; periurban; multifunctionality; ecosystem service bundles; landscape metrics; land-use planning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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