Whose city? Reflections on urban agroecology as multispecies commons

Elisa Privitera and Noa Cykman

Chapter 7 in Reflexive Urban Governance, 2025, pp 121-141 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Despite growing interest in multispecies studies, the role of nature and other species in reflexive governance remains under-investigated. This chapter addresses this gap by examining how multispecies groups have influenced, and can further influence, reflexive urban governance. Stemming from the acknowledgment of an unbalanced power relationship between cities and nature, and between human and more-than-human beings, this chapter explores what triggers multispecies reflexivity and how biodiverse beings can be integrated into urban policy. To this end, we analyze two public urban agroecology projects framed as multispecies commons: the Isla Vista Food Forest in California, United States, and the Picasso Food Forest in Parma, Italy. These initiatives incorporate multispecies perspectives into their governance and offer valuable insights into the challenges and successes of multispecies governance. Through these examples, we highlight challenges and accomplishments of integrating diverse beings into urban management and new avenues for creating multispecies commons and multispecies reflexive urban governance.

Keywords: Urban food forest; Agroecology; Food justice; Multispecies commons; Multispecies reflexivity; Ecological urban design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781803927336
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