Urban agriculture: how to implement it on rooftops and terraces? A practical guide.

Urban agriculture is proliferating on our rooftops and terraces as a reaction of co-owners of buildings who want a greener city, of innovative operators and startups, of associations and local authorities who encourage short food supply chains, of urban planners, property developers, and builders who adapt their buildings to new uses.

Rainfall water retention, preservation of biodiversity, waste recovery, thermal insulation… Rooftop vegetable gardens contribute to the urban revegetation trend at the building scale. These food production areas contribute to short food supply chains and are a vector of social linkage and pedagogy, such as in the case of shared gardens.

This book is the work of two young engineers graduated from AgroParisTech (Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences). It is an operational and technical guide written in French that reflects the mindset of those who advocate for a sustainable way of life. Enriched with photos, illustrations and graphics, the book includes examples of projects implemented in several French cities.

“Agriculture urbaine : comment aménager une toiture-terrasse” is the first of guide from the lab recherche environnement VINCI ParisTech, the research program based on the partnership between VINCI and three ParisTech schools (MINES ParisTech, AgroParisTech, École des Ponts ParisTech). This scientific patronage aims at supporting research on the environmental performance of buildings and infrastructure

The book is available in French in bookstores and in ebook format

Event

Presentation of “Agriculture urbaine : comment aménager une toiture-terrasse” by the coauthors

On September 21 at 5h30 pm

Online and at Leonard:Paris – 6 place du Colonel Bourgoin 75012 Paris

During the conference « Urban and vertical farmers »,
organised by the lab recherche environnement in the framework of the Building Beyond festival
by Leonard, the foresight and innovation platform by VINCI.

Please, register to the event by the 7th of September

The opportunities and technical challenges of urban agriculture
will be discussed with practitioners and scientists:
Léon Garaix (City of Paris, Parisculteurs programme), Pascal Hardy (Agripolis),
Pascal Michaud (VINCI Construction France), Christine Aubry and Erica Dorr (AgroParisTech).

The authors 

Paola MUGNIER is a mentee of the Women4Climate programme by the C40 for her commitment to bringing nature to cities. She contributes to the ecological transition of cities and territories and she’s particularly sensitive to the social and societal issues. She supports city stakeholders – such as property developers and local authorities – in the development of biodiversity and urban agriculture.

Fanny PROVENT is an agronomist specialised in urban agriculture and she coordinates the « Urban agriculture, ecosystem services and urban food supply » chair at AgroParisTech. She’s strongly committed to these topics and advocates for greener cities, nature-based solutions and green urban infrastructures, in response to urgent environmental issues.

Table of contents 

Urban agriculture settles on the rooftops

1. Urban forms of agriculture
2. The advantages of making rooftops fertile
3. The peculiar ecosystem of the fifth facade
4. A shift towards “circular buildings”

Implementation guidelines

1. Getting to know the project area and defining it
2. Identifying the main elements of the roof structure
3. Identifying the necessary flows for a rooftop farm
4. What equipment for more functionality?
5. Anticipating the project management

Project methodology and fact sheets

1. The main project stages for a new or an existing building
2. Regulation and reference documents
3. Fact sheets presenting different forms of urban agriculture
4. Fact sheets presenting practices and feedbacks from rooftop agriculture projects
5. Bibliography