Paesaggi transitori e agricoltura urbana: possibilità dagli scenari di espansione urbana a Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro

Urban and periurban agricultural landscapes have been given more attention by academic literature over the past years. Acknowledgement of the importance of agricultural activities in cities has often managed to expand its establishment and maintenance in inner cities and their outskirts. This paper discusses urban agriculture on cities peripheries in a scenario of urban expansion, from the concept of multifunctional landscape. Focusing on Guaratiba neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, it argues that the process of urban expansion of the city does not invest in the inclusion of this activity within the socio-environmental dynamics of the area. The paper concludes stressing that cities fringes present experimental possibilities for new approaches in planning and development through a multifunctional perspective, where the practice of agriculture is one of the strategies that can incorporate environmental values and local traditions.