Urban agriculture as green infrastructure: A sociotechnical systems analysis of actors, power and governance

Abstract

Urban agriculture (UA) serves as a vital form of green infrastructure, yet its broader adoption is constrained by institutional fragmentation and power asymmetries. The objective of research is to identify the key actors, their roles, gaps, and interactions, which could influence the potential integration of UA within urban governance and planning processes. Utilizing a sociotechnical systems framework across 73 empirical case studies, this paper categorizes 112 human and organizational actors and 146 non‐human actors and enabling technical systems across 10 thematic areas to better understand UA. The analysis revealed that the capital‐intensive, technology‐dependent UA systems consolidate top‐down control among corporate and statutory elites, whereas low‐tech, open‐ground allotments foster bottom‐up agency. To better integrate UA as green infrastructure in urban development, this study proposes a distributed power architecture centered on connections between Community and User actors, Civil Society and Support actors, Knowledge and Research actors, and Municipal and Local Authorities. Emerging technologies may then serve as potential mechanisms for strengthening these connections and enabling community‐led implementation of UA as sustainable green infrastructure. These four actor cohorts were repeatedly highlighted in the analysis for their synergistic potential to bridge statutory policy, scientific validation, civic advocacy, and everyday local stewardship, while secondary stakeholders provide supporting finance and technical delivery. A systems view of UA actors can assist in understanding the means to systematically reduce information and power gaps between grassroots practitioners and institutional decision‐makers. The developed governance model supports democratic self‐governance, protects urban green commons against development gentrification, and can secure the permanent, equitable adoption of UA across metropolitan landscapes.