The Possibility of Sustainable Urban Horticulture Based on Nature Therapy

Bibliometric Analysis of Nature-Based Therapy Research

Unrestrained urbanisation and natural space loss are reducing contact with nature in today's society, producing negative consequences for people's mental and physical health and wellbeing. Nature-based therapies, such as physical activity in natural settings, forest bathing, therapeutic hiking, or experiential learning, reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms and improve the quality of life in both general and specific populations. A bibliometric analysis of research on nature-based therapies was performed by applying the traditional laws of bibliometrics (exponential growth law, Bradford's concentration law, Lotka's law, Zipf's law, etc.) to documents published in journals indexed in the Core Collection of the Web of Science (WoS). Graphical visualisation was performed using the VOSviewer software. Annual publications between 2006 and 2021 presented an exponential growth trend (R² = 91%). The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (MDPI) and Urban Forestry & Urban Greening (Elsevier) were the most productive and cited journals. Ikei, Miyazaki, and Song are the most cited prolific authors. The USA and South Korea were the countries with the highest scientific production. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in adventure, nature, and forest therapies among researchers. Nature-based therapies have experienced a growing interest in recent years. Positive effects on mental, physical, and emotional health have been found in different populations and research lines, although more studies with different designs and populations are needed.

Using the Halophyte Crithmum maritimum in Green Roofs for Sustainable Urban Horticulture: Effect of Substrate and Nutrient Content Analysis including Potentially Toxic Elements

The effect of substrate type and cultivation site in the urban fabric on growth, nutrient content and potentially toxic element (PTE) accumulation in tissues of the halophyte Crithmum maritimum was studied. Plantlets were cultivated for twelve months in containers with a green-roof infrastructure fitted and placed either on an urban second-floor roof or on ground level by the side of a moderate-traffic street. Two substrate types were used; one comprising grape marc compost, perlite and pumice (3:3:4, v/v) and one composed of grape marc compost, perlite, pumice and soil (3:3:2:2, v/v), with 10 cm depth. Plants grew well on both sites, although aboveground growth parameters and nutrient content in leaves were greater at street level. Both cultivation site and substrate type affected heavy-metal accumulation in plant tissues. Cu, Ni and Fe concentrations in leaves and Pb in roots were higher in street-level-grown plants compared to the roof-grown plants, and concentrations of Cu and Mn in leaves and Fe in both leaves and roots were lower in the soilless substrate compared to the soil-substrate, making the soilless type preferable in the interest of both safer produce for human consumption and lower construction weight in the case of green-roof cultivation.

Restoration of Visitors through Nature-Based Tourism: A Systematic Review, Conceptual Framework, and Future Research Directions

Visiting natural environments could restore health and contribute to human sustainability. However, the understanding of potential linkages between restoration of visitors and nature-based tourism remains incomplete, resulting in a lack of orientation for researchers and managers. This study aimed to explore how visitors achieve restoration through nature by analyzing published literature on tourism. Using a systematic review method, this study examined destination types, participant traits, theoretical foundations, and potential restorative outcomes presented in 34 identified articles. A new framework that synthesizes relevant research and conceptualizes the restorative mechanisms of nature-based tourism from a human–nature interaction perspective was developed. Owing to the limitations in the theories, methods, cases, and the COVID-19 pandemic, interdisciplinary methods and multisensory theories are needed in the future to shed further light on the restoration of visitors through nature-based tourism. The findings provide a theoretical perspective on the consideration of nature-based tourism as a public-wellness product worldwide, and the study provides recommendations for future research in a COVID-19 or post-COVID-19 society.

Urban Horticulture for Food Secure Cities through and beyond COVID-19

Sufficient production, consistent food supply, and environmental protection in urban +settings are major global concerns for future sustainable cities. Currently, sustainable food supply is under intense pressure due to exponential population growth, expanding urban dwellings, climate change, and limited natural resources. The recent novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic crisis has impacted sustainable fresh food supply, and has disrupted the food supply chain and prices significantly. Under these circumstances, urban horticulture and crop cultivation have emerged as potential ways to expand to new locations through urban green infrastructure. Therefore, the objective of this study is to review the salient features of contemporary urban horticulture, in addition to illustrating traditional and innovative developments occurring in urban environments. Current urban cropping systems, such as home gardening, community gardens, edible landscape, and indoor planting systems, can be enhanced with new techniques, such as vertical gardening, hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and rooftop gardening. These modern techniques are ecofriendly, energy- saving, and promise food security through steady supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables to urban neighborhoods. There is a need, in this modern era, to integrate information technology tools in urban horticulture, which could help in maintaining consistent food supply during (and after) a pandemic, as well as make agriculture more sustainable.