Identifying agricultural areas with potential for city connections: A regional-scale methodology for urban planning

The main objective of this study was to characterize the spatial structure of periurban agriculture for the purpose of operational urban development, avoiding the use of cumbersome and costly surveys when the public action sphere is extended to a region or a country. On the basis of Partial Least Squares-Path Modeling (PLS-PM), the approach developed here uses data freely available in France and makes it possible to analyze complex re-lationships between the socio-economic structure of farms, demography, landscape structure, and landscape management and function. The results are used to identify spatial units of periurban farmland (USAP). Aggre-gated at the municipal level, they reveal municipalities under the influence of an urban pole whose agricultural areas have a greater possibility of developing short marketing chains towards the city and that could conse-quently justify public support for local supply options.

Automated summary

This study aims to characterize the spatial structure of periurban agriculture for urban development purposes without relying on costly surveys. Using Partial Least Squares-Path Modeling (PLS-PM) and freely available data in France, the study successfully identifies spatial units of periurban farmland and potential areas for short marketing chains towards urban centers, highlighting the need for public support in local supply options.