Ivan Eladio Gaxiola Camacho's Conference Summary
Ivan Eladio Gaxiola Camacho
Ph.D. Student
Arid Lands Resource Sciences GIDP
Conference Summary
Urban Agriculture 2018
Brockenhurst, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Urban agriculture, which involves the growing of crops within urban areas, is an environmental design strategy that can be implemented in and around building structures. It can contribute on energy conservation, reducing CO2 emissions, improving air quality, diminishing food scarcity, etc. The dissemination of knowledge about producing crops within cities and its implications is relevant to achieve a higher level of adaptation to food and energy demand of a world with an increasing urban population.
In view of the above, the first International Conference on Urban Agriculture and City Sustainability, which took place in New Forest, UK during the 9th, 10th and 11th of October 2018, was organized by the Wessex Institute of Technology. Its objective was to share and examine information on how the growing of crops within cities can aid on sustainable urban development, particularly in face of increasing food demand, and scarcity of natural resources. The event attendees were associated to a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, architecture, arid lands resource sciences, biology, economy, geography, horticulture, landscape architecture and regional planning, mechanical engineering, and urban planning.
Being able to attend and present at this conference was a unique professional and academic experience since my PhD research project involves the development of an urban agriculture model looking forward to contribute on the mitigation of the urban heat island effect in urban cores located within arid regions. My research interests include energy efficient design, the use of energy in buildings, outdoor human thermal comfort, urban climate, and urban agriculture.
My main role in this conference was to co-present the paper titled “Architectural implementation of vegetated cover from agriculture for restoring human thermal comfort and mitigating the urban heat island effect in arid regions” which I co-authored with Dr. Nader Chalfoun and MSc. Arch. Colby Moeller, who belong to the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona.
During our presentation, Professor Moeller and I discussed the effects of integrating vegetated surfaces to architecture components of a building envelope located within the main campus of the University of Arizona. We focused on the influence that urban agriculture can have on guaranteeing and/or restoring outdoor human thermal comfort.
Attending this conference allowed me to witness a variety of robust academic perspectives on urban agriculture, backed up with methodologies which I can benefit from for future research. It was advantageous to be part of this event since I strengthened my network, and expanded my understanding on Urban Agriculture.
I would like to thank The GIDP Administration Office and GIDP Advisory Council (GIDPAC) for granting me the Herbert E. Carter travel award in order to accomplish this academic and professional project. I am grateful for this support, and I encourage GIDP students to apply and use this award to advance their academic career.
Respectfully,
Ivan Gaxiola