Mariusz Adynkiewicz-Piragas

Contemporary food systems have reached a turning point, as they are required to simultaneously ensure food security and minimize the pressure they exert on the environment, aiming to balance human needs and the rhythm of nature. The low efficiency of current models of food production and distribution systems have revealed the need for a major transition toward circular solutions based on resource circulation, local adaptation, and the responsible use of urban spaces. This study explored the integration of circular economy principles with urban agriculture as a new framework for developing resilient, low-emission, and human-centered cities. In addition, a multiscale (micro, midi, and maxi) approach, combined with SWOT, Weighted SWOT, and TOWS analyses, was applied to identify key factors, barriers, and possible directions for implementation and development strategies. The results showed that the greatest potential of these systems lies in the synergy between water and energy recovery and resource efficiency, while energy intensity and regulatory frameworks have remained major challenges. The proposed strategic approach highlights the need to link food production to renewable energy sources, implement simplified evaluation standards (TEA/LCA-lite), and strengthen social acceptance through education and transparency. Circular urban agriculture emerged as a new type of infrastructure, both technological and social, that may become a pillar of sustainable and resilient cities in the future, supporting the achievement of SDGs 11, 12, and 13.

In urban spaces, areas that can be used for cultivation are largely limited. In addition, the use of areas belonging to green–blue infrastructure for agricultural purposes is not always feasible under conditions of high urban population density. Currently, over half of the global population live in cities, which affects the price of land and how it is developed within the urban fabric. By 2050, at least 70% of the human population is estimated to be living in cities; therefore, problems related to the economics and logistics of supplying food to residents are expected to increase and become significantly more complex. Attempts to develop alternative solutions for food production that minimally absorb usable urban space and have low climate impacts on the urban fabric have already been made. One such solution is large-scale vertical food cultivation in the underground areas of cities, such as unused parts of metro stations, bunkers, basements, and underground parking lots. This study aims to analyze the feasibility of using underground urban spaces for efficient and environmentally friendly food production in terms of spatial, economic, ecological, and climatic aspects. The conducted research is based on a review of literature and urban documents, which was complemented by a SWOT analysis, a Weighted SWOT, and a TOWS matrix. The results obtained indicate a number of benefits, such as independence from weather conditions and the shortening of supply chains, while simultaneously pointing to barriers related to high energy costs and the lack of regulatory frameworks. The conclusions, however, suggest that underground farming may serve as one of the elements of critical food-related infrastructure, provided that this system is integrated into urban policies and receives additional systemic support.

Vertical farms, associated with mass production and devoid of influence on the shaping of a healthy urban biome, face new possibilities. Policies such as climate change declarations, adopted by many European capitals regarding the transition to “zero emissions”, open potential directions for shaping new multifunctional urban systems. The aim of this article is to indicate how the multifunctional vertical farm system can coexist with existing and planned blue–green urban infrastructure systems of the future. This article draws attention to the possibility of creating innovative food systems for cities while considering closed-loop circulation and the efficient management of key resources such as water and energy. Model solutions are proposed at various spatial planning scales: suburban zone, city, district, and neighborhood.

The drought event of 2018–2019 significantly affected most of Central Europe. In this study, the development and intensity of drought in the Lusatian Neisse river catchment were evaluated, based on the indices of SPI, SPEI, and low flow periods related to hydrological drought. Furthermore, multiannual variability in the drought indices, as well as the trends for air temperature and precipitation totals, were examined for 1981–2020. In the catchment, deficit of precipitation was noticed from autumn 2017 to spring 2020, additionally accompanied by a high thermal anomaly. In the summer seasons, heat waves occurred, which intensified evaporation and increased water deficit. The meteorological drought already appeared in spring 2018, developed in the following months, and became more intensive. The frequency of days with discharges >Q_70% exceeded 55%. According to SPI12 and SPEI12, the episode of 2018–2019 can be assessed as the longest period of severe drought in the whole of 1981–2020. The drought caused various consequences in the region. The deterioration of water quality and selected biological indices was one of the effects. In the sector of agriculture, yield reduction in corn and wheat amounted to 33% and 18% in 2018 and 22% and 9% in 2019. In addition, decrease in hydropower generation by more than 30% was noticed.

The article presented methods of urban development in terms of the application of the ‘sponge city’ concept, as well as the possibility of introducing different hydro-engineering solutions into the urban fabric that allow infiltration and retention at various scales of spatial planning. The aim of the paper was to indicate which specific solutions can be used in the city in multi-dimensional and multi-functional systems. As a result of the research, the concept of a ‘5-scales’ diffusion of blue-green infrastructure elements was presented. Elements of this system are based on multi-scale blue-green infrastructure, creating a patchwork of ‘blue connections’ that fit into the city ‘green’ natural system and have a connection with urban rainwater drainage. These five elements together allow for the infiltration and retention of rainwater, and can be used in the design of ecologically sustainable water-oriented cities in the future.

In this study, we examined the fate and future of sewage irrigation fields; historic urban wetlands that served as sewer drainage before modern sewage treatment plants were built. Our aim in this study was to reappraise sewage irrigation fields in the urban fabric of modern cities and to analyse the possibility of re-integrating them into the ecosystem services system, as well as into green and blue infrastructure, providing leisure and recreational opportunities, stabilising the city’s biodiversity and microclimate, and increasing water retention in these areas. The research was based on the identification of the location of sewage irrigation fields in green and blue infrastructure systems, determination of the scale and extent of their connections to the urban fabric and an analysis of their multi-functionality including: ecological, climatic, hydrological, landscape, spatial, environmental, cultural and social, educational, and tourist and recreational functions.

The subject of this article is a presentation of multi-scale passive and active solar and shading systems in urban areas. This research assumes the hypothesis that insolation systems are interdependent and that their integration in urbanized space affects the city biome. Attention has been paid to the role of innovative solutions used in the field of ur ban insolation, such as heliostats in the development of future eco-architecture and eco-urban planning. This research has been based on the assumption that only by taking into account the close symbiosis between an energy-efficient building and its appropriate insolation, in combination with properly planned surroundings, it is possible to actually achieve the principles of sustainable development in the urban fabric. The analytical part concerns detailed investigation into solutions in the field of passive and active solar architecture and urban planning, regarding both insolation and shading. The article analyzes source materials, includes descriptions of case studies, and presents a comparative analysis of passive and active solar and shading systems. The research method, both empirically and theoretically, is closely related to case study analysis and has involved collecting and systematizing data on micro and macro “solar” design systems.

The method based on original metric called Hydromorphological Index for Rivers (HIR) was developed in 2017 for the purpose of the monitoring of the hydromorphological status of flowing waters in Poland. It fulfils requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). It allows assessment of...

Water resources are one of the most important issues affected by climate change. Climate scenarios show that in the upcoming decades, further climate change can occur. It concerns especially air temperature and sunshine duration, whose prognosis indicates a significant rising trend till the end of the century. The goal of the paper was the evaluation of water resources and hydropower production in the future, depending on climate scenarios with a consideration of risk analysis. The analysis was carried out on the basis of observation data for the Lusatian Neisse river basin (Poland) for 1971–2015 and climate projections till 2100 for the RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 (representative concentration pathways) scenarios. The results of the research showed that, especially in terms of RCP8.5, very high risk of decrease in water resources and hydropower production is expected in the future. Therefore, recommendations for mitigation of the possible effects are presented.