Urban Agriculture as an Integrative Factor of Climate-Optimised Urban Development, Casablanca

The research strategy contains three research levels – major issues of research and policy orientation (macro level), generic concepts and solutions (meso level) and action research-driven activities in the form of pilot projects (micro level).

Results stemming from activities on the macro level will be fed into the meso and the micro level, and vice versa, thus contributing to the adjustment of our concepts and to the improvement of solutions found so far. This research process is accompanied by three transversal work packages, ensuring the reciprocity of all levels. 

These work packages have been conceived as three activity blocks: service activities (capacity building and communication activities), implementation support activities (strategies, toolbox, action plan), and synthesis activities (scientific exploitation of results, transferability check of results, assessment, potential for scaling up).  

The project structure

1. illustrates the various spatial reference strata (termed the macro, meso and micro levels) which represent a frame of interdependent active mechanisms;
2. makes the implementation-orientated approaches (pilot projects, action plan as component of the research layout) derived from the forms of action research apparent;
3. illustrates the integrative, topic-orientated working approach in the project.

The work process is organised by nine inter- and transdisciplinary work packages divided into several modules. These packages will draw together the specific preliminary results. The spiral-shaped working process allows all the work packages to be treated simultaneously throughout the whole project period, but equally with varied emphasis. Each WP is headed by a specifically nominated WP leader who assumes responsibility for the efficient processing of the deliverables and anticipated results.