RGP Cycle Four Grantees and Projects
Samer Raddad: Integrating Urban Farmers in Urban Development Plans as a Form of Resistance amid Political Instability: Palestine as a Case Study
For the first time in the history of humanity, the urban population exceeded 50% of the world’s inhabitants in 2007, according to the United Nations (UN). This number is expected to rise to 66% by 2050. There is no doubt that this urban population hike will not come without problems, which include a decline in natural resources, decrease in agricultural lands and increase in all forms of pollution, in addition to many social and economic problems like higher unemployment, poverty and crime rates. These problems are real challenges for decision-makers in urban settings, which is why the world is leaning towards sustainable urban development to weather this storm. Urban agriculture is one of the pillars of sustainable urban development, but unfortunately, agricultural activity in cities is considered illegal. So, urban planners drive it away from cities. Besides, urban farmers are not seen as essential components of urban planning in developing countries, especially in regions plagued by political tensions, like Palestine that is under Israeli occupation.
Urban agriculture can play a significant role in the endurance of citizens and can offer them food security, especially in cases of military blockade and political instability. The study raises a key question: How can Palestinian urban farmers be included in urban development plans as a resistance tool in times of political instability? The study adopts a quantitative, qualitative and cartographic approach by collecting, processing, and analyzing primary and secondary data with a focus on building a strategic model to integrate urban farmers in urban development plans in Palestine.
Supporting agricultural activity in cities largely contributes to achieving sustainable urban development plans and supporting the citizens’ resistance and dignified survival, especially amid political instability. Palestine is a typical case of a politically unstable region in the world in general, and the Arab world in particular.
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Samer Raddad is a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Geography and Urban Studies and the Center for Spatial Studies at Al-Quds University in Palestine. He previously served as the Head of Department and Coordinator of the Master's Program in Geography and Regional Planning at Al-Quds University. He is a member of the Administrative and Editorial Board of the Palestinian Geographical Society journal. He holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the School of Housing, Building, and Planning at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). His research focuses on urban and regional planning, monitoring and management of urban development, land use planning, planning of public services, sustainable urban development, urban agriculture, geo-information and remote sensing systems in spatial planning, popular participation in planning, and geo-information systems and urban planning in higher education. Raddad has a number of scientific researches published internationally in the fields of modeling urban development, land use planning and urban development, especially amid political instability. He is currently working on the development of urban planning policies towards urban agriculture and the management of sustainable urban development through the use of geo-information technologies.
