Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2014

Informal Urban Agriculture

The Secret Lives of Guerrilla Gardeners

  • First major critical evaluation of guerrilla gardening in the UK
  • Responds to increasing concerns for local food production and food security
  • Urban agriculture, such as guerrilla gardening, could improve many spaces - large and small - in every town or city

Part of the book series: Urban Agriculture (URBA)

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
  2. Guerrilla Urban Agriculture: Unearthing the Hidden Movement

    • Michael Hardman, Peter J. Larkham
    Pages 1-9
  3. Cultivating the City

    • Michael Hardman, Peter J. Larkham
    Pages 11-35
  4. Unearthing the Unpermitted Movement

    • Michael Hardman, Peter J. Larkham
    Pages 37-57
  5. On the Ground with Guerrillas: An Ethnographical Reflection

    • Michael Hardman, Peter J. Larkham
    Pages 59-87
  6. Who Owns This Space? Authorities and Guerrilla Gardeners

    • Michael Hardman, Peter J. Larkham
    Pages 127-156
  7. Exploring Impact: Consulting Actors Surrounding Guerrilla Gardening Sites

    • Michael Hardman, Peter J. Larkham
    Pages 157-183
  8. Guerrilla Gardeners, Urban Agriculture, Food and the Future

    • Michael Hardman, Peter J. Larkham
    Pages 185-196
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 197-208

About this book

The book explores how unused and under-used urban spaces – from grass verges, roundabouts, green spaces – have been made more visually interesting and more productive, by informal (and usually illegal) groups known as “guerrilla gardeners”. The book focuses on groups in the English Midlands but the work is set in a broad international context and reveals how and why they undertake this illegal activity. Guerrilla gardening is usually viewed uncritically and promoted as a worthwhile activity: this study provides a more balanced evaluation and focuses on its contribution in terms of local food production.

Authors and Affiliations

  • School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom

    Michael Hardman

  • Birmingham School of the Built Env., Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Peter J. Larkham

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Informal Urban Agriculture

  • Book Subtitle: The Secret Lives of Guerrilla Gardeners

  • Authors: Michael Hardman, Peter J. Larkham

  • Series Title: Urban Agriculture

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09534-9

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-09533-2Published: 15 October 2014

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-34791-2Published: 23 August 2016

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-09534-9Published: 01 October 2014

  • Series ISSN: 2197-1730

  • Series E-ISSN: 2197-1749

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 208

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations, 34 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Agriculture, Urban Ecology, Sustainable Development, Social Structure, Social Inequality

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access