Future of Food: Journal on Food

OrtiAlti as urban regeneration devices

Emanuela Saporito
LInteruniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST); Polytechnic School of Turin, Italy

This paper discusses the role rooftop food gardens can play as urban regeneration devices, by combining environmental and social benefits and leveraging food production as a mediating function. In particular, this study focuses on the case of OrtiAlti, an action-research project based in Turin, set up to revitalize abandoned or under-utilized urban buildings through rooftop community gardens. The research is aimed at understanding the extent to which rooftop farming can contribute to urban regeneration processes if framed as a social innovation practice of place-making and urban resilience. OrtiAlti is indeed a metaphor, a way to demystify the old categories of spatial planning. It represents a new ontology that redefines the conflicting relationship between public and private sectors in the use of resources, such as land, that recognizes certain categories of urban spaces and activities as multi-dimensional, and that includes new economic and social actors as subjects able to produce values of collective interest for the community.

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Myanmar High School Students’ Perceptions of College and International Readiness in Western Society

Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
International students are more likely to experience mental health issues and increased stress. Mental health is often surrounded by negative societal stigmas that act as barriers to seeking support and tend to lead to greater mental health concerns. International students tend to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers rather than seeking out counseling services. However, this study shows that LGBTQIA+ international students were less likely to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers due to fear of their sexual orientation being discovered and their families finding out about their identity. This study examines how LGBTQIA+ international students talk about their experiences on and off campus in relations to their socioemotional well-being. Specifically, this study sought to better understand the complexities of LGBTQIA+ students’ identities, and the challenges they faced in terms of their socioemotional well-being. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords : international students, socioemotional well-being, mental health, identity development, intersectionality, LGBTQIA