| dc.description.abstract | Abstract Global concern is growing over our increasing populations and how our food systems and cities will cope. This research is focussed on the extent to which rooftop urban agriculture can be integrated into agricultural urbanism, a holistic approach to urban planning and development which considers all elements of our food systems across urban areas (de la Salle, 2010). Ultimately, this paper answers the central question: What opportunities and barriers exist for rooftop urban agriculture in transitions towards agricultural urbanism in Europe? This research question is investigated in the form of a case study, focussing on three European cities: Paris, Graz and London. Rooftop urban agriculture appears to be an emerging technological innovation system in Paris, given its dynamic set of components and functions actively contributing to the development of the field (Bergek, Hekkert, Jacobsson, et al., 2015). Graz and London have not achieved the same momentum, with only one commercial rooftop urban agriculture project discovered in each. The Paris case, therefore, anchors this study, from which Graz and London will be compared. An interdisciplinary approach to this research is utilised, combining two socio-technical transition frameworks (Technological Innovation System and Multi-Level Perspective) with social practice theory (Bourdieu’s the habitus) (Bergek, Jacobsson, Carlsson et al., 2008; Geels, 2011; Bourdieu, 1984). An exploration of the functional dynamics, or to what extent system functions are interconnected and mutually reinforcing one another, as well as situating this within the broader societal discourse on changing food preferences, is undertaken for a better understanding of what activates the mechanisms of transition within this food system (Bergek et al., 2008; Quitzow, 2015). Opportunities and barriers are identified both in the functional dynamics of these systems and the opportunities for deeper research into the complexity of societal discourses and consumer practice. It concluded that more research is required in their extent of influence upon socio-technical transition processes to understand if agricultural urbanism is indeed the most appropriate transitions for each of these places. | eng |