摘要：Open spaces have become critical in planning ofcompact cities. In this article, we analyse the socialand ecological significance of the Pispala allotmentarea close to the city centre of Tampere. Local residentsuse these nearly 300 plots for urban farming,but the city is planning to take the area for buildingpurposes. We use data from field observation,planning documents, biological field surveys, andquestionnaires sent to the farmers and other localresidents. Based on a mixed-method explorativeanalysis, the findings suggest that the reiterativecycles of farming practices have far-reachingconsequences: they 1) make the place visible andmeaningful to a variety of people, 2) extend the placeover the surrounding neighborhoods by animatingsocial interaction and restoring historical meaningsand shared identity, and 3) link the site ecologicallyto a regional species pool with rare plant species dependentupon historical layers of human settlement.We conclude that these features of urban diversityare frequently disregarded by local administrativebodies, as they lie beyond the formal categories ofevidence used in planning. However, they are crucialfor understanding the social and cultural dynamicsof urban ecosystem services.
