Introduction

There are many cases in developed countries where urban problems have been solved by social innovations guided through urban agriculture. Urban agriculture is also growing rapidly in China, especially in Shanghai, where community gardens are meeting the needs of residents and improving life satisfaction (LS). Now, Shanghai is also actively searching for a sustainable development approach. Therefore, the purpose of our study is to clarify a mechanism of how urban agriculture can change the cognition and behavior of urban residents’ perceptions and behaviors of residents through its multi-functionality in Shanghai, China, and improve the quality of life of residents as well as influences urban development directions by solving social problems and inducing socio-cultural changes in the city.