I will pass this on to our tech guys, who can probably answer most of it
better than I can. Two things that I can comment on: the crops grown in the
very center of B5 will be grown under artificial lighting conditions to
replicate natural light. Heck, we've already got lights that can be used
underground and in nurseries for that purpose...and creating such an
environment that way is easier than a complex system of mirrors and windows
(and windows are at best problematic, now matter how strong they are).

Second it *does* take quite a bit of time to fully decelerate for
docking. One option you have to save time is the energy-dampers positioned
quite a ways outside B5. We're still working out the technology on that one,
but it *seems* to hold up.

Oh...and yes, we're looking at a gravity range from 0 to 2Gs. Anybody
not content with that can bloody well deal with it.

jms

"Babylon 5: We're A Space Station, Not The Club Med In Space"