The Common Foodscape

Abstract

Food is a vital part of our lives and throughout history it has shaped our cities. However, our current agricultural practices exhaust our natural environment and are threatened by climate change. Next to that, the design of our food system is highly susceptible to global instabilities. With the population only increasing and more people living inside cities, the pressure on the food system is only growing. This increases food insecurity and further planetary urbanization.

Urban agriculture is seen as a possible method to transform the food system into a sustainable system. In research, the qualities of urban agriculture and its effect on the food system are discussed. Yet, the effect on the direct surroundings are mostly ignored. At the same time, when these effects are reviewed, little differentiation is made between different types of urban agriculture. Hence, this paper focuses on the question: How can urban agriculture be implemented into cities to improve the liveability of the city? This is done using literature review, case study analysis and design experiments.

The research shows that the effect of urban agriculture on liveability is highly dependent on the strategy that is being implemented. Liveability consists of six dimensions: Stability, education, healthcare, facilities, social cohesion and physical environment. No direct effects can be measured on stability education and healthcare. Nevertheless, literature suggests there might be indirect positive effects. Facilities, social cohesion and physical environment can be improved through urban agriculture. Here, the strategy that is being implemented determines which dimension of urban agriculture is improved. There is not one strategy that improves all aspects of liveability, instead each strategy has its own strength. Other aspects that influence the liveability are the production system, activity, area, location, product and destination. Altogether, there is not one design in urban agriculture that can improve liveability, some aspects of urban agriculture might decrease liveability. Hence, a balance needs to be found between changing the food system and creating a qualitative living environment.