The Fertile City

Abstract

Cities are attracting people increasingly because of the work opportunities, universities and wide range of facilities. It is estimated that the world population will grow up to 10 billion people by 2050 with the majority living in cities. In Europe 80% of the population will live in cities by that time (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, 2017). As more people will move into cities, the demand for food in cities will arise too. This means that somewhere else in the world natural landscapes have to be transformed into agriculture in order to feed us. Yet 73% of deforestation can be attributed to agriculture and deforestation is likely to continue with projected increases in food demand (Global Environmental Change 28). The UN report (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, 2017) estimates that 70% more food need to be produced by 2050 to feed the expected 10 billion of world population. That is equal to 1 bn tones more wheat, rice and other cereals and 200 more tones of beef and other livestock. This is a very difficult to achieve because most available farmland is already being farmed and in ways that decrease its productivity and lead to soil erosion and water wasting. The aim of this research is not to solve this unsustainable global food system, but rather to make people aware of what is going on and how our food model has been transformed through decades. This will make people aware of the big impacts the controlled food system has on the climate, their food and therefore their health and even their wallet.The aim is also to make citizens able to grow their own fruits and vegetables and not to be 100% dependent on the unsustainable world’s food system. This is indirect a great step into changing our food model. This leads to the research question of this thesis which is:
How can the architecture of a residential building create an active way for people to get involved in the food system again? In order to answer this question research studies have been made, including literature studies, plan analyses and site analysis. When people who share the same interest and fascination about food awareness will live at the same residential building or in the same neighborhood, they can share their knowledge and build up an sustainable urban environment with a sustainable food system. Due to this people can relate much better to their food.