Andre Viljoen

Sustainable food planning: evolving theory and practice

Municipal markets have been recognised by both government and industry as valuable social spaces which can address growing public health issues in urban areas such as obesity. Yet, there is a lack of evidence linking markets to the public health impacts that are claimed. his chapter will provide indicatory levels of food access at a large municipal market in Leeds and extrapolate the indings into a discussion on the wider potential role of municipal markets in urban food strategies. Speciic focus will be on the role on markets in addressing food access for low-income urban communities. As urban food strategies develop in towns and cities across Britain, steering groups and urban planners need to take a realistic look at potential existing food strategy assets. Historically, traditional British markets have been important municipal bodies that ensured urban dwellers have access to an adequate and afordable diet.In the UK, the term food co-op is used to describe a range of food projects and initiatives. This chapter explores the current meaning of the term food co-op and presents original research that draws on data collected for the first phase of an evaluation for the Making Local Food Work Programme. Data for this chapter is based on ranking exercises completed by food co-op stakeholders in the UK as well as semi structured interviews with food co-op volunteers, organisers and customers. The research is part of the first stage of a larger impact evaluation of food co-ops. Different types of food co-op operations will be presented. These include locations in an urban church, a community centre, a primary school, a pub, and a market stall. This is a practical study that aims to analyse the range of benefits food co-ops can have as well as addressing the challenges.

Urban Intensification and the Integration of Productive Landscape

Contradictory claims are currently made for the desirable density of sustainable cities. The prevailing view is that high densities are appropriate for sustainable cities. By contrast, authors assessing the environmental impact of remote food production suggest much lower densities. In this paper three design proposals for cities in the U.K., at different densities are used as case studies. These explore the architectural possibilities for introducing urban agriculture to cities and assess the relationship between density and environmental impact.