Exploring the transformative potential of urban food

• Published in: npj Urban Sustainability Vol. 1; no. 1; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Hebinck, A., Selomane, O., Veen, E., de Vrieze, A., Hasnain, S., Sellberg, M., Sovová, L., Thompson, K., Vervoort, J., Wood, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 13-12-2021; Springer Nature B.V; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 4014/4004; 4014/4005; 704/844/685; Cities; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Food; Initiatives; Sustainability; Sustainable Development; towns; Urban areas; Urban Ecology; Urban farming; Urban Geography; Urbanism; Urbanism (inc. megacities
• ISSN: 2661-8001; 2661-8001
• DOI: 10.1038/s42949-021-00041-x

Urban food is a key lever for transformative change towards sustainability. While research reporting on the urban food practices (UFPs) in support of sustainability is increasing, the link towards transformative potential is lacking. This is because research on urban food is often place-based and contextual. This limits the applicability of insights to large-scale sustainability transformations. This paper describes UFPs that aim to contribute to transformative change. We present signposts for potential change based on the types of intended transformative changes as described in the reviewed literature based on the processes and outcomes of the urban food policies and programmes. Secondly, we classify diverse UFPs to elevate them beyond their local, place-based contexts. We find that UFPs carry a lot of potential to facilitate sustainability transformations. Based on that analysis, we provide insights on how urban food research can further contribute to harnessing the transformative potential of UFPs for actionable purposes.