Creating synergies around food in cities

Koopmans, Marlinde E, Mettepenningen, Evy, Kunda, Ilona, Keech, Daniel ORCID: 0000-0003-4112-9030 and Tisenkopfs, Talis (2017) Creating synergies around food in cities. Urban Agriculture and Regional Food Systems, 2. pp. 1-9. doi:10.2134/urbanag2016.06.0003

Preview

Text (Post peer reviewed version) Creating synergies around food in cities.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 4.0. Download (387kB) | Preview

Abstract

This paper focusses on the phenomenon of multifunctional urban food initiatives (MUFIs) and how, using food as a vehicle, they provide integrative solutions for a number of social, environmental and economic problems in European cities. Through an in-depth investigation of three MUFIs in the UK, Latvia and Belgium, the paper aims to increase understanding on how different activities are combined within MUFIs, leading to the creation and strengthening of synergies: both internal, between the different activities performed within MUFIs, and external synergies between the MUFI and the (peri-) urban environment in which it operates. The three cases illustrate that the dense and complex urban environment in which they are situated provides possibilities to create a wide, diverse network around food, leading to a high potential for synergies to occur. In this way, MUFIs can respond to specific urban needs, which are not addressed by the state, and therefore have an important signalling function. For the MUFIs themselves, although being multifunctional increases opportunities, it is also a challenge to find the right balance between the different functions and not to lose sight of the economic side of the business. Local governments can support MUFIs by providing space for them, room to experiment, adapting regulations to get MUFIs out of the “grey zones” of legislation, and by starting to strategically think about food in their city region.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Food
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) > S560 Farm Economics S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) > S589.75 Agriculture and the environment
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > Countryside and Community Research Institute
Research Priority Areas:	Place, Environment and Community
Depositing User:	Eloise Fresnay
Date Deposited:	14 Nov 2016 11:03
Last Modified:	04 Feb 2022 10:16
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/4121

University Staff: Request a correction | Repository Editors: Update this record