Identification of Space for Urban Agriculture through Transformative Governance

Abstract

Current food production takes place in cities only marginally. For several good reasons (environmental, social) food should be produced closer to where it is consumed, i.e. closer to urban areas. Here, it interferes with urbanism. However, urban planning often limits the growth of urban food production. Therefore, traditional urbanism approaches can be criticized and new ways needs to be explored. Insights in recent planning discourse, which gets dominated by co-creation processes, in transitions and in participative planning gives reason to amend planning processes, especially in times when ecology-based and organic urbanism (Slow Urbanism) and impacts of disasters in urban planning (Suddenism) become apparent. The design charrette is seen as the major tool to accommodate future urbanism, which is better able to provide a pathway for participative input in planning processes. The role and outcomes of three case studies, which applied a Research by Design methodology in a design charrette are tested. The case studies are INCREASE-Groningen (NL), Minamisoma-Japan, and AESOP-NL, which can be characterised by a focus on sustainability (food and energy), planning on different spatial scales, the use of a design approach and the design charrette as part of the planning process.

The outcomes of the case studies are a spatial representation of a future vision. Four criteria are used to measure the quality of the process and the outcomes: the quality of the design, the importance of the growth of food, the quality of the planning process and the overall sustainability of the final result.