"Living with Food": Integrating Urban Planning for Tenured Housing, Secure Food Production and Shared Open Space Access

Abstract

We argue that urban planning should adopt a “living with food” design that integrates secure housing with food production and shared open space access both for urban social justice and stability, as well as in anticipation of future climate disaster responses including waves of displaced persons. Urban planning mechanisms must respond to and accommodate residents’ right to the city by working with their visions and demands for tenured land use and design. Our urban planning approach adopts four frameworks beginning with what we call “living with food”, and additionally, peoples’ right to the city, and tenured housing and food production rights. Further, we propose that urban areas identify and preserve public open space commons that can be appropriated for and adapted to integrated shelter and food production. This process requires participatory design and co-management by civil society especially at local residential scale, including by new inhabitants. Land banks are set up as public corporations to which municipalities transfer public ownership and related responsibilities of tax-delinquent and foreclosed urban properties. In the case of Syracuse, New York, USA, we examine landbanking as an urban planning tool to apply affordable housing and open space access to tenure insecure inhabitants and newcomers. We find at the global as well as the local level, that a “living with food” approach requires that the international frameworks and local comprehensive plans need to better integrate the secure long-term residential tenure of where people live, together with, where they can produce and secure food.

Presenters

Carolin Mees
Professor, School of Design Strategies and School of Constructed Environments and Art Design History of Design, School of Public Engagement/ Food Studies, Parsons School of Design / The New School University, New York, United States

Anne C. Bellows
Professor, Nutrition and Food Studies, Syracuse University, New York, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Food Production and Sustainability

KEYWORDS

FOOD PRODUCTION, URBAN PLANNING, RIGHT TO FOOD AND HOUSING