Urban foodprint - Exploring a design that merges urban landscape and local food production

Sammanfattning: Globally, there is an intensification of agriculture that puts high pressure on local eco-systems. Soil degradation and deforestation are some effects that in the long-term perspectives cause agricultural degradation. Still, UN projects that we would need to increase our food production by 70 per cent to supply our growing population with food. Currently, we are facing intense urbanisation and in 2050 two-thirds of the total population are projected to live in cities. As the major part of the labour will live in urban agglomerations it leads to the question of the possibilities to produce food in cities. Urban farming and locally produced food have recently been an upcoming trend, if the food production is moved to cities there will be less pressure on eco-systems in the rural landscape. Implemented in certain ways it can enhance bio-diversity and add green values to cities. However, arguments against, points out that many of the urban centres suffer from bad soil quality that can interfere with the quality of food. Adding a spatial perspective of food production increase the surface beyond visible territories and due to the conflict of activities, it might not even be possible to implement space demanding fields of agriculture in urban agglomerations. If agriculture is supposed to be an integral part of the urban landscape there will need to be further studies regarding spatial dimensions and issues that can interfere with the quality of food. Applied in a physical environment, this project will explore the possibilities to implement food production in urban environments. It will experiment on density related to certain diets and if an adaptation of the landscape can create profitable circumstances enhancing self-sufficient lifestyles. It will also explore what qualities are brought to cities when agriculture is implemented in urban environments.