Urban Approaches to Sustainability: Food

The increasing growth of the world’s population in urban areas has an enormous influence on the organization of food systems. Urban areas with almost nonexis- tent food production rely heavily on industrialized food systems with global sources based on mass production that impacts human and environmental health. Managing food at the urban level has enormous potential to improve food security and increase the sustainability of food systems. This chapter will first present how urban dynamics can influence food security and how urban spaces can increase food sustainability. After, it defines urban food systems and the value of a systemic approach when striving for sustainability. It will expose how urban food systems have been adopted in practice by cities developing urban food strategies. A systemic approach is then used to define what are the principles of sustainable urban food. Finally, it will present alternative food networks and how they can be a viable pathway to foster sustainable urban food.