On September 27, 2018, the book Flourishing Foodscapes - Design City-Region Food Systems was presented at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture.
The publication presents the results of design research on regional food landscapes in relation to the worldwide growing urbanization. Production and distribution of food are given a place in the landscape in a sustainable way.
To support the research, the book also presents the results of design research and the vision of approximately 20 guest authors.
In the course of 2015 and 2016, MTD landscape architects worked on a scenario for circular agriculture in the urban environment of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (MRA) within the Foodscapes lectorate of the Landscape Architecture study program of the Academy of Architecture. This is presented in the book under the title Food Utopias.
The book launch started with a welcome by Madeleine Maaskant (director of the Academy of Architecture). Hereafter, the authors of the book, Han Wiskerke and Saline Verhoeven gave an explanation of the book, which also explained the various researches of the guest authors.
Three guest speakers; Froukje Idema (Program Manager Food of the Municipality of Ede), Martin Woestenburg (rural sociologist and landscape journalist with Landwerk and De Blauwe Kamer, among others) and Arnold van der Valk (professor of spatial planning and co-founder Food Council MRA) reflected on the book , as users; respectively as client and from the perspectives of media and education.
Saskia van Stein (director of Bureau Europa) acted as moderator during the evening and accompanied some questions at the end of the presentation.
The evening was given a festive touch by offering the first copy of the book to Hanneke Kijne, the new head of landscape architecture at the Academy of Architecture, who held her inaugural address on the same evening.
In the context of the book Flourishing Foodscapes - Design City-Region Food Systems, the Academy of Architecture commissioned three design agencies in the course of 2015 and 2016 to worke on various scenarios for circulating agriculture:
- LA4Sale multifunctional agriculture near the city;
- Van Paridon & de Groot responsible industrial agriculture;
- MTD landscape architects urban agriculture.
Whereas previous studies and research into urban agriculture and other forms of sustainable and healthy food production focused mainly on the how and why (such as Foodprint, Farming the City and Urban Agriculture Box), the research in question focused in particular on the spatial quality of sustainable regional food systems. The three scenarios are economically real, sustainable and contribute to a varied food supply in the region.
Within MTD landscape architects Minke Mulder, Chloé Charreton and Niké van Keulen worked on the scenario urban agriculture. With the definition of urban agriculture as an important basis for spatial quality, the team has mainly focused on the integration and visualization of urban agriculture in the city. Within the scenario, the agency developed a coherent structure of places where food could be produced, sustainable transport lines and places where food could be sold or processed. Nest, it was explored what the suitable circular production systems are, which can be implemented in the urban fabric; what are suitable crops; what is the required area, small, medium or large; what is the suitable place for these crops, in the public space, on the roof or in vacant buildings or new greenhouses; what is the potential production or harvest.
This has been further elaborated and given concrete form for the district Spaarndammerbuurt / Zeeheldenbuurt / Westelijk Havengebied, where a beautiful and sustainable foodscape has been given shape!
