Food and the City

6 EC

Semester 1, period 2, 3

5132FOTC6Y

Owner Bachelor Future Planet Studies
Coordinator dr. Jannes Willems
Part of Exchange Programme Faculty of Science, specialisation BSc Future Planet Studies / Sustainability, year 1Minor Sustainable Food System, year 1Bachelor Future Planet Studies, major Future Society, year 2
Links Visible Learning Trajectories

Course manual 2024/2025

Objectives

  • Explain the interrelationships between cities and food systems, and the shift towards a re-localized food system
  • Using theoretical insights pertaining to the urban food system and food practices to qualitatively investigate and analyse actual issues in a local context
  • Explain the spatial arrangements, institutional designs and value systems of different food systems, and their impact on cities
  • Explain the role of urban planning in the transition towards a re-localized food system
  • Students can independently set-up and conduct an interview with professionals, residents or other relevant research participants, and apply qualitative analysis tools to interpret the data
  • Critically reflect on the shift towards a re-localized food system, and the contribution of urban planning

Teaching methods

  • Lecture
  • Seminar
  • Presentation/symposium
  • Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis

Learning activities

Activity

Hours

  

Lectures

16

  

Exam

3

  

Working groups

12

  

Individual research project

67

  

Self study

70

  

Total

168

(6 EC x 28 uur)

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

  • Participation in fieldwork is compulsory and cannot be replaced by assignments or other courses.
  • In case of practical sessions, the student is obliged to attend at least of 90% of the sessions and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the practical sessions should be redone entirely.
  • In case of tutorials/seminars with assignments, the student is obliged to attend at least 7 out of 8 seminars and to prepare thoroughly for these meetings, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. If the course has more than 8 seminars, the student can miss up to 1 extra meeting for every (part of) 8 tutorials/seminars. If the students attends less than the mandatory tutorials/seminars, the course cannot be completed.

Additional requirements for this course:

Attending all scheduled education activities is strongly advised. By doing so, you actively contribute to a lively learning community and significantly improve your chances of successfully completing the course. The designated mandatory activities play a crucial role in achieving the course objectives and are essential for your overall progress. By registering for this course, you are complying with the rules regarding attendance and agreeing to actively prepare for and participate in the mandatory activities.

  • The first lecture is a mandatory lecture, because it provides the outline of the course and discusses the group assignment (including the division of groups);
  • Students are allowed to miss only 1 out of 6 seminars. The seminars prepare you for the group assignment. The quality of the seminars largely depends on the attendance, preparation, and active participation of every student;
  • Absence of a seminar needs to be communicated to the seminar lecturer (Max Keijzer and Sven van Mourik)

Assessment

Item and weight Details

Final grade

50%

On-site digital exam

Must be ≥ 5.5, Mandatory

30%

Individual research project

Mandatory

20%

Reflections on individual research project

Mandatory
  • The exam will cover the course material discussed in block 2;
  • The individual research project consists of several milestones in block 2;

Assessment diagram

Learning objective: Exam Individual assignment Reflections

#1. Explain the interrelationships between cities and food systems, and the shift towards a re-localized food system

 X    

#2. Using theoretical insights pertaining to the urban food system and food practices to qualitatively investigate and analyse actual issues in a local context

 X X  

#3. Explain the spatial arrangements, institutional designs and value systems of different food systems, and their impact on cities

 X X X

#4. Explain the role of urban planning in the transition towards a re-localized food system

 X X X

#5. Students can independently set-up and conduct an interview with experts or relevant stakeholders, and apply qualitative analysis tools to interpret the data

   X  

#6. Critically reflect on the shift towards a re-localized food system, and the contribution of urban planning

     X

Students that were enrolled in the course in previous years

Students who were enrolled previously have to re-do the exam,  but not necessarily the assignment. Please consult the course coordinator in the first week of the course.

Inspection of assessed work

Inspection of assessed work will take place during the seminars.

Assignments

In the individual research project in block 2, students will carry out a qualitative research project pertaining the food system of Amsterdam.

In the reflection assignment in block 3, students will reflect upon their findings by relating them to a case study elsewhere (comparative perspective) and by reflecting upon the role of urban planning.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Date
 Activity Lecturer(s)
 Content Reading material
28-10 Lecture 1 JW Introduction to food and the city

Pothukuchi, K., & Kaufman, J. L. (1999). Placing the food system on the urban agenda: The role of municipal institutions in food systems planning. Agriculture and Human Values, 16(2), 213-224.

Wiskerke, J. S. (2009). On places lost and places regained: Reflections on the alternative food geography and sustainable regional development. International Planning Studies, 14(4), 369-387.
31-10 WG1 MK+SvM Foodscapes of Amsterdam + Research focus

 
04-11 Lecture 2 JW Urban food security and food democracy

Bornemann, B., & Weiland, S. (2022) Urban Food Democracy. Chapter 7 in: Moragues-Faus, A., Clark, J.K., Battersby, J., & Davies, A. (Eds.) Routledge Handbook of Urban Governance. Routledge, London

Sonnino, R. (2016). The new geography of food security: exploring the potential of urban food strategies. The Geographical Journal, 182(2), 190-200.
06-11 Deadline research proposal
07-11 WG2 MK+SvM Key concepts + Operationalisation

 
11-11 Lecture 3 JW Qualitative research on the urban food system

Pinkster, F. (2020) Interviewing in urban research. Chapter 5 in: Verloo, N. & Bertolini, L. (Eds.) Seeing the City: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Study of the Urban. Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam

Kortright, R., & Wakefield, S. (2011). Edible backyards: A qualitative study of household food growing and its contributions to food security. Agriculture and Human Values, 28, 39-53.
14-11 WG3 MK+SvM Data collection: interviewing  
18-11 Lecture 4 JW Everyday food practices in the Global North

Lapiņa, L., & Leer, J. (2016). Carnivorous heterotopias: Gender, nostalgia and hipsterness in the Copenhagen meat scene. Norma, 11(2), 89-109.

Alkon, A. H., & Cadji, J. (2020). Sowing seeds of displacement: Gentrification and food justice in Oakland, CA. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 44(1), 108-123.
21-11 No WG      
25-11 Lecture 5 JW Food systems and transitions

Hebinck, A., Selomane, O., Veen, E., de Vrieze, A., Hasnain, S., Sellberg, M., ... & Wood, A. (2021). Exploring the transformative potential of urban food. npj urban sustainability, 1(1), 38.

Born, B., & Purcell, M. (2006). Avoiding the local trap: Scale and food systems in planning research. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 26(2), 195-207.
27-11 Deadline interview
28-11 WG4 MK+SvM Data analysis: Atlas.ti  
02-12 Lecture 6 JW Urban food policymaking & planning

Cabannes & Marocchino (2018) Food and urban planning: The missing link. Chapter 1 in: Cabannes & Marocchino (Eds.) Integrating Food into Urban Planning. UCL Press, London

Sibbing, L., Candel, J., & Termeer, K. (2021). A comparative assessment of local municipal food policy integration in the Netherlands. International Planning Studies, 26(1), 56-69.
20-12 Deadline individual research project
Christmas break
06-01 Lecture 7 JW Everyday food practices in the Global South

Parnell, S., & Robinson, J. (2012). (Re) theorizing cities from the Global South: Looking beyond neoliberalism. Urban Geography, 33(4), 593-617.

Battersby, J., & Watson, V. (2018). Improving urban food security in African cities. Critically assessing the role of informal retailers. Chapter 9 in: Cabannes & Marocchino (2018). Integrating Food into Urban Planning. FAO.
         
09-01 WG5 MK+SvM Comparative perspective Chapter from FAO book
13-01 Lecture 8 CU + SS Civic food initiatives

Renting, H., Schermer, M., & Rossi, A. (2012). Building food democracy: Exploring civic food networks and newly emerging forms of food citizenship. The International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food, 19(3), 289-307.

Cameron, J., & Wright, S. (2014). Researching diverse food initiatives: from backyard and community gardens to international markets. Local Environment, 19(1), 1-9.
16-01 WG6 MK+SvM Role of urban planning

De Zeeuw, H. & Dubbeling, M. (2015) Process and tools for multi-stakeholder planning of the urban agro/food system. In: De Zeeuw, H. & Drechsel, P. (2015) Cities and Agriculture. Developing Resilient Urban Food Systems. London: Routledge, pp.56-87. https://ruaf.org/document/cities-and-agriculture-developing-resilient-urban-food-systems/

Additional material: The Community and Regional Food Planning Policy Guide (USA), see https://www.planning.org/policy/guides/adopted/food.htm
24-01 Deadline reflections
31-01 Exam at USC Sporthal 1 (13.30-15.30)
02-04 Re-take exam

Additional information

It is important that everyone feels safe at the UvA and Future Planet Studies. We are committed to provide social safety and we offer various forms of support for people experiencing inappropriate or unsafe situations. Consult the UvA website or Future Planet Studies Canvas page for more information and contact info.

Last year's student feedback

In order to provide students some insight how we use the feedback of student feedback to enhance the quality of education, we decided to include the table below in all course guides.

Course Name (#EC) N  
Strengths
  • International case studies
  • Applicability to Amsterdam
 Notes for improvement
  • Overlapping themes
  • Limited attention to theory
Response lecturer:
  • The course has two sections: (1) understanding and explaining the food system using geographical theories and methods; and (2) a section on urban food policymaking and planning using transition thinking and planing literature. Both will use their own sets of theories.
  • The course will learn students to conduct qualitative research, particularly in-depth interviews.

Contact information

Coordinator

  • dr. Jannes Willems

Staff

  • Max Keijzer, MSc.
  • Sven van Mourik, MSc.