Abstract
This article presents a vision for an urban food system in Washington DC in 2050 that serves as the centerpiece of a circular economy for the capital region of the United States. Food serves as the connecting link for an inclusive, adaptive, and resilient urban economy embedded in the region. This food economy values natural resources, cultural diversity, and commitment to nature-based innovations. The vision is the result of a three-pronged methodology of: (1) community engagement; (2) a thoughtful, process-focused transformation; and (3) the scaling up of existing urban food initiatives. We argue that small, hyperlocal, neighborhood-based initiatives can become crucial game changers and catalysts of change for entire neighborhoods, cities, and regions. Therefore, we propose a design-based approach to advance our 2050 vision of a circular food system. Our design-based approach consists of three building blocks: (A) systems thinking; (B) the ability to manage wins and tradeoffs; and (C) transitional leadership and cooperation. We explain these building blocks and the way in which they are incorporated in the 2050 vision of Washington DC. We further argue that the food economy is an ideal sector to embark on such a design-based approach due to its systemic nature, its critical position as an indispensable economic sector, and the complex connections it brings to multiple other sectors of the economy. An urban food system can therefore offer the ideal starting point for a transition towards a circular economy.
Highlights
In this article we present a vision of a circular urban food economy in Washington
The local food economy of the city and its eight Wards becomes the linchpin for a coordinated transition toward a regional food system that builds organically on the hyper-local activities of the eight Wards
The vision demonstrates the potential of positioning a circular urban food economy at the center of a web of activities that integrate seamlessly with other economic sectors into a larger regional development vision with the urban scape as its centerpiece and starting point
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The challenges that Washington DC faces point to the need for an urban food economy that addresses food access disparities, reduces pressure on the urban infrastructure, and improves the sustainability and resilience of food systems in high-population areas. The need for such a food system has been amplified worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. The urban food system is an ideal example to illustrate this principle since food incorporates a wide range of connections including diets, culture, economic livelihoods, sustainability, policy, and technology While these connections are all intrinsically linked, we highlight some of them as key elements to explaining the effectiveness of circularity. In our conclusions we look at the way forward to further refine our design-based approach
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