Online-Based Food Hubs for Community Health and Well-Being: Performance in Practice and Its Implications for Urban Design

Abstract

Food hubs assist the economic development of small local farms growing produce sustainably and providing healthy nutrition by aggregating and distributing a diversified range of fresh local food directly to customers. Although food hubs remain niches due to the challenges of growth and implementation, the interest in local and organic food has recently surged, and the demand for online grocery shopping has dramatically increased, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. This research considers the potential of an online platform for food hubs and examines food practices that include creating and appropriating social networks of food hubs. The study also discusses the implications of the socio-spatial transformation for urban design. With a theoretical framework drawing from social innovation and practice theory, suggesting performance dynamics in practice, this study reviews the current trend of food hubs in the United Kingdom and investigates London-based Growing Communities and Sutton Community Farm, both of which offer community-led veg box schemes. The findings confirm that, as social innovations, community-led food hubs are evolving places for community health and well-being, among other online-based food hubs. This research proposes an evolutionary step for community-led food hubs for social connections. An online platform effectively mobilises resources to connect a diverse local community. More importantly, an online platform interconnected with physical facilities in farm sites and collection points can enhance spatial qualities and capacity and support food access, leading to the sustainable development of urban space. Methodologically, the long-term review of this research confirms the usefulness of the research framework, which revealed evolution in these cases.