Sustainable urbanisation is coupled with the sustainability and resilience of the ‘glocal’ food production and consumption. Economic transformation and climate change have brought complex and dynamic challenges for urban food systems, while new urban economies and social innovations are emerging in various countries to tackle food problems. However, identifying and assessing transition pathways of future urban food systems remain largely neglected in studies on urban sustainability. Local planners and policy-makers demand for scientific guidance and learning opportunities about mechanisms to navigate towards sustainable urban food systems.

This project will develop interdisciplinary methods, innovative understandings and practical managerial insights bridging socio-spatial contexts in both Europe and China. It will shed lights on trends of urban food production and consumption in European and Chinese cities, and identify the natural and societal factors that will influence the vulnerability and resilience of urban food supply chains. This project will reveal how new business models, social entrepreneurship and other innovations in the urban food sector are evolving locally. Our research outcomes will enhance the governance capacity in a transitioning urban food system, and establish learning arenas illuminating the similarities and differences of urban planning and decision-making on urban food system governance in Europe and China.