Philipp Heidkamp and Roger Paez
A research project in the metropolitan region of Barcelona to explore transformative potentials in the food system reconnecting citizens with food producers and food itself along the food value chain through systems oriented design, mapping, and phygital interventions
This paper provides preliminary insights from a research project situated in the metropolitan region of Barcelona that explores transformative potentials in the food system.
We explore the evolution of food systems, focusing on the initiatives, policies, and different perspectives of various stakeholders surrounding proximity and local food systems as an antidote to the homogenisation of the globalised food market.
In response to global market pressures and social and ecological problems, there has been a noticeable shift towards the “re-territorialisation” of food systems, emphasising the geographical and cultural identity of food production and the interconnectedness of food, people, and territory. This approach has led to the rise of local agro-food systems (LAFS) that aim to showcase the unique qualities and territorial specificity of local food products, enhancing their value, creating new local economies, and building opportunities to reconnect food citizens to the origins of their food.
A significant part of the research underscores how Barcelona, like a few other pioneering cities worldwide, has begun to integrate food within the sphere of policy-making, partially based on initiatives such as the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact of 2015. The project aims to map a comprehensive picture of how food becomes an integral asset in urban governance, driving a shift towards more sustainable and inclusive food systems.
The methodology employs a blend of desk research and fieldwork, involving in-depth explorations, interviews, and case studies to unpack the intricacies of Barcelona’s local food network. Key actors within the food system are identified, providing insights into existing models and potential drivers of change from a design perspective. The research leverages systems oriented design and gigamapping to tease out the food system’s components and interdependencies, identifying opportunities and leverage points, aiming at a framework for innovative design interventions for regenerative (and thus sustainable) practice shifts with a lasting impact.
This paper aims to offer a preliminary synthesis of insights gathered, marking a critical point where exploration and analysis converge to highlight the observatory of the food system in Barcelona. By framing food within spatial and social relations, the research posits food systems as central to imagining and prototyping transformations intended to foster more regenerative, sustainable, inclusive, just, and resilient futures.
KEYWORDS: food systems, proximity, mapping, zoom points, systemic exploration, relational frameworks