Meals in Metropolis: mapping the urban foodscape in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

This paper discusses how food mapping was used to introduce Industrial Design and Landscape Architecture students to the important issues of food security and sustainability in urban design. It is based on the experiences of teachers and students in an undergraduate course, "Meals in Metropolis", at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Students were introduced to concepts such as localism, diversity, food security, resilience, innovation and integration. Three outcomes were produced; food chain maps, neighbourhood food maps, and redesign posters, which applied an ecological systems perspective to redesign current urban agriculture models of production. The paper has two outcomes: (1) the demonstrated uptake of new knowledge by the students and (2) the contribution of new knowledge to the Melbourne food movement. Together, these outcomes reveal an emerging landscape of innovative food production within Melbourne that could manifest into a more resilient, distributed urban food system.