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Lastly, the systems model enables a framework for multi-factor evaluation. The current emphasis in urban ‘sustainability’ is all too frequently reduced to energy efficiency and the reduction of emissions (Mangelsdorf, 2013). Sustainability theorists point out that the conceptualisation of urban sustainability need to transcend the limitations of a purely environmental agenda to bring in and give sufficient weight to other factors such as social, economic and cultural forces that influence and shape the city’s metabolism (Jarvis, Pratt and Wu, 2001; Evans, Joas, Sundback and Theobald, 2005). The adoption of this concept fosters a new perception of what the city is, and how material and immaterial flows within its infrastructure systems articulate the production and reproduction of the city both as a biophysical and socio-economic entity (Broto, Allen and Eriksson, 2011). In turn, this model will also act as a reminder of the food system’s essential role in not merely to feed the city adequately and sustainably, but also to nourish the quality of urban life (Lim, 2010).
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Structure of Research Project In addition to this research thesis, the proceedings of its investigation run parallel with a design project of the same topic. This is a unique approach developed by the University of Cambridge’s MPhil in Architecture and Urban Design course that incorporates the testing of arguments through design with academic research and primary source material. This design-based exercise breeds an iterative process in which research investigation and design propositions inform and guide the overall research stream. The refinements and adjustments of each iteration yields a more focused area of study as well as a better understanding of the overall subject. The aim of this particular process is to extract fundamental principles from each discipline, setting out criteria in which to analyse and assess the urban issues in question, exploring both the practical and theoretical implications on the built environment through the utilisation of architectural and urban design as a vehicle for experimentation.
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For this reason, this research thesis documents the large body of research material gathered over the course of two years, exploring the theories in question, and subsequently arriving at an argument that forms the basis of the overall project. Chapter 1 introduces the evolution of the food system in the context of Hong Kong, revealing the underlying reasons for it absence in the planning field as well as outlining some barriers in prioritising food in contemporary planning practice. The complicated interplay between spatial, economic, demographic, and environmental development in relation to food is further explored by using metabolism analysis as a tool to describe and document the current flows of food in Hong Kong.
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Subsequently, a review of the current policies in Hong Kong and strategies from around the world paints a more thorough understanding of the local attitude in solving the growing body of food issues in the context of global trends and research. These case studies become important precedents for the opportunities that may arise by considering food in planning and urban design. This section is intended to inspire and challenge the reader to consider how the urban food system can be changed.
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