fED: Cultivating Healthy Lifestyles on College Campuses through University Farmers Markets
fED
Cultivating Healthy Lifestyles on College
Campuses Through University Farmers Markets
Marie Brehm
Undergraduate Honors Thesis
BS Architecture, Landscape Planning and Design
May 2024
Acknowledgements
Michael Barnes
Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Horticultural Science University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Tom Fisher Professor, Architecture
University of Minnesota Twin Cities Director, Minnesota Design Center
Richard Graves
Associate Professor, Architecture
University of Minnesota Twin Cities Director, Center for Sustainable Building Research
Gail Dubrow Professor, Architecture University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Chelsea Wait
Doctoral Candidate and Associate Lecturer, Architecture University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
This thesis investigates food insecurity and limited healthy food options on college campuses, particularly focusing on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
By studying student dietary habits and barriers to accessing nutritious food, the research underscores the potential of campus farmers markets to promote healthier eating habits and environmental sustainability.
Through participatory methods and interdisciplinary collaboration, the study aims to redesign farmers markets to better cater to student needs and lifestyles, envisioning these markets as catalysts for positive dietary changes and broader efforts to mitigate climate change while enhancing student wellbeing.
Keywords and Definitions
Food Insecurity: “the lack of regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life”
Food Desert: “an area where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options (especially fresh fruits and vegetables) is restricted or nonexistent due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient traveling distance”
Farmers Market: “a public and recurring assembly of farmers or their representatives selling the food that they produced directly to consumers”
Affordability: in the context of money as well as time and energy
Context
Metro Area
University of Minnesota Campuses
Off Campus Housing
Marcy holmes
Dinkytown
Como
Prospect park
Grocery Options
Target Express
Fresh Thyme
Grocery Options
Target Express - Limited selection
Poor stocking
Average quality
Large selection and good quality
Very expensive
Fresh Thyme
Literature
coLLEGE STUDENT DIETS
- LACK BALANCE
- RELIANCE ON EATING OUT
bARRIERS TO HEALTHY EATING
ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
- FOOD DESERTS
- LIMITED TRANSPORTATION
- LACK OF TIME
- LACK OF KNOWLEDGE
- LACK OF ENERGY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
- EXCESSIVE MEAT CONSUMPTION
- PRODUCE TRAVELS LONG DISTANCES
STUDENT-CENTRIC FARMERS MARKET
tRADITIONAL FARMERS MARKET
- PROMENADE
- WORKING MARKET
- MARKET LANDSCAPE
uNIVERSITY CASE STUDIES
- COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO
- TWICE WEEKLY
- LARGE VARIETY
- DUKE UNIVERSITY
- ETHNIC EDUCATION
- MOBILE MARKET
- CSA (PRODUCE PACKAGE)
sTUDENT NEEDS
- EFFICIENCY
- CONVENIENCE
- EDUCATION
Case Studies
Duke University Farmers Market
Image: Duke Today
College of San Mateo Farmers Market
Image: Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association
University of Minnesota Farmers Market Image: Aidn via Google Images
Methodology
Surveys
8 students in the College of Design
Journal 1: students noted the number of days they ate each meal at home in the previous 7
days
Journal 2: students completed the first journal and marked each meal on a weekly calendar
Journal 1 (By week)
Journal 2 (by meal)
Focus Group
8 students in the College of Design
Answered questions about eating habits, shopping habits
Discussed challenges faced when grocery shopping on campus and cooking meals
Participated in site picking exercise
Sketched possible designs at their chosen locations
Huntington bank stadium
Civil engineering lawn
Northrop mall
Robert m lilly plaza
The knoll
Criteria: - Road access for loading and unloading - Parking - Public transportation
- Seating - Student traffic
Huntington bank stadium
Civil engineering lawn
Northrop mall
Robert m lilly plaza
The knoll
Findings
Students eat at home more often than not.
Breakfasts and dinners out are social.
Lunches out are due to convenience.
Location Change
PATH INTO CAMPUS
To Dinkytown, como and Marcy holmes
Current market
Huntington bank stadium
Civil engineering lawn
Northrop mall
Robert m lilly plaza
The knoll
“I can only go shopping when my roommate does.”
“I don’t have a car and it’s the only place I can walk to.”
Cooking Assistance
“I don’t know enough recipes to try new things.”
“I can’t cook, so I just make what is easiest and fastest.”
design
Time Change
Cost Considerations
Portion Sizes
Meal Kits and Package Deals
Cooking Tools
Online Ordering
Huntington bank stadium
The knoll
Huntington Bank Stadium
The Knoll
Future Research
In my graduate studies, I intend to revisit this subject to conduct more extensive research and refine the design through iterative processes. Additional student groups would undergo the same focus group protocol to identify other optimal sites. By overlaying these sites and travel paths to and from different buildings on campus, I would pinpoint the most suitable location to accommodate the entire University of Minnesota student body.
Following the selection of the best site, a more rigorous design process with multiple iterations would occur, culminating in the development of an innovative farmers market that prioritizes students' input throughout the design phases.
This thesis highlights the transformative potential of campus farmers markets in promoting community health and sustainability among university students. By reimagining traditional market models and employing a participatory design approach, the study identifies optimal market locations tailored to diverse student groups.
This work serves as a blueprint for future efforts to enhance food accessibility, community engagement, and environmental stewardship on college campuses.
Replicating this process across the country to optimize many university farmers markets presents an opportunity for large scale changes in nutritional and environmental sustainability among student populations.
The unique food accessibility challenges faced by university students in campus environments highlight an understudied subset of disparities in healthy food access, contributing to broader discussions of inequities and emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to promote equitable access.
