M I T Project
foodscape
Unlocking the potential of food for a climate-friendly, connected MIT
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Contents
1. BACKGROUND 3-4 2. RESEARCH APPROACH 5-6
How can a foodscape provide a critical perspective to dining and planning teams? How was MIT’s foodscape studied?
3. RESEARCH TAKEAWAYS 7-10 4. DESIGN STRATEGIES 11-18
What are the main challenges to healthy meals and social connection at MIT? Unlocking the potential of food for a climatefriendly, connected MIT
5. NOTES AND REFERENCES 19-20
This report summarizes work in the spring of 2023 for a Masters of Architecture thesis at MIT. Tristan Searight, MArch 2023 Department of Architecture MIT Office Of Sustainability Advisor: Susy Jones, Senior Sustainability Project Manager MIT Office Of Sustainability
MIT’s Foodscape: A Report
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Why food? why now? Healthy people and planet Food is not only intrinsic to human health it also contributes to a third of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and uses more than half of fresh water withdrawals and habitable land globally.1 As MIT looks to increase food security, it must also significantly reduce overall food GHGE by 2030. A population level shift towards plant-forward dietary patterns has been identified as a critical component to making emission and resource use reductions, while providing human health benefits.2,3,4
Food: the great connector It’s not just the food itself, it’s the entire mealtime experience that makes food such an important part of social connection, cultural meaning and wellbeing. MIT also faces challenges to improve campuswide satisfaction with its food services and deliver the emotional, social and creative benefits that mealtimes promise.5,6,7 Maximizing the benefits of food means focusing on what food is offered and the times, spaces and systems where food is met.
What is a foodscape approach? Foodscapes describe how the intersection of daily life, public space and food places inform eating habits.
Food Place Cafe with a wide variety of seating.
Public Space Street lacks places to rest in the shade.
Daily Life Walking home looking for a place to rest and eat.
Background
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Background
How can MIT achieve a positive shift in dietary patterns and social connection through campus design? Individual education and support like... “Eat local.” “find food using this app”
Environmental changes to campus spaces that...
“free food” We also need “Take a break from work.”
Make healthy, plant-based options the easy intuitive option.
This simple question began a fourmonth study of MIT’s campus. The following report builds on previous studies of MIT’s food culture that intend to improve access to healthy food, campus sustainability and community wellbeing. Most notably, it intends to provide actionable approaches and design concepts that support MIT’s Food & Sustainability Working Group recommendation to establishing design standards for “food spaces that promote healthy food choices, social connections, and sustainable management of waste, energy and water.”1
innovative approaches to food service and campus planning:
At the heart of the report is unpacking the role built spaces play influencing food-related behavior at MIT. A foodscape approach enables a broad understanding of where people meet food by looking at the overlap of public space, daily life and food places.2 This approach is applied to MIT using a range of quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques that can provide a humancentered view of food and campus spaces.
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In this report you will find an overview of these methods, key findings and a campus strategy for approaching food space and campus design that make healthy, social meals effortless and enticing. The strategies synergize various scales of design interventions to inform
MIT Project Foodscape
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Food places at arm’s reach of workplaces proposes utilizing dead spaces to bring food and social activity to where people work and move. Social Corridor Stops provides guidance for designing food places along the main corridor to unite campus space and people together. Chef’s Theater rethinks the cafeteria model of food service to bring culinary activity and food service staff to the center of the food experience. 2030 Menus looks to leverage the power of a menus and messaging to shift dietary patterns and create shared experiences.
These strategies and research methods should kickstart further work with the MIT community. The actionable design strategies can be developed in partnership with departments like Campus Planning, the Architecture School, and the Office of Sustainability, to find innovative ways of improving an underperforming campus foodscape.
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Design Strategies 1
Food places at arm’s reach of workplaces
2 Social corridor stops 3 Chef’s theatre
Make healthy, plant-based food visible and easy to access by bringing it to where people spend time. Connect the campus with food places that invite people to stay and socialize. Bringing the kitchen into view for a rich sensory experience of food and vibrant social backdrop.
4 2030 menus
Shifting to healthy plant-forward dietary patterns rests on menus that offer plentiful appealing plant-based options.
4
3
1 2
Research Approach
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studying MIT’s Foodscape Eating habits were studied using methods that unpack people’s daily eye-level experience of MIT and Cambridge. Campus numbers
11,858
Human-dimensions of food
Students (more than half live on-campus)
5pm
The mix of approaches brings together qualitative and quantitative data to understand a humandimension of food and the built environment. These included observational studies, desktop research, informal interviews and public engagement.
Foodscape Mapping parties
Over four sessions, roughly 50 members of MIT described their typical meal habits and ideal social meals. Two maps and a survey prompted participants to draw, annotate and verbally describe their ideal and typical meals around campus.
Learning from previous studies This project learned from findings in many previous research projects on MIT’s foodscape.4,5,6
MIT Project Foodscape
Most students are on campus after this time.1
60 hours
average work week for faculty.2
80%
of students without a meal plan (can’t dine at residences).3
Food Provider conversations and visits
Visits and seven conversations to oncampus food providers. • • • • •
Banana Lounge Team MIT Dining MIT food service staff MIT Office of Sustainability MIT Open Space
Architectural surveys and observational studies
Two weeks of studying public life at three on-campus food places. Architectural surveys of 20 popular social food places.
Spatial Analysis Macro level mapping of Cambridge and MIT’s urban environment.
Food outlet survey Facade character?
Seating type offered? Plant-based menu items?
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Foodscape mapping parties “I make my food because it’s cheaper, easier and more convenient.” Mapping Particpant 2023
“Price is a major factor in bringing food from home. Time dictates where I eat.” Mapping Particpant 2023
What spaces give you social joy?
“Daylight, benches and good accoustics.” Mapping Particpant 2023 Mapping parties provided insights into the various barriers members of MIT face eating plantbased food and experiencing social joy
Par survteicipant y Wha maint are th e b yo arrie eatiun face rs g mo pl foodasnt-basere d off-caon- and mpus?
Research Takeaways
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Work puts too much pressure on individuals A fast-paced work life and money constraints make healthy climate-friendly meals and social connection difficult.
Time
On average people at MIT take half an hour for a meal. They typically eat for 18 minutes and walk no more than 5 minutes either side of eating. Saving time and staying close to workplaces drive this typical meal journey.1
Location
Workplaces are the start and end of a meal journey and determine eating habits. Food places nearby are prioritized because there’s a chance of meeting friends and offcampus places are hard to reach within the available time.
The question that constrains where, what and how people eat.
Money
The relatively high cost of food around campus requires people make an extra effort to obtain affordable food options. Many make their own food or depend on free offerings.
$12-14
Average cost of a sandwich near campus.2
Can I continue my workflow and find affordable food? 2 min wait
5 min walk
18 min eat 0 min
10
20
30
MIT’s typical meal journey. People use food places to work, but also use them to find passive and active social connection.
Lunch activity at 100 market one-on-one meals visual link creates “run-ins”
social group meals
solo and group work sessions
MIT Project Foodscape
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MIT’s Shared spaces do not entice Impromptu social interactions Corridors link people to work, but inactive spaces are common and do not invite people to stay, rest and connect.3
Outdoor spaces lack invitations to stay and can’t be easily accessed.
“I just need something quick, I have too much going on!” Mapping Particpant 2023
Labs/classrooms are pre- and post-mealtime destinations.
Entrances lack staying places. Seats that exist rarely invite interest or rich activity.
TVs and bulletin boards are symbolic of MIT’s information “firehose”.4
Corridors are a major shared space that link workplaces but provide few options to rest or access the outside.
Research Takeaways
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A relatively limited choice of food options MIT is lacking a density and variety of food places within a 5-minute walk from the main entrances.
Harvard yard has a far higher density of food places per capita than MIT (fewer people per options)
Fewer food options nearby
People/food place within 5 min walk 600
Walking from the main entrances, MIT has a relatively limited number of food places available when compared to denser foodscapes like Central Square or Harvard Yard.
300
5 min walk from main entrances
0
A tricky journey to off-campus social spaces and plantforward food5
587
311
Harvard
MIT
Only three plant-forward menus open after 3pm within 5min walk.6 Streets are tansitional spaces with limited retail.
11-15 mins to get food here and walk back.
Legend Plant-forward Restaurants Restaurants + grocery stores Pharmacys Convenience Stores On-campus food place Main Entrance to campus Streets and open spaces lacking retail retail and places to stay
MIT Project Foodscape
A center of population density
10-12 mins to get food here and walk back.
Cambridge On-campus options close around 3.30pm. 0m
400
Map Extent
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Off-campus food options invite social activity but are difficult to reach Off-campus food places are designed with enticing food signals, many staying options and strong links to streets.
Active transparent facade signals social activity.
Bold indulgent graphics.
Group and dignified solo dining options. Enticing plant-based options displayed clearly. Options to eat by foodservice. Chatting with food staff adds personal feel and social connection.
But a traffic heavy industrial public realm seperates them from campus. Inactive dull facades.
No retail interest at ground level.
Industrial scale spaces neighbor sidewalk.
No staying Food outlet options. survey
3 to 4 lane busy roads.
Facade character? Seating type offered? Plant-based menu items?
Design Strategies
1
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Food places at arm’s reach of workplaces Make healthy, plant-forward food visible and easy to access by bringing it to where people spend time. Uniting the campus
Storefronts to introduce rapid plant-forward food and diverse staying options by popular mobility intersections.
Major mobility routes near workplaces, like the Infinite Corridor, have great potential to offer food and social spaces. At these points it’s vital to provide fast meal options and a variety of casual resting options.
Eat/work/chat Buy premade rapid food
Finish class
Vision: Map of food abundance along the Infinite Corridor Stata Center food hub
MET warehouse seasonal plaza
Active street by Kendall T stop
Student center market plaza
Building 10 food courtyards
Legend Busy campus buildings Outdoor access and staying options Main mobility paths Secondary mobility paths
MIT Project Foodscape
Food plaza at MIT Open Space
Enhance existing food place Introduce rapid plant-forward food Introduce diverse staying invitations Build active entrances
100 market street
0m
200
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Unlocking the potential of food QW
Objective
Strategies
Densify food by workplaces.
•
QW QW
30 second food.
QW
• •
• • •
Link food with invitations to stay.
• •
Quick Wins
Plan food places near workplaces and main mobility pathways/ entrances. Ensure the fast healthy plantforward options are the easiest to see and access on approach. Where possible, use plant-forward food trucks at peak times. Ensure fast pre-made options are healthy and plant-forward. Provide a rapid food window which is dedicated to express service of healthy plant-forward options. Signal with messaging where fast options can be obtained. A variety of seating and dining surfaces should always accompany food vendors. “Secondary” seating (like steps) should be used to support casual dining and other forms of rest and activities.1
Design Strategies
2
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Social corridor stops Connect the campus with food places that invite people to stay and socialize. Shared casual bar spaces.
Dining with outside visual connections.
Fixed and moveable seating.
Thriving social hubs
Corridors are used by everyone. Food and a variety of seating in comfortable settings transform inactive corridors spaces into thriving social hubs and campus connectors.
Group lounge
Direct access to outdoor staying options
Active edge spaces for stand up dining and work
Kitchenside dining
Fast dining spots by corridor
Vision:Stops off the corridor
A
Fast meals by the open kitchen
Slow meals and hangs by windows
A
30 Second meals by the corridor Workplaces
MIT Project Foodscape
Main Corridor
Kitchen Bar
Lounge
Dining terrace
Outdoor Stays
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Unlocking the potential of food QW
Objective
Strategies
Unified spaces.
• • • •
Options for different staying needs.
QW
• • •
QW QW
• • •
Social Acoustics.
• QW
Vibrant and ornemented spaces.
• QW
Supportive policy idea
Music Stage
Small stages can host weekly student band gigs at food places.
•
•
Quick Wins
Utilize inactive spaces on campus for food offerings. Use food offerings to bridge inside with outside spaces. Provide large openings (folding doors/double doors) to make connections to outside. Offer outside staying spaces beside food places. Provide various seating densities at food places.2,3 Design built in nooks and booths for social discretion. Design bar-style dining options that enable fast casual dining whether seated or standing. Provide a mix of moveable and fixed seating. Use soft materials and textiles where possible for comfort. Provide work/eat tables with elevated laptop stands. Limit loud noises using acoustic treatments in dining areas (ceilings are particularly useful sound insulation opportunities). Provide speaker systems for background music in dining spaces.4 Display fresh and preserved healthy foods and culinary objects (like cookbooks) around foodservices. Dedicate space for artwork and plants.
Design Strategies
3 3
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Chef’s theatre
Bringing the kitchen into view for a rich sensory experience of food and vibrant social backdrop.
Merging service and dining
Open kitchen spaces and bar style seating join people with foodservice activities. Walking, cooking, serving and eating all happen in close proximity where foodservice staff and culinary activity take center stage.
Food service as a stage to display rich sensory experiences.
Kitchen-side seating. Adjacent spaces receive a sensory invitation to join.
Vision: Display cooking for fast and slow meals.
MIT Project Foodscape
Foodservice staff play an important role in daily social interactions at MIT.
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Unlocking the potential of food QW
Objective
Strategies
Display Cooking.
•
QW
• • •
Kitchen-side Dining.
• •
Quick Wins
Orientate kitchens to be visually connected to dining areas and surrounding spaces. Use internal windows to provide sightlines to kitchens. Dedicate display areas for ingredients and fresh produce. Dedicate a space for made-to-order food (griddles and stoves) beside foodservice and dining. Create spaces for diners to eat besides food service. Use bar seating for direct views of the kitchen spaces.
Supportive policy idea
Potluck Kits
Many student groups have food during weekly meetings in classrooms. Providing cooking and dining equipment near workspaces can reduce reliance on take-out food and support student food sharing.
Design Strategies
4
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2030 Menus
Shifting to healthy plant-forward dietary patterns rests on menus that offer plentiful appealing plant-based options.
Appealing and plant-based
Changing eating habits can be difficult. New menu options need to be promoted and celebrated to increase their appeal using engaging messaging. These light touches can have powerful impacts on choice.5
Changing what and how people eat
While menus can shift what people eat by increasing the availability of food items, they can also support fast meals and nudge people to share and eat slower.
Introduce plant-based options in main meal and “protein” options where they have the largest climate benefits.
Highlight options using special categories.
Tasty food imagery adds appeal.
Vision: Social plant-forward menus High variety of plant-based main meals options. Options that can be ordered and eaten fast .
Fun and playful verbiage.
Vision: Options for sharing. Use the menu to nudge sharing and group meals
Shared dishes offered to encourage group meals
MIT Project Foodscape
Taste and joy are emphasized.
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Unlocking the potential of food QW
Objective Plant-Forward Abundance. MENU
Strategies QW
QW
•
•
• QW
Enticing Messaging.
Quick Wins
QW
QW
•
•
• • •
Nudge Sharing.
• QW
•
Include a variety of plant-based main meals and ensure plant-based options make up at least half of mains. Where possible make the plantbased options the default without any extra cost, for instance milk alternative options with hot beverages. Design kitchens with sufficient refrigeration and prep counter space for the cooking with fresh produce. Place healthy plant-based foods at eye level and at the start of service. Use vibrant graphic design, special categories and positive wording to spark interest in plant-based options. Dedicate wall space for illustrations of food items. Message around taste and flavor. Provide nutrition and climate information in a supportive role. Offer shared plates, like fries or dumplings, that can be enjoyed by groups. Highlight options to share on menus.
Supportive policy idea
Taste Tests
Getting feedback allows new menu items to suit people’s desires and be more successful. Weekly taste tests and surveys provide opportunities to inform better menus.
Notes and References
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Notes and References Why Food? Why Now?
1. Richie, Hannah, Pablo Rosado, and Max Roser. 2022. “Environmental Impacts of Food Production.” OurWorldInData.Org. 2022. https:// ourworldindata.org/environmentalimpacts-of-food. 2. Willett, Walter, Johan Rockström, Brent Loken, Marco Springmann, Tim Lang, Sonja Vermeulen, Tara Garnett, et al. 2019. “Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT–Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems.” The Lancet 393 (10170): 447–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S01406736(18)31788-4. 3. EAT-Lancet Commission. 2019. “EAT-Lancet Commission Brief for Cities.” https://www.thelancet. com/commissions/EAT. 4. Poore, J., and T. Nemecek. 2018. “Reducing Food’s Environmental Impacts through Producers and Consumers.” Science 360 (6392): 987–92. 5. Francisco, Scott. 2005. “Chapter 27 . MIT: Steam Cafe.” Educause, 2005. https://www.educause. edu/research-and-publications/ books/learning-spaces/ chapter27mitsteamcafc383c2a9. 6. Institutional Research. 2022. “MIT Quality of Life Survey 2022.” Office of the Provost. 2022. 7. MIT Office of The President. 2023. “Listening Tour.” MIT Office of The Preseident. 2023. https:// president.mit.edu/listening-tour.
Background
1. MIT Office of Sustainability. 2018. “MIT Food & Sustainability Working Group Report.” 2. Gehl Architects, Steno Diabetes Center, and Cities Changing Diabetes. 2023. “Thriving Foodscapes.” 2023. https:// thrivingfoodscapes.squarespace. com/toolkit.
MIT’s Foodscape: A Report
Research Approach
1. MIT Institutional Research. 2022. “MIT Quality of Life Survey 2022.” Office of the Provost. 2022. 2. Ibid 3. McClave, Andrea C. 2019. “User Experience Research for a Campus Food System.” Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 4. Primary existing reserach included: > Ibid > MIT Office of Sustainability. 2018. “MIT Food & Sustainability Working Group Report.” > Food Insecurity Solutions Working Group. 2018. “Food Insecurity Solutions Working Group Massachusetts.” > The Banana Lounge Team. 2019. “Undergrads Qualtrics Survey.”
Research Takeaways
1. Median averages used mealtime durations (n=32) 2. Average taken from three popular food places (Clover, Flour, Saloniki Greek and Life Alive) 3. For further research on the character of inactive staying places see: > (Gehl, Kaefer, and Reigstad 2006; > Hassan, Dalya M., Yasser M. Moustafa, and Sherif M. ElFiki. 2019. “Ground-Floor Façade Design and Staying Activity Patterns on the Sidewalk: A Case Study in the Korba Area of Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt.” Ain Shams Engineering Journal 10 (3): 453–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. asej.2018.12.006. 4. Dishita, T. 2017. “The Infinite Corridor.” MIT Office of Graduate Education, April 1, 2017. https:// oge.mit.edu/the-infinite-corridor/. 5. Map data used: > Harvard Campus Dining Services. 2023. “Cafe Locations.” 2023. https://dining.harvard.edu/cafes. > MIT Office of Graduate Education. 2023. “Food Resources.” 2023. https://oge.mit.edu/student-
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finances/financial-assistance-andgrants/food-insecurity/. > Data Axel, Data Axle Business Locations 2023 6. Plant-forward food places defined as places with menus containing >25% plant-based main meals.
Design Concepts
1. Secondary Seating is defined as “Secondary seating consists of objects or ledges that are not necessarily meant for sitting, but are places where people might informally or spontaneously sit…”. See: > Scinta, Stefana Bernadette. 2017. “Type and Location of Seating on Pedestrian Streets and Influence on Duration of Stay.” 2. Varied seating provides social choice, which is critical for feelings of comfort in shared spaces. See: > Whyte, William. 1980. The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Washington, D.C: Conservation Foundation. 3. In social food place settings, people prefer being close to friends (around 3-5ft away) while preferring greater distances from strangers like those on other tables. For more details see: > Sundstrom, Eric, and Irwin Altman. 2016. “Interpersonal Relationships and Personal Space : Research Review and Theoretical Model Author ( s ): Eric Sundstrom and Irwin Altman Published by : Springer Stable URL : Http:// Www.Jstor.Org/Stable/4602344 Accessed : 28-06-2016 15 : 38 UTC Your Use of The” 4 (1): 47–67. > Robson, Stephani K. A., and Sheryl E. Kimes. 2019. “7. Don’t Sit So Close to Me: Restaurant Table Characteristics and Guest Satisfaction.” The Next Frontier of Restaurant Management 9 (2): 144–60. https://doi. org/10.7591/9781501736520-012. 4. Most off-campus food places
surveyed played music (16 out of 28) 5. For further details on shifting choice using the display of food and food messaging see: > Ensaff, H. 2021. “A Nudge in the Right Direction: The Role of Food Choice Architecture in Changing Populations’ Diets.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 80 (2): 195–206. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0029665120007983. > Wagner, Heather, Maryhope Howland, and Traci Mann. 2015. “Brief Report: Effects of Subtle and Explicit Health Messages on Food Choice.” Health Psychol, 79–82. https://doi.org/10.1037/ hea0000045. > Turnwald, Bradley P., Danielle Z. Boles, and Alia J. Crum. 2017. “Association Between Indulgent Descriptions AndVegetable Consumption: Twisted Carrots and Dynamite Beets.” JAMA Internal Medicine 177 (8): 1216– 18. https://doi.org/10.1001/ jamainternmed.2017.1630.