The Role of Spatialisation and Spatial Planning in Improving Food Systems: Insights from the Fast-Growing City of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Charlotte Van Haren (), Inder Kumar, Anouk Cormont, Catharien Terwisscha van Scheltinga, Bertram De Rooij, Syed Islam and Peter Verweij
Additional contact information
Charlotte Van Haren: Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Inder Kumar: Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Anouk Cormont: Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Catharien Terwisscha van Scheltinga: Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Bertram De Rooij: Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Syed Islam: FAO, Dhaka 1215, Bangladesh
Peter Verweij: Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Cities are growing rapidly. It takes a chain of activities to get food from farms to cities. This food system is largely driven by autonomous market development, seizing opportunities favourable to a stakeholder but unfavourable to society at large. Spatial planning is crucial along the chain of food system activities to improve food system outcomes, resilience, and limit negative trade-offs. To include the food system in spatial planning, it must first be mapped (i.e., spatialisation) to understand the functions. These maps inform the spatial planning process, which in turn influences spatial configuration of activities. This paper explores the role of spatialisation and spatial planning in the food system of the fast-growing Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA) using three different approaches: urban footprint, mapping, and semi-structured interviews. Stakeholders are unaware of spatial aspects that are present in DMA’s food system and therefore do not consider it while developing spatial plans. The analysis in this article, based on the Urban Food Footprint analysis, food system spatialisation, and interviews shows that spatial planning informed by descriptive spatial information can play an important role in guiding the transformation to a more robust, resilient, and inclusive food system.

Keywords: spatial analysis; maps; nutrition; footprint; metropole; urbanisation; population growth; urban poor; value chain; logistics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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