SIRIUS is a three-year interdisciplinary project focusing on the present and future of urban food system.
Sustainable urbanisation is coupled with the sustainability and resilience of ‘glocal’ food production and consumption. Economic transformation and climate change have brought complex and dynamic challenges for urban food systems, while new urban economies and social innovations are emerging in various countries to tackle food problems. However, identifying and assessing transition pathways of future urban food systems remain primarily neglected in studies on urban sustainability. Local planners and policy-makers seek scientific guidance and learning opportunities about mechanisms to navigate towards sustainable urban food systems.
Project SIRIUS is a UK- Netherland-China consortium. This project will develop interdisciplinary methods, innovative understandings, and practical managerial insights bridging socio-spatial contexts in China and Europe. We will 1) shed light on trends of urban food production and consumption in Chinese and European cities, 2) identify the natural and societal factors that will influence the vulnerability and resilience of urban food supply chains, and 3) reveal how new business models, social entrepreneurship, and other innovations in the urban food sector are evolving locally.
