Food systems and resilient public spaces: a holistic approach

Rooted in complexity theory, the concept of resilience has gained prominence across diverse disciplines, including urban planning, where it intersects with adaptivity in shaping responses to climate, social, and ecological risks. This study, developed within the PRIN 2020 SUMMA project Urban Impact Unit, explores how urban food systems function as strategic levers for building resilience. The research identifies multiple risk typologies—social, cultural, environmental, and more—and emphasizes the significance of spatial risk overlaps in urban contexts such as public spaces and heritage sites. Increasingly, food systems are seen as central to adaptive governance due to their impact on health, sustainability, equity, and social cohesion. Focusing on Copenhagen as a case study, the paper examines the city’s food strategy as a best practice in integrated, holistic ad adaptive urbanism. Copenhagen's initiatives—including widespread organic procurement, food education programs, and climate-responsive meal planning—demonstrate how systemic investment in food governance can yield broad societal benefits. Complementary projects like Shifting Urban Diets show how urban design can influence food behaviours and strengthen community resilience. Ultimately, this research argues that embedding food into urban infrastructure fosters more inclusive and sustainable cities, better equipped to address future challenges.