This is a call for papers for a special issue about ‘City region foodscapes’ of the open access journal Sustainability – Section Sustainable Urban and Rural Development.

There is increasing broad recognition that food is an integral part of the urban agenda. Cities in different parts of the world are developing policy and programme initiatives related to urban food provisioning. The 2007-2008 food price hikes, and climate-induced disruptions to food supply, have triggered a call for more resilient urban food systems. In addition, alarming increases in diet-related ill-health require cities to ensure access to sufficient, affordable, healthy and safe food to their population. As most eaters live in cities, it is becoming evident that municipal and local authorities have a responsibility in building more sustainable food systems that reduce food wastes, provide decent livelihood opportunities for those producing, processing and selling food (be it in rural, peri-urban, or urban areas), and promote environmental sustainable forms of food provisioning. Given the social, economic, and environmental importance of systems of urban food provisioning, these systems are being considered key to operationalising the integration of rural-urban linkages, planning, and climate change adaptation at a territorial level. In this context the notion of the city region, encompassing one or more urban centres and their surrounding peri-urban and rural hinterlands, becomes the relevant level of scale to develop and implement an integrated and comprehensive solution for a future-proof foodscape.

Development of resilient city region foodscapes requires political will and use of available policy and planning instruments, such as land use planning, design and development of infrastructure, and public food procurement. It also requires that city regions assess their own specific food dependencies and vulnerabilities, explore the opportunities to develop a variety of strategies by which to improve their food system, and identify roles to be played by different food system stakeholdersFor this Special Issue we welcome theoretical and empirical papers that explore the constituent parts of city region foodscapes and the complex set of socio-spatial relationships between eaters, food producers, and intermediaries, such as transporters, processors, and retailers. Both in-depth single case studies, as well as comparative analyses of city regions and their modes of food provisioning, are possible. We also appreciate papers that address the structural dimensions of the interrelationships between different foodscape actors by identifying factors that enable or hinder the supply and procurement of food. Finally we also look forward to receive papers about (building blocks for) new policy frameworks for resilient city region foodscapes.

For information about the online submission of manuscripts, please check the special issue information. The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 31 December 2016.