* food hubs | Productive Urban Landscapes

Ingredients catalogue sample documenting resources within an office building (source: Ugne Neveckaite 2021)

Farming and banqueting in useless buildings

All of last week, Andre has been co-leading a design studio in the UoB Summer School of Re-construction, part of the EU-funded Interreg program Facilitating the circulation of reclaimed building elements in North-Western Europe. Working with students from Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and Morocco and the multi-disciplinary artist Inês Neto dos Santos, we are looking at…

Andre Viljoen • 9th August 2021

Since 2009, (some of) the buildings and airfield of decomissioned Tempelhof Airport are being used for public events and as outdoor space. (source: Transformation Haus und Feld www 2021)

New initiative to support a LebensMittelPunkt at Tempelhof, Berlin

On the 12th of May, newly founded initiative Transformation Haus und Feld (TH&F) invited interested Berliners to its (online) kick-off meeting aimed at continuing civic efforts for a LebensMittelPunkt at the German capital’s decommissioned inner-city airport. The concept LebensMittelPunkt has been introduced to the City of Berlin in 2016 by the AG Stadt & Ernährung…

Katrin Bohn • 17th May 2021

In her project Sea-Meat Seeweed, artist Hanan Alkouh produced meat from seaweed. The project was shown at Food Revolution 5.0 where Bohn&Viljoen exhibited The Edible Terrace. (source: Tom Mannion www 2016)

Should we stop producing meat?

Last Thursday, Katrin Bohn joined Prof. Lisa Jack from the University of Portsmouth in an expert panel discussion chaired by Dr. Neale Davies, Liverpool John Moores University, as part of the one-day (online) event The Future of Food hosted by Clean Growth UK. The panel of experts examined with the audience whether we should stop…

Katrin Bohn • 26th February 2021

One of Markthalle Neun's entrances (on Eisenbahnstraße 42/43) during Covid-19 (source: Markthalle 9Neun www 2020)

INVITE: Markthalle Neun Berlin: We are open! For everything.

Adapted in its organisation to Berlin’s re-tightened Covid-19 regulations, Markthalle Neun invites to an Open Sunday this coming Sunday 20th December from 1 to 7 pm. Markthalle Neun is one of the few remaining original 19th-century market halls in the German capital having reopened in 2011 after many years of local campaigning and negotiating its…

Katrin Bohn • 15th December 2020

Because of the Covid-19-related impossibility to hold open elections, the election of the new board of representatives for Ernährungsrat Berlin had to be postponed. (source: Ernährungsrat Berlin 2020)

LebensMittelPunkte among topics of the plenary assembly of Ernährungsrat Berlin

More than 50 people participated in the plenary assembly of the Ernährungsrat Berlin [Berlin Food Policy Council] which was held online on the 28th of October 2020. Whilst the planned election of the new board of representatives could not happen within this online format, there were many points to discuss. Most importantly, the imminent action…

Katrin Bohn • 2nd November 2020

One of many urban agriculture vending machines found in Nerima City, used by urban farmers for selling produce to local residents. They indicate how within Tokyo, culture and infrastructure are well positioned to accommodate an expansion of the local distribution networks required to enable extensive areas of productive landscape. (source: Bohn&Viljoen 2018)

Productive green zones in Tokyo, Japan

Last week, André Viljoen returned from his first working visit to Japan where he acts as a consultant to Nerima City on invitation by the City’s Mayor. André writes: ‘Tokyo was a revelation. During the 8-days of field work, most of my time was spent visiting an impressive and largely unknown, in the Anglo Saxon…

Andre Viljoen • 3rd December 2018

The event will be moderated by Agnes Duda and Corinna Vosse as part of Zusammen.Wachsen.Lassen, funded by Germany's national climate protection initiative (NKI). (source: Corinna Vosse)

INVITE: Preserving, Exchanging, Tasting on Tuesday 13th November

Since more than a year, LebensMittelPunkt Spandau is running free events for participants to engage in prossessing locally harvested food. The project invites all that are interested to their event Making Chutney. Details: Tuesday 13th November, 5pm – 7pm, Gartenarbeitsschule Borkzeile, Borkzeile 34, Spandau, Berlin. Please do come along! Here the invitation in German: Herzlichste…

Katrin Bohn • 6th November 2018

Architect’s drawing of what inside a Buzz Building would look like. (Source: Belatchew Arkitekter, 2022)

Buzz Buildings insect farms, Sweden

Belatchew Architects of Sweden are pioneering the design of alternative food solution urban farms, what they call ‘Buzz Buildings’. Buzz Buildings, at the moment still a design proposal, would be insect farms for the purpose of consumption that are positioned on Stockholm’s major roundabouts. If nine of these urban farms were in operation, it could…

Jasmine Cook • 1st December 2017

Image of footpath through a space with garden beds either side. (Source: Jasmine Cook 2022)

Preston Park Demonstration Garden, UK

The Preston Park Demonstration Garden is run by the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership and maintained by a team of local volunteers. The garden is situated on the south-eastern edge of Preston Park, Brighton & Hove’s largest urban park. Brighton and Hove Food Partnership is a non-profit organisation which works with local businesses, other local…

Jasmine Cook • 1st May 2017

Cyclists on their way through a wheat field, the city can be seen in the background (source: With Locals 2022)

South Milan Agricultural Park, Italy

The South Milan Agricultural Park is made up of 47,000 hectares of land including agricultural and forested areas, rivers and historic estates. It sits along the peri-urban belt of South Milan. The main activities undertaken throughout are agricultural and include the management of silvicultural resources, crop production, livestock breeding, and the ‘transformation and management of…

Jasmine Cook • 2nd March 2017