Understanding urban food systems: A spatial and temporal analysis in Sydney, Australia

Abstract

As food is a daily necessity for people, research on urban food systems, targeting urban food-related social issues and highlighting the importance of urban food policies, has increased. Past research has focused on food policies that target various food-related problems in urban areas, such as affordable food, food access equality and other food security related issues. However, geographical studies on urban food production and consumption patterns are limited, particularly in compact and vertically growing cities to support smart governance. Understanding the complex dynamics of cities' urban food subsystems, including agriculture, food manufacturing, food wholesaling, food retailing, food storage and food freight, is crucial to understand and address multivariate food-related issues. This paper examines the location of each function relating to its floor space use and visualises the 3D foodscapes through the spatial and temporal analysis of urban food systems. The research identified the eight food functions in Sydney and visualised the temporal colocation relationships among them over 10 years. The outcome can further contribute to urban food planning by considering their relationship with the socio-economic context, and mapping Sydney's urban food system in 3D.