Metropolitan foodscapes with multifunctional land use : a design proposal for a peri-urban area in the Metropolitan region of Rotterdam - The Hague

Abstract: Multifunctional land use in and around cities is becoming increasingly important to meet many sustainability objectives of today. Due to today's rapid urbanisation, a division has been developed between urban and rural areas, which in turn has resulted in a gap between producers and consumers. The aim of this thesis is to find solutions on how to create multifunctional land use in peri-urban areas and integrate urban and rural land in order to reduce the gap between farmers and the city dwellers. Planners need to recognize the multifunctional character of peri-urban zones and there is a need to change from single-use to more flexible mixed-use areas. Mixed land use, with the inclusion of agriculture, close to cities has been proved to support the local market and contribute to shorter food chains. Urban consumers purchasing directly from farmers has also been proved to enhance the urban-rural relationship. This thesis focuses on a design proposal of a multifunctional foodscape in a peri-urban area including food production, education and recreation. The concept Farmer’s Garden and its guiding principles are implemented on a site located on the city edge to Schiedam, in the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam-The Hague (MRDH). The design proposal serves as an inspiration of what functions and activities could be used to transform peri-urban areas into more multifunctional areas as well as what design elements could be used to contribute to the experience of food. It also exemplifies how peri-urban areas could function as transition zones between urban and rural landscapes. In order to understand the preconditions and potentials of this thesis' specific context, an empirical pre-study was conducted to gain knowledge about the production landscapes of MRDH. The foodscapes in focus for this thesis is urban farming in Rotterdam, dairy farming in Midden-Delfland and greenhouse horticulture in Westland. The thesis also presents theories and concepts related to the subject including agriculture, multifunctional land use and local food. The paper also includes the notion of foodscape, food hub and Edible Forest Garden.