HORIZON EUROPE┋Unlock the potential of the New European Bauhaus in urban food system transformation

Expected Outcome

In line with the European Green Deal priorities and the farm to fork strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system, as well as of the EU's climate ambition for 2030 and 2050 and the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030,the successful proposal will support the development of policies, business models and market conditions contributing to the sustainable, balanced and inclusive development of urban and peri-urban areas and to the empowerment and resilience of their communities, who can access, afford and choose healthier, nutritious and environmental-friendly food. The successful proposal will also contribute to the Food 2030 priorities: nutrition for sustainable healthy diets, climate, biodiversity and environment, circularity and resource efficiency, innovation and empowering communities.

The overall aim of this topic and associated R&I activities is to leverage the New European Bauhaus[1] values for urban and peri-urban food system transformation by positively transforming the food environment[2] to enable sustainable, inclusive, and aesthetic ways of food system transformation.

Projects results are expected to contribute to all following expected outcomes:

• Positively transformed food environments that enhance sustainable food system transformation by applying the vision of New European Bauhaus (NEB) to “call on all Europeans to imagine and build together a sustainable and inclusive future that is beautiful for our eyes, minds, and souls”;
• Reconnected and engaged citizens with nature and healthy and sustainable food for their well-being and health while providing multifunctional benefits, such as biodiversity.

Scope

Sustainable food systems can be an integral part of our living spaces including urban gardens, rooftop gardens and other nature-based solutions and positively transform our food environments. Exploiting the vision of New European Bauhaus and providing inclusive access, education and capacity building can provide multi-functional benefits and help transforming food systems especially in urban and peri-urban areas.

Proposals are expected to address the following:

• Involve all three core values of NEB: 1) sustainability, 2) aesthetics/quality of experience, 3) inclusion, for transforming food environments and contribute to a green and sustainable infrastructure;
• Expand food environments by using architecture/local place-based approaches for innovative solutions, including art, for current and future needs linked to sustainable food environments and stronger citizen connection to food and empowered self-provisioning communities with multi-functional nature-based solutions (e.g., urban gardens connected to parks, edible trees and bushes, edible green infrastructure…etc.);
• Use and demonstrate place-based solutions with considering its specific resource pool and place, e.g., connect food to local cultural values and if possible, to indigenous communities and/or urban citizens’ movements and make use of local plants and herbs, also supporting local ecological resilience;
• Apply and demonstrate community-based solutions with strong citizen engagement (especially youth) to simultaneously drive human needs and environmental benefits;
• Connect rural and urban/peri-urban areas and communities for co-benefits and enhanced inclusive experience, by also using data and technology6;
• Develop appropriate models to multiply innovations across the EU while considering different types of urban/peri-urban areas (different city size, different countries);
• Proposals should include a dedicated task, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with other projects funded under this topic as well as to interact with the New European Bauhaus community, NEBLab and other relevant actions under NEB, e.g. by participating in activities, workshops, as well as common communication and dissemination activities, and connect with learnings from other initiatives such as the “Year of Greener Cities” and “Year of youth”;

Proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach' and ensure adequate involvement of citizens and civil society, together with urban designers, design thinkers, social innovators, start-ups, planners, social scientists and public authorities to strengthen relationships between urban planning and food choices and to develop new methods and approaches to innovation. This topic should involve the effective contribution of SSH disciplines.

In the context of this topic, geographical areas of the European Union and Associated Countries are NUTS level 1 regions of European Union Member States and of Associated Countries for which they are defined. In the case of Associated Countries without NUTS classification, the country as a whole is to be considered as one geographical area:

• List of Associated Countries not defined by NUTS level 1: Armenia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Faroe Islands; Georgia; Kosovo[3]; Israel; Moldova; Tunisia; Ukraine.

• List of countries not defined by NUTS level 1 with which association negotiations are being processed or where association is imminent: Morocco.

[1] https://europa.eu/new-european-bauhaus/index_en

[2] European Public Health Alliance (2019) “Food environments are the physical, economic, political and socio-cultural contexts in which people engage with the food system to make their decisions about acquiring, preparing and consuming food.” https://epha.org/what-are-food-environments/

[3]This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.