Street food and vibrant urban spaces: lessons from Portland, Oregon

Across North America, street vending of snacks and small meals is growing in popularity, coinciding with a rising interest in local food systems and mixed-use planning in urban neighbourhoods. However, many cities have little or no urban street food due to historically strict bylaws, and in some cen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Local environment 2013-02, Vol.18 (2), p.233-248
Main Authors: Newman, Lenore Lauri, Burnett, Katherine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Cities
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Culture
Discourse analysis
Environment and sustainable development
Food
food carts
Food industry
Food supply
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Landscape
Meals
North America
Oregon
Portland
Prohibition
public space
Public spaces
Snack foods
street food
Success
U.S.A
Urban areas
urban form
Urban space
walkable cities
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Summary:Across North America, street vending of snacks and small meals is growing in popularity, coinciding with a rising interest in local food systems and mixed-use planning in urban neighbourhoods. However, many cities have little or no urban street food due to historically strict bylaws, and in some centres, the move to relax the prohibition on street foods has been difficult. This paper examines the theoretical discourse surrounding street food and presents a case study of the city of Portland, Oregon, which is seen as a leader in the area of allowing a vibrant street food culture to develop. This study found that Portland's success is a product of both progressive municipal bylaws and intrinsic spatial and social qualities of the urban landscape. Lessons for cities trying to encourage a street food industry are discussed.
ISSN:1354-9839
1469-6711
DOI:10.1080/13549839.2012.729572