Sustainable local development and agri-food system in the post Covid crisis: The case of Rome

• Published in: Cities 2022-12, Vol.131, p.103994-103994, Article 103994
• Main Authors: Cavallo, Aurora, Olivieri, Francesco Maria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agri-food system; Covid-19; Rome; Sustainable local development; Urban food planning
• ISSN: 0264-2751; 1873-6084; 0264-2751
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2022.103994

This paper focuses on the research pathway related to the drafting of a strategic Agri-Food Plan of Rome. The paper highlights the theoretical background and investigates the strategic vision and actions, as well as the role played by the Covid-19 Pandemic by changing priorities. The merging between two strands of study is identified: urban food strategies and sustainability in the debate on post Covid-19 food planning studies and the analysis of local agri-food systems for economic development. This work shows that in the case of urban and metropolitan areas around the Mediterranean, agriculture, the cultural dimension of food, logistics, research and innovation, and tourism marketing can be included within a single planning and policy tool. In the case of Rome, the place-based approach allowed us to consider the specificities of social and spatial contexts with interactions of market drivers with public institutions. This approach may constitute a promising path of research for the future of sustainable planning, particularly in Mediterranean cities. The results have interesting policy implications that should be more explicitly considered in addressing urban agendas, and in particular, the role of food to promote local development by integrating economic, social, and environmental and spatial values at a regional scale. •The sustainability of urban food system is a relevant issue in post Covid-19 Recovery•The agri-food systems of Southern Europe are more specialized and regionalized than those of Northern Europe•Food and agriculture shaping spatial, socioeconomic and environmental dynamics is crucial in Mediterranean cities•The case of Rome suggests that spatial planning and local development in Mediterranean cities play a crucial role in the urban agenda for the ecological transition