Feeding Urbanized Farmland: Food Policy in the Midwest
The connection of food systems to the urban environment cannot be ignored as cities require outside production to provide the bulk of resources needed to sustain their residents’ physical, social, and economic needs. Literature suggests that food policy is coming to the forefront of city planning as case studies of various cities are encouraging planners to incorporate food policy into city planning; this research looks to quantify the extent to which this planning is happening, focusing on the Midwest region of the United States. This inventory of the largest Midwestern cities’ comprehensive plans shows that in this region, most cities have not yet incorporated food policy. Among those that do, most plans focus on food access, public health, and land use, allowing for integration of food policy among diverse disciplines.