Connecting food systems and urban planning: The experience of Portland, Oregon

The experience of Portland highlights the interconnections between various planning sectors and the importance of planning along all the food chains. The food system in Portland includes the preservation of agricultural land, a sustainable food programme that aims to foster the inclusion of food in all the territorial planning tools, the Portland Plan Food System report (preparatory for the Portland Comprehensive Plan), the Climate Action Plan (which promotes the local food system among other spatial planning tools) and the Portland food hubs as an online platform that brings together various food actors and many other initiatives at city and metropolitan levels. The food distribution system in Portland, including farmers’ markets, food carts, online food hubs, among other components, cannot be understood if it is separated from other food initiatives.