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Title of the thesis: Kitchen Think-Over: Framing Food System Challenges through Design in Affluent Western Cities

Thesis defender: Kata Fodor
Opponent: Prof. Damian Maye, University of Gloucestershire, UK
Custos: Prof. Mikko Jalas,Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture

How can design meaningfully engage with complex societal challenges, such as those associated with the food system? Rather than tackling wicked problems head-on, this dissertation offers a (p)reframing exercise. Building on interdisciplinary research across food geography, food policy and social practice theory, this work examines the role of affluent Western cities in achieving sustainable diets. Through a series of conceptual frameworks, it demonstrates how design researchers and practitioners can leverage their core professional skills to contribute to the Great Food Transformation, foregrounding issues that their design perspective can uniquely highlight.

The studies in this doctorate focus on the demand side of the food supply chain. They trace the effects of digitalisation on the spatial dynamics of urban food provisioning, considering both dietary and design implications. The kitchen is then reconceptualised as an interconnected urban node, rather than an architectural object. This leads to the unpacking of the diverse factors shaping everyday urban food environments to, lastly, establish a series of design principles to approach sustainable diets.

Keywords: food environment, foodscapes, urban food spaces, sustainable diets, urban food systems, kitchen, food provisioning, multi-
scale urbanism, design for sustainability

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at . 

Contact: kata.fodor@aalto.fi